Il Cuore — Restaurant in Florence

10/10 cannot rate highly enough! Without a doubt, the best culinary experience I’ve had in my life so far.

Immediately on entering, the ambiance nearly made me forget I was in Italy, and they blended the interior decor with the construction of the existing Italian structure so well.

Shortly after being greeted and seated by Tarou, the profoundly hospitable floor manager, I accidentally knocked a small glass dish off the table with the corner of my menu. I believe it was Megumi who, rather than admonishing me for my mistake, also greeted us with a smile while cleaning up the glass and making sure everything was alright. She was so delightful it helped me feel comfortable again after my blunder.

We shared the Miso soup, the Udon with pork belly, the unbelievable gold-flaked O-toro, Tatsuta-age (fried chicken), and Dorayaki all paired with Sake and Sapporo with a final digestive to top everything off. Each, in their own different way, was perfect. Tarou guided us through the meal, providing interesting information about the history and craft behind each course.

It’s evident everyone involved puts their care and knowledge into every detail of the experience.

My only complaint is it had to come to an end. I wish the whole team the very best and I’m grateful to be one of their...

This was by far the best meal of our entire time in Florence, maybe even our lives! Tarou treated us so kindly and shared incredible details about the food with us as we ate, while guiding us through the menu and sake pairings! When we made the reservation we were confused about the availability of the o-toro and when we were sad to have missed it, he made sure we got to try it regardless. Needless to say, we had a wonderful experience! Don’t miss the udon, or dessert as they were other stand outs from our meal that we would come back for if we could!

The ambiance was delightful as well with jazz covers of ghibli soundtrack faves the...

We had a lovely meal and evening at Il Cuore. Tarou was incredibly knowledgeable and able to explain the provenance and history behind the dishes to us in both Japanese and English (he could have done so in Italian, but would have been no help to us!). The food was delicious, some of the best Japanese food I have had outside of Japan. A highlight was the pickled vegetables (漬物), which were rare to see on a menu and a real treat. The chef also came out to chat with us at the end of the meal and was a lovely lady, it really has made our trip....