Antica Macelleria Trattoria

Pleasant enough position only just off the tourist trail but, by Tuscan standards, decidedly average food. Tagliatelle del Macello (beef Ragu with porcini) uninspiring and lacking real flavour ⁶⁄₁₀; Lasagne ⁴⁄₁₀ — arrived Luke warm and again not much flavour; ravioli with ricotta, spinach and Gorgonzola and pear sauce ⁷⁄₁₀. I get the impression this place doesn’t have to try too hard to get one-​off tourist traffic! Also quite annoying there is no provision for non-​smoking tables outside and I have to breath in 2^nd smoke from German tourists from table behind me — this despite smoking in restaurants having been banned in in Italy since 2005, and the reason I have dropped my 2 star review of this restaurant to 1 star — owners, STOP SMOKING AT TABLES.

To be honest, we chose this place primarily because it was off the main drag in San Gimignano and looked low key, because it looked like it could accommodate 2 strollers, and because it wasn’t particularly jammed up when we arrived. We weren’t expecting much culinary satisfaction based on this criteria, but the food was actually quite solid.
We got the pappardelle with wild boar ragu, the steak with arugula and parm, the fennel, grapefruit and olive salad and a few small sides; spicy spinach and white beans with sage and garlic. We split the entrees so I got a good overview of both dishes. The steak was very high quality and it was perfectly cooked and seasoned. Loved it. The pappardelle, my favorite pasta actually, was great but I found the wild boar to be a little gamey. Not bad, just a bit out there. The sides were competent, but undersalted and plain, and finally the salad was light and refreshing and a great palate cleanser. Overall we were pleased with the meal.
The check came to 45 euros for 2 mains, 2 sides, a salad and 2 bottles of fizzy water. Not too bad given the quality. For any tourists looking for a place off the beaten path, I have to say, definitely consider giving these guys a try.

Some of the better pasta entrees we tried while in Italy can be found at San Gimignano’s Antica Macelleria Trattoria. Our tour manager told us that some of the restaurants in San Gimignano had the best wild boar entrees in Italy. I was sold at wild boar. We walked around a bit and found a little restaurant that had wild boar pappardelle. The restaurant was small but had some interesting meat hook décor. They also served espresso. The waiter asked us if we wanted gas or still water. We asked for still but should have asked for tap. If you don’t want to pay for water, then ask for tap. There’s nothing wrong with it in Europe.
We ordered the bruschetta miste platter with 4 different types of bruschetta: tomato, mushroom, olive, and artichoke. It was a big platter and we probably should have ordered a salad instead but our tour manager said that the city was known for the bruschetta too. If it’s known for something, then it’s best to order it. Grace C. had the lasagna since she doesn’t eat pork. I happily devoured my wild boar pappardelle. I tried some of her lasagna too and it was layered deliciousness. They make the pasta in house which was also a plus. It was a little pricey for lunch, but seeing as we were in Italy, we had to indulge a little. Most of our tour group opted for pizza but I had been craving pasta which is why we stopped at this trattoria. The service was great and our meal was fantastic.

As part of our tour, we were taken to San Gimignano for about an hour on New Years Day. Because of this, a lot of things were not open, even though there were quite a few visitors milling about. The view in San Gimignano are amazing.
After a few tips from our tour manager, we were looking for a wild boar dish that he recommended as a local dish, so once we found this place and they were open, we walked in.
As I don’t eat pork, I actually settled on the lasagna but my friend got the wild boar. This lasagna was nothing like I’ve ever had. First off it’s not even red in color, because it’s really a ragu and bechamel sauce, no red sauce included. Also just a bit of parm on the top, not the layers of cheese that we Americans are used to seeing. It was mighty tasty and I even commented that I might just need to make it this way. It had TONS of layers of pasta and the sauce, and since it’s fresh pasta made in house, it was just so tender.
My friend devoured her wild boar pasta dish. I think it was papadelle but I can’t remember for sure.
Overall the service was decent, some of the people in the restaurant spoke english, some spoke enough to provide service, some spoke none at all.
It’s a rather small restaurant, so you could easily fill it up with a few large parties.

I remember eating at this restaurant because I have photos of it but the food must’ve been quite unmemorable because I neglected to photograph what I had to eat here! We both ordered off of the local, special menu (always a good idea in Italy if you want to try the freshest items). I had the local chestnut flour pasta and my husband ordered the giant t-​bone steak. Both of our dishes were fine but unmemorable. The service was wonderful and the staff treated us well although we felt like we were the only tourists in the place (we were eating quite late at night, when locals do). The tables are very close together so if you are shy about that kind of lively, bustling, local atmosphere, you might want to dine elsewhere. The restaurant is tucked away down an alley so it’s difficult to find but it’s also far from the hustle and bustle of the main square. A good option if you’d like a sit-​down meal while in San Gimignano.