Essenza Dario e Anna - dal 1964 — Restaurant in Arezzo

“Welcome to Essenza, enjoy the experience.” And we did. We took the meats tasting 5 course menu, with foie gras, duck, dried ham, Pigeon and many other surprises. Granted this is not a cheap thrill but Chef/Owner Luca and his staff went well out of their way to make this an experience alright. Expect various takes on the same ingredient on your plate, the pigeonbreast prepared with ultrasonic looked red yet was superbly cooked, it’s tiny leg increasingly tasty, and it’s wing topping the dish. The waiters are friendly and not too present, advising you in what order to go through each course to best enjoy. Yes there is some molecular cooking going on, yet -as we love it- one can still see what has been cooked. Still, very interesting takes on dishes you’ve seen elsewhere but not tasted similarly elsewhere. Very surprising.

We took some glasses of Champagne which was a wonderful companion. From the terrace we could see the waiters giving guests three wine options to taste, pouring the glass only when ok’d, and not trying to upsell as the price for the glasses was the same. Very clever. Very well executed.

With this venue Luca could have gone just for overpriced, as endless tourists would present themselves. Instead he chose the hard way in preparing honest meats into creations that blew our minds in presentation.

Some will not like the price this comes with. We’ve had dinners at similar price points and then some, but rarely did they taste so well. Surprising takes in there with courageous approaches, will not reveal it all.

Good to see also that the staff was a mix of very experienced elder waiters, flawlessly removing the cap from the wine without turning the label away from the guests, to young and equally proud lads, as well as a very well groomed lady with simple and modest headscarf. Love the inclusion happening there.

Just when you think it’s all over, the waiter reminds you not to run away as a surprise is coming still. And wow, again impressed by the take on a dish we thought we knew.

Compliments to the staff and to Luca for a wonderful...

Great food! Great service! My only complaint was that our reservation brought us to an empty room, upstairs on Christmas Day. We preferred the atmosphere to the outside tables, but were told that they were booked up. I’m not sure how this is possible, considering that we also made a reservation. This being said, the food was fantastic! The service was even better than the food! While sitting alone in the upstairs room, we were constantly checked on. The food kept coming and coming, and the servers came with a smile every time. We actually had to ask that they stopped bringing any more food. It was impossible to finish every course in it’s entirety (The bottles of delicious wine that we had might have had something to do with that?😂). I would like to return again, but next time we will insist on a downstairs table. You’ll love the food options, and the service...

Impeccable dining. The care and attention given to both customers and the food is impressive. Wines are accessible and delicious (it's worth paying a little more and getting something special), the primi of home made pasta with half a black truffle freshly grated was astounding, but the winning dish was the locally grown scottish beef. The fiorentine steak (T-bone) was brought out, sliced and weighed then perfectly cooked. A stone is provided to warm the rare meat through to perfection. The staff were very friendly, helpful and the owner gave the place the charm to match the decor - this place...