Ditta Artigianale Riva d'Arno — Restaurant in Florence

This is the second café from the same chain that we managed to visit during our short stay in Florence. It’s smaller than the first one, which affects the availability of seating. The place is clearly very popular — it was hard to find a table, so we decided to take our drinks to go. The bar also serves alcohol. The menu includes breakfasts as well — we didn’t try them, but from the photos they look like the classic breakfast options you’d expect in cafés of this kind. I’m sure they’re tasty. The design is bold, even a bit flashy, in bright blue tones, but still unique and interesting. Judging by the crowd, it’s definitely one of the hotspots. I’m really glad to see the specialty coffee scene growing in Italy and being embraced by more people. We had a flat white and an iced V60 — not extraordinary, but tasty. What really surprised me was the price: a 250g bag of Colombian beans was €65, which comes out to €260/kg. No matter how unique the lot may be, that’s definitely overpriced. Apart from that, everything was great — prices are above average, as expected for specialty cafés....

Cute place, very colorful and artsy. The drinks were average. The service was very poor, but only for me. The waiter seemed to tolerate me but was much more pleasant with other customers. Offering a light smile, thanking them, and engaging in conversation.

At first, I thought he was having a rough day, which I would understand because it happens! But then I noticed the difference and counted a more pleasant interaction with 7 other tables. When he came over, I smiled, said hi, and ordered a large bottle of water and spritz. I've never had a waiter drop a bottle off without pouring the first glass. Ever. The bottle was sealed, and he couldn't even be bothered to unseal it. It's a beautiful place with great views, but based on service alone, I wouldn't recommend...

Breaking a rule of mine to try something new everytime while traveling, I ended up eating here twice which might say a thing or teo. Their standard blend coffee (Mama mia) has lovely notes, and the breakfast meal options are carefully currated - tasting just as good as they look. That said, be warned that breakfast meals are only available from 9am onwards. Prior to that are pastries and other items in the counter display. The staff can make/break the atmosphere, the first day having some chill vibes going on mostly due to the barista and the playlist going on. Otherwise would go again for a third time...