I Buongustai

Hands down the best ravioli that I have ever had. The portion was small so maybe order two.

Perfecto! After reading several positive reviews of this place, I decided my wife and I HAD to come here – we actually built it in to our itinerary. So glad we did! We started with the chicken liver pâté bruschetta. I do NOT like liver, but as I am one to try things I don’t usually like, this stuff was tasty. Just enough of that liver funk to remind me what I was eating. But anyways, very good! My wife and I both had panini. I had the tomato, mozzarella, and ham and she had the truffle/​garlic (some kind of cheese) and ham. Both were outstanding. All of the reviews of this place said three things: simple, cheap, tasty (and authentic!) and they were correct. With appetizer, wine, water and two paninis, the total was 18 €. I left a tip for the first time ever in Italy because they deserved it. The three ladies working were so efficient and awesome. You can even see in the kitchen as one of them works. Plan on arriving early as it will get very busy and you will end up waiting if you postpone lunch until 12:30 or later. Give it a try!

Awesome place. The ladies here do good work! At first I felt out of place because it was all locals which is a good thing but you feel weird. I tried to speak mostly Italian to them but gave up. They do speak good English so don’t be afraid. We asked for suggestions and they were happy to help. The women make everything right there so it’s small but they are pretty quick. We got the pomodoro bruschetta and it was awesome. Then we had an olive and cheese salad which was yummy and fresh. Then we got the carbonara and the pesto pastas — both were amazing and cooked perfectly al dente! Then one of the best tiramisu’s we hav have ever had! Don’t miss this gem. We got all of that plus a half liter of wine for $ 34. Amazing!

This hole in the wall in the heart of touristy center of Florence exceeded my expectations. The pangs of hunger necessitated finding a place to eat quick after I checked into the hotel. Wandering the streets, I came across this super small establishment that was full except for several counter spaces, and an open kitchen that was hyperactive fulfilling the dining orders.
The prices were ridiculously low and had it not been late in the afternoon I would have ordered the standard two-​three course lunch with wine. I sensibly tamed the desire to do for the sake of dinner, and ordered the Tuscan crostini (with chicken pâté) and Tripa alla Florentina. Was it good? Unequivocally so and a shame that scheduling wise I was not able to come back for a second dine.
Generous portions of flavorful tripe did wonders for my complaining stomach.

Prices:
Spaghetti alla carbonara: 7 euros
Glass of white wine: 2 euros
PSA: The tiramisu here is out of this world delicious.
A great place for a delicious and inexpensive lunch. My friends and I came by here after checking out Florence’s art and cathedrals all morning. The space can be a bit tight and you might encounter a wait, but the food is great. The service is a bit sparse as there only appears to be one lady taking orders, serving food, and clearing tables in a very busy restaurant. The pasta is definitely al dente but I loved every bite of my carbonara. It’s a charming spot run by a bunch of older Italian ladies and you can watch them shave meat, cook pasta, and slice cheese in the entryway of the restaurant.
This is also where I had the best slice of tiramisu I’ve ever encountered in my life. I don’t normally order tiramisu but I think I could’ve eaten the entire cake. It was light and fluffy and mind-​blowing amazing. Do yourself a favor and order a piece while you’re there.
The hours posted on Unilocal are wrong but I’m not quite sure how the food service hours work here so I can’t correct them. Come at normal lunch hours (12pm to 2pm) if you want access to the full menu though.

Delicious!
A bit hard to find (Google maps will likely fail you), but I think the place was pretty close to Leonardo Shoes, a somewhat famous leather goods shop.
The restaurant had a very homey feel, and patrons were a mix of locals and visitors alike. All the items are well-​priced and well-​prepared (you won’t go wrong with almost any of the pasta selections), but I think their tiramisu deserves special commendation. It was rustic looking, large-​portioned and absolutely divine!
A great lunch option as you explore Florence!

My friends and I came for lunch. We have tried a few pasta joints in florence, rome, and venice. We are all in agreement that their spaghetti with garlic and anchovies was the BEST pasta dish we tried. We don’t even like anchovies! It was amazingly good, and you must try it! 1 star deducted for their paninis which we didn’t love.

Love this place! If I lived in Florence, I’d be a regular.
It’s a smaller restaurant and only three women operate everything — taking orders, cooking, serving, busing, ect. This place feel so homey and lively, like some Italian aunts just adopted me, think I’m too skinny, and fed me a bunch to fatten me up.
I wanted to try some Tuscan food so I got the tripe in tomato sauce. I was expecting it to be tough, but it was so unbelievably tender and flavorful! No need to lick the plate clean here; I used bread to soak up every last bit of the sauce instead. The house wine was great, and the TIRAMISU was to die for! I was absolutely stuffed, and I think I only paid like 12 euros for entrée, wine, and dessert — very affordable.
Good food, cheap wine, authentic Tuscan. You MUST eat here!

What a find! This is a great place if you’re looking for an authentically delicious Italian meal. I went here with a few friends I was traveling with, and the women running the place were very helpful in translating the menu for us. I ordered the spaghetti bolognese and it was pretty good, but not too flavorful. My friends ordered the white lasagne though, and MY OH MY was it good!!! Best tasting Italian dish I’ve ever tried. We liked the hole-​in-​the-​wall feel of the place. Prices were not bad at all either!

10 years I’m eating here and they are still 5 stars!!! They never change the quality and everything is still delicious and cooked under your eyes!
Never lose this place fellas! Go for it!!!
Scrivo in italiano l’unica critica che mi sento di fare ma che NON pregiudica assolutamente il mio giudizio: consiglierei di pulire meglio e con attenzione gli oggetti che vengono toccati da tutti tutto il giorno ovvero i menù, oliere, sale, pepe, maniglie, ecc… A volte mettono a dura prova. Soprattutto i menù spesso e volentieri troppo appiccicosi.
Ci vediamo alla prossima! Non vedo l’ora!

I was incredibly impressed with this little family run place. The pasta was some of the freshest and tastiest I had in Italy and the kindness of the people working there made the experience even better. I had the bruschetta appetizer which used very fresh tomatoes and the speck and spinach cream pasta which I didn’t think I could eat all of until I tasted it and then I knew I had to cause it was so delicious. The waitress talked me into trying the cheesecake her sister made and wow… So light and tasty. If I had more time I would have gone back!

Found this on trip advisor. My overall summary is that this is a small restaurant with wonderful homemade food by a family that obviously works very hard. They are friendly and I completely disagree with the reviews that say they gave poor service. I do think they are quite busy attending to their guests in this small but busy location which could be misconstrued by some as rude but we always received a smile with very efficient service. The pasta was fresh and the sauce was very flavorful. The best part of the meal was there amazing cheesecake. Do not leave without a piece!

This was the best lunch I’ve had in a while. I concur with most of the other reviews.

Three women+one itty bitty kitchen+not too many seats=a really delicious place for lunch in Florence.
Prices are super reasonable: bruschetta is € 3 (there are a variety of delicious options), salads and crepes are € 6.50, panini are € 5, and pastas are about € 6. And, everything is delicious!
The penne with taleggio and pesto was SO tasty – don’t miss it is you like pesto. The crepes are hearty; they’re basically panini but in a crêpe instead of bread (same fillings). I sort of bullied my husband into ordering the crêpe with bresaola, brie, and pine nuts; he wasn’t thrilled but went for it… turned out to be one of the best things on the table. Thin crêpe, creamy, savory brie, salty bresaola, sweet, creamy pine nuts. I could really go for one of those right now.
We spent € 42 on lunch for four, including beers.
The restaurant is tiny and cramped, but very cute… adds to the ambience, I guess.
The three women do everything – take the orders, make the food, serve, bus. And they do it like rockstars.

This place came highly recommended by one of our tour guides. It’s very well hidden, we walked by it initially with him and then had trouble finding it again, and then when we finally found it, they were closed for Liberation Day. Luckily we were able to go back a few days later. We arrived around 12:30 and they were packed. We waited about 5 – 10 minutes, then our party of 2 was seated at a table for 6 with two other parties. It was a tight squeeze (the whole restaurant is!) but not overly uncomfortable. The two people next to us worked at a nearby museum and said they ate here frequently but usually got the food as a takeaway.
At their recommendation, we ordered off of the white page of daily specials. We ordered two pastas (spaghetti carbonara and farfalle with salmon and tomato and spinach), a side of mixed grilled vegetables, and a large bottle of water. The pastas were wonderful! The vegetables were nothing spectacular, we were both just wanting more vegetables and they fit the bill.
The staff were constantly in motion, they were friendly and got everyone their food and drinks quickly. They seemed to enjoy the controlled chaos!
Our total bill was € 18.
When we left there was quite a crowd outside waiting to get in.

Amazing little restaurant nestled between via del Corso and via dei Cerchi! It took a while to find since the map isn’t accurate; once you see via dei Cerchi keep walking down until you see it. Should be past the back entrance of the department store Coin.
The best trippa alla florentina I’ve had in Florence! So delicious and tender. The carbonara and risotto are also really delicious. It is very busy and crowded during lunch time so get there early! The women that work at the restaurant are very nice but they run a tight ship! In my experience, they don’t speak English but could understand it. Great way to practice your Italian!
Very affordable menu and great food. Cozy, home atomsphere. You could even glance at the kitchen on your way in.

I was still pretty full from the ginormous sandwich from lunch and the obligatory gelato break, I only had the mixed crostini plate as my dinner. It came with 4 crostini with mixed spreads including tomato sauce, liver pâté, walnut and Gorgonzola and spinach. Of course no dinner is complete without wine in Italy. The best part about this one — ¼ liter wine for 5 euros!

My cousin and I were very hungry and wandered into I Buongustai for dinner. What luck we had in finding this place! The three course meal was superb and the ambiance warm and cozy! One of the waiters even sang opera music for the patrons while we dined.

Cozy ambience, it feels like you’re in someone’s home kitchen eating. Especially when you’re dining alone.

Lunch starts at 12:00, and does seem to fill up quickly. You may end up being seated by at a table with other diners, just roll with it. The food makes it worth.
As you walk past Osteria Il Buongustai, you’ll get a bit of that awesome smell of a kitchen that’s churning out delicious eats. It’s no joke, and as you enter the establishment, you’ll see the kitchen to the left and the ladies working away.
The style of food is what I’d imagine I’d get if I had an awesome Italian Auntie cooking me up a lunch (good).
My friend and I split a Caprese Salad, Pasta with tomato sauce, and a plate of cured meats, cheese, and a pickled artichoke heart. The meat/​cheese plate also came with a bruschetta and (my favorite) beans on a piece of french toast with truffle oil. One of the most delightful combinations that I never would have thought of.
Their house wine was 4.50 Euro for ½ a liter.
Do not rely on Google maps for this location, you’ll need to walk a block or two south (same street) of the marked location on Google Maps. Go try Buongustai for lunch. Don’t be a sucka.