I Camaldoli - Pizza & Cucina — Restaurant in Florence

This intimate pizzeria is a true hidden gem in a hectic touristy area of Florence, where we were greeted with warmth and shared among the best pizzas we ever had. Their pizzas are both exceptional and authentic, with few ingredients of outstanding quality: prodigious pizza dough, great tomato base, great cheese... This is, hands down, where I tasted the best red base pizza that I ever had. Their deserts are classic Italian but with a twist by chef Tomaso, such as a finely flavoured panna cotta. Tomaso is also very knowledgeable on wines; we had a fascinating discussion with him on cellars in the Chianti valley and Montepulciano area, and left with multiple recommendations of vineyards to visit. Most importantly, the service was impeccable and made us feel valued and like family, which is really refreshing in a city known for its touristy and sometimes impersonal food spots. We liked the place so much that we decided to come back the following evening. It was still...

extremely humiliating and uncomfortable experience. We ordered for takeout on the road and took a seat while we waited for our food. After requesting coffee to go, they informed us they did not have takeout coffee cups, so we decided to eat inside instead until we finished our coffee. While eating our meal, the people next to us whispered to the waiter with glasses, who immediately after, came over and kicked us out, saying “why did you order takeout if you are going to eat inside instead?” Apparently, there is a cover fee for guests who eat inside, which we did not know was customary, as we are tourists who are new to Italy. We offered to pay the cover fee, but he did not inform us the option to, opting to kick us out instead, telling us only after we had walked out of the door. Overall an unpleasant experience, steer clear of this restaurant if you are a tourist. Save your money and go elsewhere.

Edit: the cover fee is 1.5 euros. We were kicked out over 1 and...

TL;DR The pizzas are really, really good, the salads and starters were super tasty and seasoned well, do not be scared off by the decor or location, it really is worth a trip. In detail the waiters were attentive, understood their products - we got a wine lesson which proved to be excellent advice (ribolla giallo) - the food was simple fare but what we got was excellent and plentiful. The pizzas were just right, crispy in the middle with a doughy rim and great mozzarella and tomato sauce plus good quality toppings, maybe we would have asked for some vegetables like onion and peppers as extras (we had meaty pizzas) but it wasn't a necessity. The ambience could be better but to be fair we had starters, main course(pizza x 2) and a bottle of wine (Ribolla) and a bottle of San Pellegrino for €55 plus tip (say €8), we were super happy that we got...