Perseus

Being a steak aficionado (self proclaimed at least) I had to try the famous Florentine Steak. Seeing how rare steaks are the only way I get my steak, this was a match made in heaven. Ordered the Bistecca Alla Fiorentina for two. The design of the restaurant was cool, almost like an old style Italian kitchen and the display of veggies on the table was a nice touch. When the steak came out, the cut was so big that the waiter sliced it up for us, stacked it and presented it in a nicely manner. The seasoning and tenderness were all very well done and I could tell by the flavors that the steak was prepared differently then the way I’m used to back home. I enjoyed it so much that I could’ve finished it all on my own. For desert, had the poached pear in red wine and it was great. All in all, florentine steak was legit and it truly lived up to the hype. Bold statement but this may have been the best steak that I’ve ever had!

Great atmosphere with delicious Fiorentina Steak! This is proven by the fact that the restaurant was packed! Really enjoyed the meal with my colleagues.

Amazing food, especially the Bistecca. Staff is friendly and helpful. Only problem for me is the waiting time to sit down

The best steak I’ve ever had! Both my husband and I ordered the Filetto de Manzo. We had read up beforehand and knew that no matter how we ordered it would come out rare. Regardless it was delicious. Service was excellent and the recommendations did not disappoint. We opened with cheese covered in honey and fresh herbs over melon and some classic spaghettini. Both plates were licked clean. The potatoes are a good side dish to the meat but I wasn’t a fan of the fried artichokes. Will definitely come back if ever in Florence!

We made a reservation the morning of our dinner. When we arrived, we had about a 5 minute wait for our table. They were very busy. The atmosphere is somewhat loud but you can talk easily, can dress casually, and it is relaxed. The wait staff were helpful. The décor is interesting.
My husband had their famous steak Florentine which he loved.
I had the Pennette Carne e Chiante. It is pasta with meat sautéed in Chiante. It was absolutely incredible. It was the best pasta dish I have ever had in my life. The flavor was absolutely amazing. The other pasta dishes looked great. You can google the menu under «images».
Wonderful wine, wonderful and fun night. Highly recommend.

Great food! This place is know for this cuts of meat. We got the bistecca a la fiorentina! Delicious but they only cook it one way– very rare. Great place to take the family.

This is one of those «more sizzle than steak» places I look to Unilocal to avoid. Charged a 5E cover pp that negates the whole «no tip necessary in Europe» philosophy (20E on a 100E meal was a hefty 20%).
This place is a total tourist magnet, and service has adjusted to this new reality (which is to say, «don’t expect good service).
I can overlook service issues for great food, but my florentine porterhouse for 2 was ALL strip and NO mignon, which was a huge disappointment for someone who knows and appreciates steak and expressed a degree of knowledge to the waiter. I make a way better steak at home, by starting with a well seasoned ribeye, and cooking to my preferred level of doneness (I accept that here it’s «rare or go home», and for a great steak I’ll accept those terms, but this was not the greatest — I couldn’t wait to floss).
I think a person would have a great meal here by starting with a pasta (these were very good), and then having one of the many steak options that were NOT the famed florentine for 2 or 3 (and it would be less expensive too!). These are listed right below the main attraction on the picture of the menu I posted (you’ll have to do some homework translating them, but the homework will be worth it).

Hands down, this is one of the best meats I have had.
There have been some reviews comparing the steak to other shops and commentary on how rare it is. Firstly, if you don’t like rare meat, you may not like it. Secondly, don’t go to any good steakhouse to burn your meat as you are just wasting money.
We were promptly seated — we had a reservation but it was not very crowded when we arrived. Our waiter was friendly and got us quickly started on the wine. after s short while a big plate of tender, juicy meat had arrived. We got to work on it and we were constantly checked on by the waiter to see if the steak and we were okay.
We had the house wine and asked if we could just take the remains of the bottle with us. No problem there.
If you like meat this is your place. If your expecting a steak from a chain «good steak house», it may not align with those expectations perfectly. Just go with an empty stomach.

The name of that cow was Giovanni. It is hard to ruin a steak from a meat aged for 50 days. The meat was juicy and tender even in the raw spots. Server Augusto was the one that you wanted to have
The only thing to keep in mind is that you will not handle one Bisteka la Fiorentina by yourself, and it does not make any sense to take out raw meat.
Also, you might want to seat inside.

Perseus was in a couple of travel shows as one of the best Bisteca Alla Fiorentina. So picking this place just makes sense right?
Our Segway tour guide said its one of the best and ranks high up there. Made reservation for 730pm but got there around 8. Location is not that accessible for tourists who stays in the center. About 30 mins by foot from Ponte Vecchio and about 20 mins by bus from Santa Maria Novella station.
I believe the steak was 44 € per kg and minimum was 1.2kg. Roughly 2.5 lbs. But don’t be scared with numbers. It seems like the bone made up for most part of that weight. They do not cook that meat anything else but rare. Its not bloody or anything but it is rare. I enjoyed it immensely. I couldn’t say much for Goof ball tho. Its fresh and seasoned well. Lots of fat which I like in my meat. #cholesterol #fatty.
We also got their ravioli and they have this bouquet of vegetables and bread basket that really isnt worth talking about. Service charge if I’m not mistaken is 6 € per person. And still water is 3 €. If you do not finish that big bottle of water cause you got wine or something else. Don’t be afraid to walk out with it lol. I did lol.
I liked Perseus a lot for their Bisteca although I did see flies flying all over their desserts that was on display out front. I hope they do not actually serve those.

Perseus is pretty well known for 1) Slicing off the head of Medusa and 2) Serving tender and rare porterhouses.
You’ll see the big bald guy from Andrew Zimmern’s delicious destinations where this she keeps saying, «No no, that’s impossible» when asked about having the steak cooked medium or medium rare.
It is true you have no option other than eating a piece of rare steak. So rare it felt like the cow was just hacked up in the back and served out front. You can almost hear the screams of the cow on each chew.
Was it tender as hell? Yes. You can barely tell you’re eating a half dead cow. That’s how fresh the piece of meat was.
Was it flavorful? Ehhh Yeah I guess. Meat was delicious and great quality and the seared sides were salted nicely.
Best steak in the world? Afraid not. Between wagyu or hidagyu served in Japan or even Lugers and Wolfgang’s in NY, I’m sorry Perseus, There is no match and not even a close fight.
Oh yeah, we also had the ravioli is that’s even worth mentioning. Also, I didn’t even know the crazy vegetable plant full of carrots and stuff was even for us to eat. It looked like a centerpiece for the table.
Overall, it’s not all that.

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I grill big steaks at home and now I want them all to taste like this. Algo is a great waiter!
People seem l like the Chianti table wine and it is free it seems good. I got a good bottle of Barolo so it pushed the bill up. Figure 60E per person.

The best steak dinner I have had outside of the United States.
We made a point of booking reservations here prior to coming to Italy to ensure we got seated.
We arrived around 8 and the dining room and al fresca were already filling up on a Monday night. We opted for a table outside which was nice since the roof was open.
Our waiter was very charming and immediately brought out some focaccia, bread, water and a plate of Tuscan beans with a lardo-​like ingredient. The beans were amazing and although we knew our main course was going to be huge we ate every scrap of them anyway. We also ordered a bottle of the recommended Tuscan wine, the Regina del Carne which was a blend, reasonably priced and very, very good.
For dinner we opted for the signature Chianina steak. It was obviously served rare and with a drizzle of olive oil it was all you needed. The meat was melt in your mouth tender and very flavorful. We managed to consume the entire 1.2 kilo monster, plus a plate of the roasted potatoes (recommended) and the mixed grilled vegetables.
After digesting for a bit afterwards (we were not rushed, despite the place being full) we ordered a panna cotta which we split and I had a double espresso.
The tab was quite reasonable considering how much we ate the service was so good I even left a tip on top of the check.
Lived up to the hype and I would return next time we are in Florence.

OK yes Perseus is a local institution and it is a very nice place with very, very nice people.
But I’m here to voice an opinion regarding the Bistecca from the point of view of a NY’er who frequents Luger’s, Wolfgang’s and The Palm on a regular basis. The prime beef from these NY/​US steakhouses have a little something called «marbling’. Very thin ribbons of fat that run throughout the meat. When cooked, this marbling melts down a little and seasons the meat.
These NY places also do something called ‘aging’, typically a month or more, which breaks down the muscles and adds a flavor that I would describe as ‘umami’.
SO — now you have a bistecca in Florence that has Zero marbling (no, don’t think of filet mignon because this is not very tender) and appears to be extremely ‘fresh’, with no ageing.
I’m sorry — Perseus is not in the same universe as Peter Luger.
Lastly, Bistecca a la Fiorentina (especially at Perseus) is ONLY cooked rare — now, I like my steak medium-​rare to medium, but I get it so I went along with their little show. But if I didn’t know the background and I wanted my steak at least warm in the middle I would have been pissed. Further, what little ‘flavor’ I did taste was salt and some exterior grill marks.
Having said all this I understand that people have opinions, that’s why they have menu’s and horse races, and I enjoyed my night — except for these little black flies that were everywhere in Perseus which were bothering everybody.
I did it once but would never do it again…

Traditional Tuscan menu with the ridiculous «Fiorentina» sold by the kilo. It’s basically huge t-​bone cuts that are grilled to perfection. All the side dishes and chicken entrées were delicious as well. There were a lot of tourists, but I actually liked that there was no menu in English, almost every restaurant we went had English menus. Get any red wine from the Bibi Graetz winery to go with your steak, they are unbelievable!

So. I’ve been to enough NYC and SF «top tier» steakhouses to know steak. But then I came here and had the bisteca… It totally blew my mind. Collectively, it blew my dates’ mind too. Get it without pepper, just plain, it is seasoned perfectly.
You only need a two person portion for a couple; even that might be too much (it’s a lot of meat — over 2 lbs! I’m a slow eater normally, but I wolfed it down). If you’re the kind of person of who appreciates steak «well done» or with «A1 sauce», don’t come here; the steak is served one way, the way God intended: rare. And it’s amazing.
Come early (by 8 PM) too, this place fills up. This is at the top of my list of steakhouses I’ve had globally. Absolutely worth every penny of the € 90 (we even left a tip — not typical in Italy v. the U.S. where it is). That included a lot of wine, a side (roasted potatoes — highly recommended!), two glasses of liqueur, some custard dessert, and the steak for two. Best money I’ve spent on my two week Italy exclusion, by far!

I’m from Chicago and thought we had some very good steaks. This might be the holy grail of steaks. It melts in your mouth like butter. If you’re in Florence you have to try this place. Very good service too

Un moment unique pour découvrir une découvrir la bistecca
Accueil dynamique et chaleureux
Je conseille de réserver car c est une adresse très prisée des locaux.

I discovered this place through travel channel on Andrew Zimmern’s Delicious Destinations Florence. I watched the episode knowing I would be going to Florence in a few months. I was a little worried this place would just be filled with tourists, but it wasn’t that bad. There were quite a few Italians eating here as well.
We had our concierge reserve us a table here. I read previous Unilocal reviews of this place before we went here so I knew it got crowded around eight. We made our reservations at seven fifteen in the evening so the place wouldn’t be too crowded when we got there. That ended up to be very good advice. We were the first to get a table at the restaurant and the place was completely empty for a good amount of time before tables started filling up.
The menu was all in Italian, but our waiter who turned out to be the guy on tv, helped us out. We ended up getting a steak for three (there was five of us at the table, but most of my party wanted to eat light) and three sides of veggies. As appetizer we ate the colorful raw veggies that were on the table in a glass vase with bread and olive oil. I had a couple radishes on a skewer and a couple sliced carrots. Super fresh and light vegetables. We drank both still and sparkling water along with the house wine which was alright. While waiting for our meal my Aunt was worried at the size of our steak, trying to convert kilos into pounds. Discovering that one kilo was two pounds and knowing that we ordered a one point three kilo steak she was afraid we weren’t going to be able to finish it.
I used the restroom once here and just a note so you won’t be as surprised as I was the bathroom is covered with nude photos. Almost every inch of it. Just a warning.
When our steak came our waiter sliced it for us and served it with the bone in the center of all the meat. The center was rare of course. We also got our side of grilled zucchini, eggplant, radish greens, red pepper, herb stuffed potato, and a raw piece of lettuce. I grabbed two hunks of meat and a few veggies throughout the meal. The pieces of meat were medium on the outside and rare at the core. The rare pieces were the best, melt in your mouth. No need for extra sauce or even juice for this steak, it was perfect as is. There were quite a few pieces of gristle though, some that I put aside and some that I had to chew through. A work out for my jaw muscles. Out of the grilled veggies I had radish greens, red pepper and eggplant. All of them were delicious and flavorful. All five of us devoured the whole steak, no more need to worry if the meal was too big. We finished our meal with satisfied minds as well as stomachs.

Perseus is an institution in Florence for its steaks, although it’s now very popular and gets swamped by clients almost every night.
Prices are «decent», service is very good, food is «ok», meaning that you can get far better quality in other places around Florence but not for this price.
Great for business dinners or friends’s parties.

The best meal we’ve had on our European trip so far. We got the steak florentine and a chicken dish. The chicken was very good but the steak was the best I’ve ever had.
The tiramisu and panna cotta were heavenly! This was the first panna cotta that was drenched in chocolate. So amazing. They also gave us a sweet wine with dessert.
The waiters were all very friendly and accommodating and I loved every minute I was there.
You pay by how much wine you drink. We probably had a liter, water, the avocado and shrimp app (my husband liked but I thought was okay) steak florentine, chicken dish, 2 cafés, 2 desserts. The bill was 110 euro. I felt it was well priced. We had much more expensive meals in Paris but the food was not as good.

Es caro, si pides la bistecca es caro pero debes pedirla y la recordarás para el futuro. Es un sitio en el que sus clientes son principalmente los nacionales y los residentes de la ciudad. Tiene una decoración muy de la zona y si puedes y quieres darte una buena comida o cena en Florencia, es un buen lugar para disfrutar de la gastronomía del lugar. El postre es como no, la panacotta.