Ostaria dei Centopoveri

after being to the fabulous Osteria Pastella the night before, the kids wanted pizza, so we went here… and i can’t see why this restaurant has such good reviews here. anyway.
my2cents are:
the location:
is not really nice, more average and tends to look a bit (wouldn’t say dirty) «sticky» maybe.
the air-​condition did not work, so it was also a bit very humid inside.
the service:
yes they have service, but just very business-​as-​usual type.
the food:
pizza was just average. starters (prosciutto&melon, green salad) below average. main course (grilled chicken and tagliatta) a desaster.
recommendation:
go somewhere else. or to Osteria Pastella around the corner!!!

Reasonably priced at € 10 for a two course lunch, including wine, water, service and coperto (cover — bread, napkins, silverware, etc.), this osteria (it is not spelled «ostaria», just like pizzeria is not spelled «pizzaria») and pizzeria is one of many value options near train station Santa Maria Novella in Florence. There are better and worse, but the food and service were pretty good and the price excellent.
The restaurant is large and our group of six were quickly seated even though they were pretty busy. Five adults ordered off of the fixed price menu and the lone, very hungry child ordered a Margherita pizza, what else. Four of us had the tortellini panna prosciutto con piselli (ham, cream, and peas) for our first course and one had the pasta alla Sorrentina. The tortellini were mass produced, but very good, and plentiful served in a creamy, garlicky sauce with diced ham and peas. The sauce was so good that I ignored my wife’s pleas and performed «scarpetta», cleaning my plate with the fresh, local bread and happily consuming it. The pasta all Sorrentina did not look all that appetizing, but what could we expect in Florence. There was no sauce, only a small amount of crushed tomato and a little mozzarella mixed with a lot of store-​bought pasta.
The very hungry child did not receive his pizza until after our second courses were served, but he was very patient nonetheless. A pizza lover, he was not impressed by his pizza although it looked good from where I was sitting, so ¾ of it went uneaten. Our main courses were the Caprese salad, frittata de patate (potato omelette), and scallopine ai funghi. The Caprese was decent with fresh fior di latte (cow’s milk), not mozzarella di bufala (made with water buffalo milk in the region of Campania) as you would get in and around the Island of Capri, its namesake. The dish’s signature fresh basil leaves were notably missing and replaced with lettuce, something you would never see in Southern Italy, but it was not bad at all. The frittata di patate was pretty good, although my wife did not think it was good as her friend Giovanna (from Naples) mother’s version. Giovanna had the scallopine, which she said was «so-​so», coming in a thick, creamy mushroom sauce along with green beans on the side. It looked good, but I did not taste it, so I cannot corroborate her evaluation.
We received a liter of local red wine for the five of us, five bottles of water (we had been walking in the 100 degree heat for four hours), and five after-​meal espressos with the bill coming to a very reasonable € 60.50 for six people, a relative bargain in Florence. The menu is basic, nothing fancy, but the food good and the value exceptional. They are quite a bit pricier for dinner, in the € 25 to € 40 range per person, so lunch is a major value.
My only complaints were: 1) the child did not get his pizza as fast as he should have; 2) the sparsely adorned pasta alla Sorrentina; and 3) the lack of basil on the Caprese Salad, otherwise we were quite pleased with our meal.
CombatCritic Gives Osteria dei Centopoveri 7 Bombs Out Of 10 (3.5÷5 Stars) … BOMBS ARE GOOD IN THIS CASE!

Saw this on Google review, decided to give it a try! The place was cozy and located in small alley. We got seated right away and quickly placed our orders. There was only one server and surprisingly we didn’t feel any delays in service! The food was pretty good and my favorite was steamed claims! You will see it in my pics.

Came here our first night in Florence. We ordered: muscles 6/​10, honey with meats 7/​10, artichoke salad ⁶⁄₁₀ (beware of thistles), Tuscan white beans 10/​10, margherita pizza 9/​10, wild boar spaghetti (⁹⁄₁₀). As a whole, OK starters and great main courses.

This place has amazing food. We waited a bit and the host was super busy. He bused tables, took orders, delivered food, and seated everyone. Works so hard. The food did not disappoint. It is huge portions so if you get a set meal you can definitely share. Good atmosphere and great food. Definitely a place locals go (they shake hands with the host to get a better place in the line) but lots of tourists go too.
I got the pork rib with potatoes. Delicious! The fat on it was amazing.
My friend got the Pesci meal (fish set menu) and the portions were so big we were able to share it as well. So delicious every course.
Definitely will come back again and prices aren’t that bad.

Bleh. I did not like the food here. I am not sure what happened, but I was less than thrilled with my entire meal and service. However, Bob loved his meal so take that for what it is worth. For some reason, my ravioli tasted like there was mint or something in there? But not quite mint. You know when you buy produce and it starts to rot and then you smell it and it has the sweet decaying smell? Now picture that in taste form, mixed with ricotta cheese. This was the first meal in Italy where I did not finish my entire plate. Now, Bob got a pasta dish that had a meat sauce that he really enjoyed. But mine was just awful. I never know what to do with reviews like this. Where my own personal experience was not good, but the person that I was eating with enjoyed their meal… I usually split the difference and will do the same here. Eat here if you dare!

The best deal for a meal we had in Italy. For 10 euros, you get 2 courses + wine/​water and the food is great! It’s not a fancy meal but delicious with a home-​style feeling. We particularly enjoyed the lasagne, salmon pasta, and mixed fried fish, my dad also loved the tripe soup. We couldn’t believe the meal was really 10 euros a person, our best value meal in Italy.

We were travel weary and just wanted a quick easy meal for the kids. Pizza it was. Great Italian pizza is what we got, along with a nice Rosso di Montalcino, and the most friendly and attentive server, Drita, who played and joked with our kids also! Give this a shot… you won’t be disappointed.

Great food, great prices, extraordinary value. Everything we had (insalata mista, sponachi, tortellacci) was fresh and delicious.

A friendly and welcoming neighborhood eatery.
Wide selection of dishes with plenty of fresh seafood.
They were generous in their servings and sincere in their hospitality.
Happy to recommend them for an evening of good spirit and food.

What a wonderful find! My wife and I stumbled on this restaurant which is nicely decorated and has excellent local food. The restaurant is roomy and not cramped like many other restaurants in the area. We seemed to be the only Americans in the restaurant; however, we were warmly greeted and treated like everyone else.
My wife and I had two different chicken dishes which were delicious and inexpensive. One was 12 Euro and the other was 9. I also had a Tuscan vegetable soup which was obviously freshly made with local vegetables. Add dessert, wine and water and the bill was less than 40 euro. The waitress even even gave us Vin Santo and almond biscotti, gratis.
Although we did not have seafood, many other customers did and this also seemed very fresh.
We have one more night in Florence and I think we will be going back tomorrow. I would definitely recommend having dinner here.