L’osteria di Giovanni is in the Santa Maria Novella district of Florence, near the Arno river. It’s a smaller restaurant that is usually busy. It is an intimate dining experience, with a welcoming staff which makes you feel like you are eating at an Italian home. This osteria had amazing reviews so my buddies and I were psyched to try it out.
When you have a proper Italian dining experience, you get an appetizer, a primi, a secondi, a nice bottle of wine, and if you have room, a dessert. At L’Osteria Di Giovanni we did it all!
For the appetizer we had an artichoke salad with truffle olive oil and freshly shaved parmesan. The parmesan had nice sharp flavor to it, while the truffle oil added a little flair to the salad. At the end of the day, we could’ve skipped it, but it was a light enjoyable starter.
Next we got pasta. Knowing it was the start of truffle season, we had to get a black truffle pasta. I went with the tagliatelle with black truffle, as it was the special pasta of the day. There was a hefty dose of black truffle on my dish which was nice because a lot of places can be skimpy with truffles. The pasta itself was excellent, the sauce delicious.
After the pasta we went for the Bistecca alla Fiorentina paired with roasted potatoes. This is the granddaddy of them all, the highlight of the menu. The steak was rare on the inside, which is how it’s always made in Florence, and had a nice char on the outside. I thought the steak was good, but not the best I have had. Some pieces were fatty, and I don’t think the portion of meat they gave was enough, given the price point. However, the potatoes were a flavorful addition, and were very good.
Takeaways: L’Osteria di Giovanni is a real solid osteria. You will have a pleasant dining experience. Listen, we definitely went all out for this dinner, but I still feel that the food was overpriced for what we got. That is what I will remember from here. You will get a great meal, but it is not worth the price tab at the end.
Score: 7.1/10
a dude eats abroad 