iO - Osteria Personale — Restaurant in Florence

I got the 4 course tasting menu. A good value. I ask the chef to present me his proudest dishes. Here is my stream-of-consciousness live review.

Started with an off-menu amuse bouche of eggplant paste, sunflowers seeds, capers. I was, amused.

Appetizer was calamari in potato lemon gel. It was rich. The seasoning was subtle yet expressive. The crisp, kombu-like arugula leave was a cool twist.

Primo piatto was the ravioli di gorgonzola. The tamarind provides it's body, the peanuts its texture, the cumin its aroma. It was a great follow-up idea to the first app, taking an even deeper dive into heavier flavor. I do think that it can be improved if the cumin were more forward - perhaps using toasting whole cumin instead of the ground variety would do the trick.

Secondo piatto was tuna fillet covered with some kind of squid ink crisp. It was a nice combination, but the tuna could be more undercooked for me. The thin cucumber slices added nice balance to the heavier components of the dish.

The dessert was the salted POPCORN ice cream. I think the chef was likely proud of the balls he had to use popcorn in a haute dessert. You know, it kinda works well as a fluffy canvas for the smoke tea crumble, toffee and chocolate garnache. But I can't help but wonder if I should've stepped in and asked for something more refreshing like the coconut foam instead.

Overall, I think the menu began very promising, climaxing at the calamari appetizer, and coursed a twisty finish. The dishes were individually good, but perhaps their collective cohesivity was not fully considered in the...

We had the pleasure of dining at Io Osteria Personale, and from start to finish, the experience was exceptional. Upon arrival, we were greeted warmly and offered the freedom to choose any table, setting the tone for a relaxed and personalized dining experience.

One of the standout aspects of the evening was the staff's knowledge and assistance in pairing the perfect wines to complement our meal. Their recommendations enhanced each dish, with the octopus being particularly memorable—tender, flavorful, and beautifully presented.

Opting for the five-course tasting menu, we were not disappointed. Every dish was creative and delicious, offering a refreshing departure from the usual pizza and pasta. The diversity of flavors and attention to detail in each course truly showcased the chef’s talents.

To top it off, the staff went above and beyond by helping us arrange a taxi back to our hotel, making the entire evening seamless and stress-free.

In short, Io Osteria Personale provided a unique and delightful dining experience that we totally recommend to anyone looking for a break from the traditional Italian fare. This restaurant is certainly...

I would tend to agree with the review regarding the food being rather on the ordinary side than extraordinary, some dishes were better than others, but they definitely need an improvement. Service was amazing, from the moment we entered the place to the one we left. The restaurant is small and intimate, tastefully decorated. We had a 4 course menu, you can only have it starting 2pax and you have to agree on the same dishes mainly because you basically get one dish split by two, therefor the price. Only the dessert can be different. The tartare was good, but I was missing flavours, and somehow the mayo sauce didn't convince me. The meat was very delicate in terms of taste. The squid pasta was so far the most uninteresting pasta dish we had since in Florence, which was rather unexpected from the place. The pork belly was the best of the 3, perfectly cooked, though quite small piece, delicios. The dessert was my least favorite, but this might be just preference. I just didn't feel it was a good combination of flavors. The wine selection was great and both our sparkling wine and red wine were very good. Overall, I'm not sure I...