Ristorante Albergaccio di Castellina — Restaurant in Castellina in Chianti

One of the most underwhelming meals we’ve had in Italy, sadly. Started out promising but quickly dwindled. The space is lovely and the menu was exciting. We ordered wine by the glass because we wanted to progress throughout the meal instead of committing to a bottle. Their wine pours are from a machine and not generous at all, more like tasting portions (disappointing for $9-14 per glass). In hindsight, a bottle would have been a better choice.

The amuse bouche was severely under-seasoned, and we hoped it was intentional, to warm the palette. Sadly it was a theme throughout the meal. We ordered a starter (leek cannelloni), 2 first courses (taglierini & gnocchi), and 2 second courses (piglet & pigeon), and all of it somehow lacked in flavor, depth & seasoning. After each dish, we gave a “meh” of indifference, hoping the next course would be better. It wasn’t. The presentation & preparation of ingredients was done well (ie. pigeon was prepared medium rare, taglierini & gnocchi were technically cooked properly, etc.) but everything needed more seasoning, and the sauces specifically lacked depth & flavor. We left wanting much more, and noted how we’d had much better dishes at much “lesser” restaurants.

If the service were better, I would have given 3 stars. Unfortunately that was very underwhelming too. They were not full (they had tables open/ reservations available all night - you could have walked in and gotten seated) so it’s not like they were slammed. We had to flag them down to ask for more wine, our dishes were plopped in front of us with no explanation, eye contact, or asking if we needed more wine/ water. It felt like we were inconveniencing them, and we are very respectful/ courteous diners.

It sucks to be so excited about a restaurant/ menu, and leave feeling thoroughly...

This review is based on a lunch on 21.08.19 in fine dining section. Let's start with the (one) bad. We were three and I wanted to seat at the other side of the table to stay in the shade. The waitress loudly sighed at me (sospirare) . I had to move the plate and cutlery myself. Unbelievable!

Luckily another waitress took our order and was friendly and helpful. The chef treated us with a little cold tomato soup with a surprising deep fried pizza dough(nut). It was superb. Bruschetta had really great tasteful tomatoes. We took pigeon, and quail and duck. They were so tender and aromatic. One comment: quail come with potatoe crisp (and not tomato chips as written in the English menu) crisp is not the best choice in a fine dining dish. We also many sorts of bread that were actually good and not totally dried like in 90% of other restaurants. Tiramisu and frozen mango were top notch. Other reviewers who say it's too expensive have idea what fine dining is. If we ever come back in the region, we'll...

Just dropped into this place while driving from Pisa to my hotel in Radda in Chianti figuring I better stop before Sunday siesta steps in since restaurants generally close for Sunday nights. The setting and views outside are amazing (never made it into the stone and brick interior) as was the service and presentation. I had a steak tartare starter that used fresh local ingredients and added a twist. I had a more traditional pasta dish "pici" (homemade) with a ragu of braised beef cheeks and some excellent chianti classico riserva from a local organic producer SEI. They served their own unique breads and terrific olive oil. And the starting amuse bouche which was a warm tomato based soup rocked too. All of it. All of it. One hundred percent. Was fantastic! Sure it's a little pricey but you are in the heart of Tuscany with Michelin star quality food and service and a great setting. I was a solo diner and found it great and I could tell groups found it greater. Top notch choice if you...