Osteria di Passignano — Restaurant in Barberino Tavarnelle

We stumbled upon this restaurant while E-Biking around Florence. The area of Passignano was recommended to us by the people we rented the bikes from. When we arrived into town, we noticed the restaurant and thought, there’s no chance a Michelin Star restaurant would take a reservation just hours before dinner; but I walked in right as they were closing for lunch in my sweaty biking gear, really feeling out of place. As they greeted me with a smile, I mentioned it’s our 1 year anniversary and we were curious if they could squeeze in a reservation for dinner. The initial reaction was just what I expected; but they managed to set us up for later that night.

Now my wife and I always seem to get the short end of the stick when it comes to seating, and she even joked walking in that since we had a late reservation, we would probably be sitting near the bathrooms. We were greeted by our same friend from earlier that day; he smiled and welcomed us back in and as he showed us in, he sat us at the ‘chef’s table’ in the middle of the entire restaurant. I was flabbergasted, and my wife couldn’t believe it. I still can’t get over the glow of her smile as she looked around the room in disbelief as it was clear, all the attention was on her.

The food was fantastic, the wine recommendations from their extensive collection were spot on, and the staff was very coordinated with their presentation. It was clear they all have an attention to detail and since of urgency to serve. I cannot thank them enough for the magical night they...

I wanted to love this place given the atmosphere and Michelin stars. I came here to celebrate my birthday. And I will never hesitate to spend good money on excellent food! But here I felt like I spent a lot of money on food that was good but not great. Overall, it did not meet expectations - especially considering the price tag.

The amuse bouche was basically an Italian take on hummus - An odd choice and not on par with any other of the amuse bouches being served in other starred restaurant in Italy I’ve been to. The beef soup with raviolini was underwhelming considering the 30 euro price tag that came with it. Not to mention SUCH a tiny portion.

The pigeon secondi was delicious. I very much enjoyed it. But again - not sure it was worth 45 euros! Dessert was tasty!

Service was also slow at the end of the meal. I had to wait 15 minutes and ask twice for my check and was exhausted.

Lastly, I booked the table thinking I would be in this gorgeous old building. But everyone was seated on the patio - which was perfectly pleasant but could have been anywhere. I went in to see the restaurant’s interior when I went to the bathroom and wished I had been seated in that beautiful...

Beautiful setting in an old Italian Abbey. The drive to this awesome place is an event, an adventure, especially if you like driving as much as I do. The dinning area is like walking into a hundred year old dinner room. We love the service and the presentation. However, my main course was the wild boar was not edible! After making it known to the server and the chef, they insisted that it was cooked perfectly. I told them sorry that the meat was so tough and chewy that it felt like eating a piece of well seasoned rubber! They apologized and took the item off the bill. I picked this restaurant because It received a Michelin 1 star award not long before our visit. I have eaten at many Michelin rated restaurants all over the world, this is the only time that the main course is absolutely not edible! None-the-less, we enjoyed the experience of being there at this special location and the service...