Il Guscio

Décor 5/​5, service ³⁄₅
Restaurant is pretty. Simple but elegant. It seemed bright and airy. Staff were friendly. The service is definitely a lot slower paced than I’m used to. But for European standards it was good. I didn’t feel rushed. They even had a little patio outside. Just wish they had air conditioning.
Food 4.5÷5
The presentation for all the dishes was picturesque.
To start we had the tuna tatarte with orange which was good, and fresh. But I found it lacked a bit of pepper and salt.
The liver pâté on crostini was the most surprising dish of the night; it was one of my favourites. I’ve never had liver pâté served warm before. The liver was soft had tons of flavour and didn’t have that metallic taste to it. It was the perfect first bite to start our meal. I highly recommend this dish if you like liver.
Prawn pasta with zucchini flowers, and tomato was delicious. It was light in flavour, the pasta was fresh and cooked perfectly. The portion sizes are fairly large.
Black squid risotto was delicious. The squid was cooked to perfection as well, it was actually still soft and not chewy, which is hard to do. The rice was cooked nicely and the sauce was creamy. The mussels were tasty and not over cooked. Both dishes were served piping hot.
Even though I was so full we decided to get dessert. The chocolate soufflé was good. Not the best I’ve tried, but a good way to end the meal. The centre was still melted inside and gooey. It was served with strawberry and grand marnier cream, and strawberries.
For our first meal in Florence I was really happy and super full.

I’ve been coming here for lunch once a week for almost two years, so needless to say, the food is excellent. During lunch time It’s usually full of locals making the atmosphere very Florentine. Admittedly the service is not always the friendliest but this also depends on who you get, so I don’t consider it an issue. You get your food quickly and it’s always tasty. They do some of the best seasonal seafood pastas in Florence for less than € 10 (lunch) and the desserts are homemade and delicious. The menu changes quite often so I never get bored with the options.
I’ve been here a couple of times for dinner and it’s always been really nice. The ambiance is very different to their lunch hour making it suitable for a more formal occasion. The menu is more varied and slightly more expensive than lunch. It’s not fancy or over the top but a genuine Florentine restaurant that’s a hit with the locals and travellers alike. I recommend it wholeheartedly!

Easily the best restaurant in Florence! I was in the city for two months and returned to eat here three separate times. The Bistecca alla Fiorentina is very nice, cooked perfectly, and the owner is very friendly. The seafood is also divine — we had the branzino one night and it was flaky with a light pan-​fry on the outside and a simple sauce.
The real gem here, though, is the rabbit papardelle. The papardelle are made fresh in the restaurant and the slow-​cooked rabbit sauce is out of this world. Portion sizes are quite generous and the wine list is reasonable.

This is a restaurant I know for a long time, it’s the place I love to have dinner when I am in Florence. They cook a few «must eat» dishes, so special and tasty. yummy!
I can say that this is easily my favorite restaurant in Florence.
They make very tasty dishes, authentic but not heavy and with fresh ingredients.
Service is always very efficient and very kind, quality is always high level.
Prices are super fair
PS. Exciting wine list too!

Il Guscio is another great example of a classic Florentine restaurant. While they have all of the typical Tuscan dishes, look towards their specials and some of their more unusual dishes that you’re more likely to find here at a «ristorante» rather than at a slightly lesser «trattoria». It’s always busy with locals and a handful of tourists.