Trattoria dall’ Oste

European train stations are usually not the place to find good eats, but Trattoria dall’Oste is a huge exception! Even in the city full of excellent restaurants, this is actually the place where I had my best sit-​down meal in Florence.
The prices were reasonable with entrees for less than € 10 per plate and the same as the one in central Florence — tourist area or off-​beaten-​path — and the food tastes great! Our first risotto in Italy, the mushroom risotto was on-​point with the excellently-​cooked rice with delicious mushroom sauce. The penne with mozzallera was delicious, and the sauteed mussels were so good that I don’t think I can eat mussels in America again! In fact, we had to order another plate of pasta because we loved the food so much.
Initially I wanted to go to Mercato Centrale for our last Firenze meal but we were short on time before our train. Thankfully because of that, we found this excellent restaurant! If you are in the area or are about to leave Florence, definitely conclude your Florence journey with Trattoria dall’Oste! Because it’s literally next to the train station, you can’t miss it before you leave.
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tl;dr version:
1) Conveniently located by the train station, yet so delicious!
2) Priced reasonable like any other restaurants in Florence
3) Highly recommend for last meal in Florence

Probably one of the best steaks i have had. The service was attentive, and prices were fair!

What I know now:
1. Borderline tourist trap, proceed with caution! (details posted below).
2. There are options for prix fixe menus that are more economical than ordering à la carte
3. Available for online reservations!
When in Florence, Florentine steak awaits! Before traveling to Florence, bf and I found this restaurant on Tripadvisor for a taste of traditional (and hopefully authentic) Florentine cuisine. Unfortunately, we were a little disappointed.
Food: we ordered one of the pre-​set three course meals for two– highly recommended as it is portioned well for two and economical! To be honest, other than the main course, star of the show– Florentine steak (porterhouse cut) — the other courses were quite forgettable so I won’t be writing home about it. For the steak, we ordered medium rare. However, perhaps due to the size of the steak, the entire piece of steak ranged between well-​done (to even beyond well-​done) to medium rare in the center of the great piece of meat. This was quite disappointing because about a whole inch of the outer edge of the steak was firm, sometimes rubbery, and slightly dry. With that said, the part that was truly medium rare was that perfect pinky burgundy of meat, tender and well-​seasoned with salt and pepper– that part was what we came for! Though it pains me to say that even the most tender and truly medium rare part of the steak cannot be described as juicy.
Location: this was a very easily accessible location as it is right next to the train station. We also picked it because it was walking distance from our Airbnb. However, we did wonder if being close to the train station would render the restaurant as a «tourist trap.» Was it a tourist trap? Tripadvisor said no, but I’m still not sure.
Ambience: we arrived at 8pm for our reservation, and the place was bustling, though still with a few empty tables. The restaurant was a pretty decent size, however tables were very close to one another, most likely to accommodate the large dinner crowds. We were seated next to another couple and were probably only 1 foot apart– we could’ve shared food with another table easily! In terms of diners, there was a mix of tourists and locals alike, which slightly eased our concerns of the place being a complete tourists trap. It was quite loud, not a great place for a romantic, intimate dinner.
Service: friendly, professional, servers spoke English
Overall, I would recommend this place if it is the most convenient highly rated place for Florentine steak around you. Otherwise, I’d recommend to give another place a shot. If you do end up trying this place, online reservations are available through Tripadvisor. I don’t think it is necessary, but you never know– better to have Florentine steak booked than to miss out on it!

Place was incredible. Great décor, excellent service, and superb food. Our waiter was a gent named Raphael, what a champ. He had some great suggestions with regard to the specials and meal choice, along with nightspots around the area to visit after dinner.
We opted for the 1kg T-​Bone, and were not disappointed. This along with the two sides veg and potatoes) proved to be an excellent choice, i’d highly recommend this establishment to everyone!

Fantastic little spot for lunch or dinner. A little hard to find as its tucked away in a piazza. Had a multi-​course meal with my husband and it was spaghetti bolognese as the first course, lemon chicken for the second and grilled vegetables as third. 20 euros including cover charge and water, which was excellent pricing and it was the lunch option. My husband got the seafood pasta and fish as his main. We both loved how simply it was prepared yet taste wise was excellent and so fresh. Seek this out if you are in Venice.

This is long overdue pending review. In my 4 days visit to Florence last December, I liked the food so much that I ate 2 meals a day for 3 continuous days here itself .
This is located just opposite Santa Maria st. Very very close Santa Maria church .
The name steak house is bit miss guiding so at first I didn’t decide to come to this place but when I went to my hotel in same street, I found 10% off coupon n decided to try this place .
With amazing décor using wine bottle corks, I fell in love with this place instantly .
I think I tried all pastas in menu — spaghetti arrabiata, pesto pasta, ravioli with mozzarella cheese, gnocchi, one day chef made special pasta with some more spices n veggies to give it some Indian touch as I come from India, and it was delicious .
Me n my husband ordered risotto, Bronzino, fried fish, shrimp skewer, bruschetta, roasted potatoes, chicken in marinara sauce … and very thing was spot on .
They have amazing selection of wines n waiters are well versed with the knowledge n history of wine. We often had discussion about Napa, Sonoma, temecula wines vs Chianti wines .
Any year any month any day any minute, I am ready to come back this place n satisfy my soul with amazing Italian food. Trust me after eating here I don’t like any Italian food in USA .
Also forgot to mention about desserts. I loved the simple pannacotta, generally me n my husband share dessert as we both are not much fond of desserts, but here we ordered dessert one for each .
They also give u biscotti as thank u note, which is also great .
Everything was AMAZING

This place was amazing. I had no idea Florence was know for their beef. I’m sure glad I found this place before I left. Amazing fillet just melts in your mouth!

Located just opposite Santa Maria Di Novella station. We ordered the 1 kg t-​bone steak for 3 people. The meat is very tender and juicy (we ordered medium) and it is one of the best steak i have ever eaten. While waiting for our steak they gave us bruschetta for free and a bottle of their house wine at the end of our meal (also for free). Definitely a must try for everyone visiting Firenze.

We stay near by and looking for a nice and not that expensive place for steak, after a lot of searching we found this one .We ordered two 24.5 ero sets, each one includes one bottle of wine or water, one appetizer, one main dish (steak 450 GR), and they taste very nice ! After paying they give some nice biscuits for free.

This place is great! We arrived on the early side of dinner, about 5:30, and was able to sit right down. All places in town offer a basket of bread, FYI. We ordered the florentine steak (1.5 kg = 3.3 lbs of meat!!!), grilled veggies and fries. We ordered the steak medium and it was cooked to a medium rare but came out on a sizzling plate which allowed me to cook the steak to my liking. The cut was about 3 inches thick and some of the most tender meat I’ve had with a light but good taste. No sides come with the order and could have been split by 3 people, my husband and I left about 4 ounces of steak after we gorged ourselves. The fries were fried to a crispy perfection with a fluffy center. The grilled veggies were a bit tasteless. I’m not sure if it was due to the amount/​cost of our order but they also brought out some flat bread and some bruschetta. They charged for water like everywhere else, no sit down charge and we ordered wine at a great price! Last, I ordered the panna cotta with red berry sauce and it was quite good.
Overall an amazing value for the price, good service and relaxed atmosphere. I would recommend this place to anyone. By the time we left there was a wait to be seated. The best food in Italy so far, been here 4 days.

Decent food right near SMN train station. Nice atmosphere. Good prices good food Solid A

Excelente comida, vale comer a bisteca, muito gostosa. O pão e a entrada também são muito gostosos. O vinho da casa não faz feio. Se você não come muito, uma bisteca do menu atende.

Mieux vaut réserver pour né pas faire le pied lever devant la porte mais quand on est assis tout est bon, viandes succulentes et pâtes exquises. a retenir ou a découvrir.

The food is excellent but the restaurant was too hot for comfort. The margarita pizza was very tasty and topped with fresh ingredients. Went there a few times and something needs to done with the AC

The service is quite good as all the waiter could speak fluent English. The food here quite impressed me especially the T bone steak. The price is fair and the surrounding is good. The restaurant is near the Santa Maria station so there are lots of tourists. Will recommend my friends coming

The five star rating is woefully undeserved and misleading. This place is a tourist only restaurant. No self respecting Italian would be caught dead here. The food and service are ok but you can get much better meals elsewhere for the same or less money. I’ve had much better meals for much less. If you’re a tourist and are arriving by train and are afraid to venture out to the city then this is the place for you.

Best food in Florence. We came first five years ago, came 5 years later and the food is still excellent. Meat cooked perfectly, flavors are incredible and the service excellent. No matter what you order, you will not be disappointed. Excellent wine selection. If your come to Florence, please stop by. Make reservations because it is very popular.

My friends and I had an awesome experience at this restaurant. The waitress was very nice and friendly. The Oste’s Apetizer is one of our favorites, especially the wild boar sausage paired with Puenza sheep’s milk cheese. The pasta was, hands down, phenomenal. The seafood pasta is a must try. It is on point with the sauce and has mussels, clams, squid and probably one of the bigger prawns that I have seen. If you are in the mood for risotto, the seafood risotto is on top of the list. The house wine is light and a good companion with both seafood and red meat! Overall, we definitwky recommend this place!

Dinner here was amazing! We walked in around 9PM. The host stated a 2 minute wait, then handed us some Prosecco. Before took our first sip, we were seated.
The pasta is fresh and amazing! My husband had the four cheese risotto, it was to die for! We also split a small bottle of Chianti, for 8 $!
Everything you come to Italy to enjoy and more here! This is a must eat spot in Florence!

This is a rock solid choice for an absolutely delicious, tasty, well presented and cooked meal. Salad, pasta, meat, dessert ALL winners! When in Florence, it’s almost a sin not to have florentine steak and this is the place for it! Italy medium is more like American rare but the staff are so accommodating and can get it to the perfect temperature for you. I seriously cannot praise this staff team well enough: super attentive, nice, accommodating. It was such a rich experience eating here. I will be a Florence staple for us on any future trips! Highly recommend securing a reservation for dinner especially Friday and Saturday to avoid lengthy waits.

Service is fantastic, food is great and very clean restaurant. A must to go to while in Florence.

This place, in a word, is phenomenal. We read the online reviews so had high expectations and they met and exceeded them. Now, this is the middle of our two week Italy trip, so we had had some great meals and a few not so great ones. This meal is now the reigning champ.
We got in at 7:30 on reservation (which we were glad to have made in the afternoon since it got crowded shortly after). The waiter was prompt and friendly and explained everything with a smile (should be standard in Italy but wasn’t in Rome). We ordered gnocchi, squid ink pasta, and tenderloin. The gnocchi was outstanding with distinctive flavors and perfect texture. The ink pasta was a bit of a risky move side I’m not sure I’ve ever had it — it turned out to be very delicious.
We ordered the tenderloin cooked medium, thinking it would be slightly pink in the center (e.g., American medium). We got tenderloin that was rare and after some deliberation we decided to ask them to cook it more. The waiter was very understanding and courteous and took the plate away, explaining that medium does come pink with some blood. A moment later, he swung by and told us they are making a brand new one! When we got our new tenderloin, it was delicious and we are pretty sure they gave us an extra portion, which was beyond nice.
Their level of customer service and going above and beyond blew us away. Most steakhouses in the U.S. would have just heated the meat more, which is what we expected, but they not only remade it from new but gave us extra. The manager also swung by and apologized at the end, which he didn’t have to at all — it was a mutual misunderstanding.
All in all, I’m rarely impressed by restaurant food & service at the same time, but this restaurant truly outdid itself on both fronts. Phenomenal food and truly customer-​centric service. Would give 6 stars if possible

One of the best steak I’ve had in awhile. Great service. Worth the wait during dinner time.

Absolutely loved the lasagna. Very friendly service. Would definitely recommend. :)

Awesome! Fast friendly service, great flag ours and portion size of meals. Steak was fantastic and king prawns perfectly seasoned and grilled. Totally worth it but need to book!

Excellent food near the station. Ravioli was excellent. Pizza very good. Bistec was top notch. Service was pleasant. They were very busy. They speak English well. A surprise to find such good food near the station.

Excelente local fuera de la zona turística pero que vale la pena. Cenamos el carpaccio de manso que viene con ensalada de verdes y abundante queso. Plato spaghetti a la carbonara y unos Torteli de papa con hongos y trufas. De postre tiramisu y café. 45 euros. Y un agua con gas. Te cobran 2,5 de servicio de mesa. Atención esmerada y amable. Nada forzada.

Had a great dinner at this restaurant during our stay in Florence.
Overall the food was great. The risotto was a bit of a surprise being that it was made with a Gorgonzola cheese which was different. (Wasn’t our favorite dish) The pizza was amazing, definitely from a wood fire oven. A little thicker than most pizza we had in Roma but still very good.
Prices are great! Plan on spending € 20 – 35 a person depending how much you want to have. I think we would definitely go back.

Wow. We ducked in for lunch, and I said «Hey, I’m in Italy. I have to have potato gnocchi.» Now, mind you neither of us were really hungry, but it had been over 20 hours since we last ate, so we knew we needed to do so.
I got the potato gnocchi with four cheeses. Let me tell you now, If you’ve never read my profiles or reviews, I’m a die hard foodie who travels worldwide. My first bite had me physically recoiling. In pleasure! By far the lightest, and most explosively flavorful gnocchi I have ever had anywhere in the world. Ever. I was blown away, I expected my mouth to acclimate after the third. The fifth. The tenth. It never did. It was as if tasting this little piece of heaven anew each time.
The other dish we had was the pasta carbonara — which contains bacon, bacon grease and a raw egg as the sauce. Again, perhaps the best I’ve ever had. The décor is gothic pirate? Wagon wheels, scales and wine presses mixed with two awesome walls, one comprised of wine boxes and lids, the others of wine corks.
It’s hard to choose if you’re staying in this area because there are so many places to choose from.
Pick this restaurant.
Did I mention they have salt-​encrusted baked fish, too? The show and the smell when they break it open is worth the price of admission alone.

This was one of the most enjoyable meals I had during my week long stay in Florence. The food was great but really the service just pushed it over the top!
Upon arriving we were each given a half glass of Prosecco and some seasoned bread which set a nice tone. The 4 of us split oysters, an eggplant parmesan appetizer, Mushroom Ravioli, Spaghetti Arabiatta, and Bisteca Fiorentina. All of the food was simple but had great flavor! The servers were constantly attentive through all the courses.
After the meal we were each given a glass of Moscato. Then with the check the server gave us each a few cantuccinis (little biscotti cookies) and a bottle of wine to go! We’ve never been treated better– we walked away full, happy and marveled at how over the top friendly everyone was on our walk home.

First of all traveling over Christmas can be a hard thing one being away from family and nothing is really open and after a terrible experience in Milano. But this is about this restaurant and they made my Christmas.
The very helpful staff made this diner an enjoyable experience. The food was just delightful. I had a fish with roasted vegetables that was served tableside. It was exactly what I need to make me feel like I was having a home cooked meal. Thank you to all the staff.

We came here by recommendation from our hotel. I ordered the langoustine pasta and a salad. CL had the salmon penne. I also ordered a fanta and CL had just water.
The waiter brought us bread and olive oil with vinegar. My langoustine pasta was pretty good. The pasta tasted freshly made. The salad was just a mixed green salad with no dressing. CL’s penne pasta was pretty good as well. When we got the bill we were a bit shocked that they charged us for tap water. After we left we realized that this was a place for tourists because there were signs stating that they had menus in five different languages.

Erfreuliches Restaurant in der Nähe des Bahnhofs. Gute Weinkarte, aufmerksamer Service, gutes Essen zu vernünftigen Preisen, gemütliche Einrichtung trotz des großen Raums.

Wow, das war aber lecker! Und das bei einem sehr guten Preis-​Freude-​Verhältnis! Für 23EUR gibts hier als Vorspeise dreierlei Crostinis (Tomate, Pilze, Leber), ca. halbes Kilo leckerstes Fleisch (Fiorentina), Salat, Viertel Liter Wein und genau so viel Wasser. Service war unaufdringlich und freundlich und ziemlich fix.

How can I possibly describe the best first meal experience upon my arrival to beautiful Italy without gushing?
We started with the perfect bottle of wine, an Ocra (Merlot, Shiraz and Cabernet) delicious bruschetta, amazing fungi crostinis, an out of this world Tuscan Ribollita, and Pappardelle with Venison…
The service was fantastic, the atmosphere was familial, the prices were expected, the location made it perfect, just a block from our hotel and right across from the Florence Railway station the Santa Maria Novella.
I wish to go back and really give them my thanks for a great and most memorable first meal in Italy!!!