Giannino In San Lorenzo

Every time I come to Florence I visit this restaurant and it’s yet to disappoint. The staff are friendly, the menu is vast, in the summer it’s really nice to sit outside and in the winter the inside is cosy. There are plenty of gluten free options on the menu and they’re very aware of dietary requirements. There’s something for everyone — pasta, pizza, and general meat and veg restaurants. The most recent time I was there the service was very slow but i’d never struck that before. Overall I really like this place and would recommend.

When you get into the restaurant, the environment is right and charming. However you will get a good table if you are lucky, because they place tables in the most unusual areas within the restaurant. I know they want to maximize the profit, but you should make sure all customers feel comfortable.
We asked as a first plate for a gnocchi and a wide pasta with a duck sauce. Then a grilled breast of chicken with a salad and pork loin with potatoes. These were two special of the day orders.
The gnocchi was fine texture and OK sauce. The tagliatelle was average.
The breast of chicken was inedible. Burnt and the taste of burnt chicken was just overpowering. The pork loin was good, nonetheless a bit dry.
I have to admit that the waiter was nice enough to not charge us for the chicken plate, but it is not a place we will go back.

Good was delicious and the service was fast. I’d recommend it. Not sure if we got the full «Italian experience» but it was a good meal and good service.

We went here two nights in a row while in Florence. The first night, my wife and I both got fresh pasta, which was excellent.
The second night, she got tortelli stuffed with potatoes in a meat sauce, which she liked. I got the personal Florentine steak (T-​Bone). Her tortelli was fine, but I was very mislead about the steak. For those that don’t know, a T-​Bone is made up of a filet and a strip steak. When it came out, the filet part of the steak was a mere sliver, less than one full bite. I thought that this had to be an oversight, but when I asked two servers about it, they doubled down and said that’s how the personal steak is cut. Neither one would take responsibility for the quality of the product. They said if I had ordered a kilogram, I’d have a bigger steak. The only problem is that they never advertised it this way. I’d obviously have a bigger filet if I’d ordered the bigger steak, but even with a thinner cut, the filet shouldn’t be less than a 15 grams. I make steak all the time, so I know what I’m talking about. They didn’t have enough filet to justify calling this a T-​bone. This was basically a bone-​in strip — and one that was cooked very unevenly at that. One side was medium while the other was raw.
I had a very bad experience with the steak, but the fresh pasta and house chianti was so good that I feel obligated to give at least 2 stars. If you go here, avoid the «personal» sized Florentine steak.

I do not have any idea why this restaurant is rated more than a 1 star. Ordered prosciutto with melon, got a cheese plate. Sent it back and got prosciutto that was largely inedible, literally. I had to trim the gristle off that was tough enough to crunch, but not to be able to chew. Followed that by a fungi pizza. The crust was bready and soggy, the mushrooms were soggy (never had that before except from a can) the cheese was tasteless and clumpy, and the sauce had absolutely no taste — none. The tastiest part of the pizza was the burnt edge of the crust, the rest of it was like eating soggy cardboard. The only saving grace was my girlfriend did have the tomato bread soup which she liked. Our waiter also seems to have disappeared for the last half hour which makes it very hard to try to order dessert but allows plenty of time to write this review.
If you want a truly great meal nearby, you should check out Natalino’s.

Bit of a disappointment. Not bad, but just ok. From some of the reviews we were expecting better, but in the end seemed like a bit better version of the touristy restaurants encircling the Duomo.
That isn’t a bad thing, if you are there and need to eat, I highly recommend, just not a go out of your way to eat place.

The best meals we’ve had in Florence, and certainly with the most hospitable staff. Excellent all around!

We were so worried by all the tourist traps along the street, we almost skipped Giannino thinking it’s also one of them. While it’s not the most authentic Italian food we had on the trip, it’s above tourist trap and the food exceeded our expectations.
Both of our dishes (beef filet and pasta with meat sauce) were above average with quality ingredients. Their complimentary bread was also decent, especially when you dip it into their dishes’ leftover sauce.
Their staff members were friendly and helpful and their bathroom facility was clean. What else can you ask for?!
If you can’t get in certain bookmarked Italian restaurants due to the crowd/​reservation requirements, Giannino (lots of seating indoor and outside) is a solid backup to your dinner plans.

My family and I just enjoyed a delicious and very typical Florentine dinner at Giannino. We were provided with excellent choices on the menu of the day along with the full multi-​page menu selections. Each dish we ordered arrived perfectly prepared. Portions were generous and served at appropriate temperatures. The vini di casa (rosso e bianco) were of superb quality. Our servers were attentive and gracious, and surprised us with four glasses of complimentary Limoncello at the end of our meal. We highly recommend Giannino in the vicinity of San Lorenzo in Firenze.

This place is average. I’m not sure what all the rage was on Unilocal that I read. I wanted to do this posting to tell those on vacation who want authentic, yummy Italian food, that this establishment may not be the place for you based on our experience. First thing, I noticed is that it likely caters to Americans since a lot of the main courses have French fries to accompany them, but that’s not to say you couldn’t still have great food. Next, I went to wash my hands and there was no soap at either of the sinks and no towels, and the hand dryer was broken. My children’s and wife’s pasta dishes were good. I had a daily special which was a roast pork with potatoes. The pork was extremely dry and chewy… Not good. Service was average for Italian restaurants. The bus boy, brought us some sparkling water, opened the lid, but did not pour the water. The waitress was a bit affronted when I asked for butter, when she bought the bread. She seemed to warm up as the meal progressed. I’m not saying this place was poor but it wasn’t great either.

Giannino in San Lorenzo (Le Fonticine) I wanted a non-​touristy place to try a Florentine steak in Florence (which I realize is a bit of a contradiction.) Giannino in San Lorenzo was just the right mix– our server spoke enough English to help us explore the menu, which was great, but the restaurant is definitely Forentine. They have a large florentine steak and a smaller one, which I got. My only regret was not getting it rare. It was cooked to order though and the seasoning was delicious. The potatoes were good, but nothing to write home about. The service was excellent and the appetizer we had was outstanding. My wife ordered a spaghetti dish that had a red sauce with steak tips. Slightly spicy. I would definitely recommend this restaurant. It seems like the kind of place locals and tourists both go to and enjoy.

I studied abroad in Florence for 3 weeks and was lucky enough to live in an apartment very close to this restaurant. Considering the convenience, I ended up eating here 3 times on my trip.
The first time I ate here I ordered the bolognese and it was incredible — home made fettucini and the perfect sauce/​meat. Our server was very sweet & the service was very impressive compared to many other restaurants in Italy (service is definitely not a focus in Italy). I loved it so much that I came back another time and got an amazing pancetta pasta dish.
Unfortunately, when I came back for round 3 I got pizza and was disappointed. It did not taste like what I would identify as authentic Italian pizza and was actually a little soggy. But still had good flavor and they were nice enough to cut it for us.
Despite the pizza flop, I’m giving 4 stars because the pasta, service, and atmosphere here was great!

We’ve been in Italy for a week now and we just had the tastiest dinner since we’ve been here. The ambiance was everything I imagined dinner in Italy would be like — music playing in the background, delicious food, wine and optimo service from friendly servers.

Can I say the food is incredible here. Dutchman ordered a remarkable steak that was made with perfection. I also had the pleasure of ordering a Gluten-​free pizza that tasted perfect! I so wish that I could find one of these places in Amsterdam. I would be in Gluten-​free Heaven, it does not get any better than this restaurant when it comes to taste.

During our stay, we used a combination of drive by’s and Unilocal reviews.
This visit was due to great reviews by fellow Unilocalers.
The location’s staff promptly greeted us as we entered and seat us at a great table overlooking the sidewalk/​street. We enjoy people watching.
The menu selections were numerous and it made our choices difficult. But, we made our selections and the feast began. Started with the salami and olive plate, then pastas, salad, roasted potatoes and steak.
As we walked in, we saw the desserts of the day — chocolate cake and apple tort. We had the chocolate cake and have no regrets.
There was also outside seating available, but due to the wet weather it’s was closed off.
This was the best restaurant during our stay in Florence. I highly recommend this location. Let me know your thoughts.

Warm atmosphere and friendly service! Called in a reservation though I believe you can walk in. Seated promptly and got our menus. The food is superb! My children had their pizza’s, I had the spaghetti bacon (like there’s anyway anything with bacon is going to be bad), and my wife and my sister-​in-​law had truffle dishes. Had a taste of everyone’s dish, everything was exceptional! Service during and then after the meal slowed a bit, but that I believe is custom for the area. Had their gelato for dessert and finished off a great meal with they family.

First warning: I had this dumb idea to order fried chicken (pollo fritte) on their seasonal menu. Don’t do that — the place has better food than just «fine». For their reputation, I actually expected better performance out of the batter, it’s easy to do it «well»… This aside, I did like the (deep-​fried) zucchini flowers.
My partner discovered and ordered spag-​bol (a rarity in Italy?) — this came out plentiful and to his tastes. (Personally I would spice it stronger.)
The waitstaff are quite attentive, and indeed everyone spoke english well.

This restaurant had some of the best food I have ever tasted in my life, and I would recommend it to anyone visiting Florence. My sister and I spent a mere 4 days in Florence (way too short of a visit!) and we came to this restaurant twice, it was so good. The waitstaff and service in general was fabulous — the waiters and host were very kind and welcoming to Americans, and everyone spoke English. You can’t go wrong with the Pizza Regina or any of the pastas. A+ experience all-​around.

This is the best restaurant we tried in the 4 days we visited Florence. It was always crowded but always friendly and helpful. Many locals ate here, too. My wife and I both loved the extra-​wide pasta with beef marinated in Chianti, but I also enjoyed the steak Florentine a great deal. We ate both lunch and dinner here, and both times were equally great. The service is well-​paced, so please do not be in too much of a hurry while enjoying one of the best meal experiences you will have in Florence.

We stayed in an apartment above this restaurant so happened to go there. We had 2 young children.
The staff were friendly, service was slow. laid back but always good with a smile. Kind of place you can get a bottle of wine and relax.
Their house wine was excellent. Pasta with Chianti Sauce was our favorite. Would definitely go back again when in Florence.