Florence's most delicious steaks

Do you know that the beef steak is one of Florence's specialties? Keep in mind I'm not talking about any steak, but about the mighty "bistecca alla Fiorentina" (Florentine steak). Once in Florence, you will find quite a lot of traditional restaurants, serving steaks as their "signature dish". In this article, I will name a few that I have personally tried. 

Usually, visitors come to Florence for a taste of the Renaissance art, its architecture and the Tuscan Chianti wine. However, if you are a steak lover, you should not miss the Florentine steak, which is a T-bone steak grilled over a wood fire. A perfect steak should be quite rare from the inside, while outside, full of dark burnt spots, which create a smoky flavor. Each time I visited Florence, I tried a different steak restaurant to find the best steak- the first one I went to was L'Osteria di Giovanni.

L'Osteria di Giovanni

The most well-known steak restaurant in Florence is actually the long-standing Il Latini. However, since the restaurant is so famous, it could be quite touristy-  my friend and I, just wanted to avoid that. After having done some research, we found out that one of the sons of the Latini family opened another restaurant, very close to Il Latini itself. The restaurant is called L'Osteria di Giovanni. The steak there was indeed not bad, however, the service was really slow towards the end of our meal. Personally, I did not think it was the most delicious steak in town and it did not impress me that much. However, the best thing during our meal was probably the tasty roast potatoes, which are definitely worth trying!

Trattoria Marione

On another visit to Florence, I took my friends to the Trattoria Marione, a lovely traditional Italian restaurant. The restaurant was cozy, and its decorated ceramic plates were especially cute. We had a steak with white beans, which were quite bland. The steak itself was good but not delicious enough for me to return for a second visit. Anyhow, if you look for a decent place for lunch, I will recommend this restaurant because the service was quick, and the total cost I'd say inexpensive.

Ristorante del Fagioli

My most favorite steak was from the Ristorante del Fagioli, which was featured too, on the Michelin Guide. The restaurant was small and seemed really authentic. You can even watch the chefs working, as you enter the restaurant. The steak there was divine, a bit too burnt but still, the meat inside was tender and flavorful. I was with my family, and everyone was happy about the meal we had!  If you only have time to try one steak restaurant, I would highly recommend the Ristorante del Fagioli, which in my opinion, is better than  L'Osteria di Giovanni and Trattoria Marione mentioned above!

Tips

• The Florentine steaks are huge so it is better to share among 3-4 people.

• The locals like it rare or at least medium rare. 

• The steaks are often served with boiled white beans, roast potatoes, or spinach. However, the white beans are quite bland compared to the other side dishes.

• Reservations are recommended. 

Cover picture: Florentine steak| Credit:ValentinaFa on iStock