Florentine steak

Trust me, it's nothing special. It's simply a huge steak cooked over fire, typically too big for one person so you'd need to consider sharing and personally I don't think the beef from Chianina cows is that great, there is far better beef to be had. I've had plenty of better steak during my travels and I would rather eat something nicer whilst in Florence.

Unfortunately I can't recall the names of the restaurants I ate in Florence however one was rated as particularly good for Florentine steak but I was disappointed and genuinely couldn't see what the hype was about.

My beef junkie cousin swears by Trattoria Dall'Oste. I know this because he tried to lure us there a couple of times when we had vegans with us, and it was awkward. He talked up the steak like CRAZY and, in his defense, he normally has really good taste.

Website: https://trattoriadalloste.com/

Looks like it is close to the Duomo, too!

Anyway, full disclosure, I have not eaten there, but I have a personal recommendation saying the steak is magnificent, FWIW. :-)

do remember that if you like your steak well done, or even medium, it doesn't come that way. It comes one way and one way only, huge and it says hello to the fire and then is served. It doesn't have any time to say more than hello - very rare is how it is served. No, they don't take it back and let it say hello to the fire twice.

My opinion of the steak?

If you enjoy steak, then why not? As others alluded to, it will set you back 50-80 euro for the steak, it might include some sides, maybe not. A steak will feed two, being a kilo or a bit more (2-3 lb range), it will be rare, and while the beef is good quality, it is more like a grass fed beef, so leaner and less marbled, than corn fed Prime beef you might get in the US.

It is not better, or worse, than steaks you might have had in the US, just different, plus the setting and locale play into the experience.

I'm not big on very rare steak, but of course I've had it in Florence. If you don't like rare bloody steak, don't ask for medium or well done, because they will refuse to bring it that way as it would be a faux pas that would immediately disqualify any restaurant who would agree to such request. So it's either very rare, or no steak at all. The size is also extra large (a proper steak must be over 1.5 inch thick and must be able to stand on its side), so be ready to share with another person (at least).

My favorite restaurant for Florentine steak is Perseus, near Piazza della Libertà (just outside the historical center, but walkable distance from Piazza San Marco).

Besides Perseus, the most famous restaurants for the Fiorentina are, just to name a few that come to my mind, Zazà, Buca dell'Orafo, Latini, Brindellone, Burde, Buca Lapi, Ristoro di Cambi, Coco Lezzone, Sergio Gozzi, Buca Mario, Mamma Gina (not in any order), but there are many more.

Burde, on via Pistoiese just won a Gambero Rosso award. It's kind of near the airport, so to go to that one, you'd need a taxi or bus, since it's not walking distance from the city center.

I'd like to add that since I'm not a huge meat eater (and generally I don't order very rare steak) I order Florentine steak only if there are 3 or more people willing to share, so that all I get is a taste of it and not a full kilo (or more).

If you are like me, and don't have others willing to share, then I suggest you order a Tagliata di Manzo, which is much more manageable for smaller stomachs.

It is one of those -- well it is famous, let's try it -- things. If you decide, go to a place with good reviews on their steak. We tried it once many years ago and thought it very disappointing. One cuisine the US does very well is steak. I have never had one in Europe that is close. to a good prime US steak. In France they solve this problem by using interesting sauces; in Italy, well it is a rare steak grilled -- likely tough and not particularly outstanding in flavor IMHO. but that is one try in a place known for its Florentine steak.