LA BOTTEGA DI VIA MAGGIO "OSTERIA IN BOTTEGA" — Restaurant in Florence

A must visit location.The owner is very personable and the food is delicious. Delicious being an understatement. We had several dishes, the tomato soup, the large tasting board (charcuterie), tortellino con pesto, bruschetta, sausage fagioli all'uccelletto, roasted potatoes, and the Torta Della Nonna (Grandma's Cake), and of course- wine. Chianti and Pinot Grigio. The pesto is the freshest and boldest flavor, pairs perfectly with the tiny meat filled pockets of pasta, salty and savory with the cheese sprinkled over the top. The meats and cheeses cut fresh from aged products and generously piled on the plate. The tomatoes on the bruschetta were ripe and juicy but wasn't around long enough to make the bread soggy. The tomato soup was not what I expected. Delicious and full of flavor, but not pureed to the style accustomed to the US. This is not to say it's bad, quite opposite. It was devoured. It was a pleasant surprise to enjoy it in hearties, chunkier, full bodied form. Robust indeed.

The roast potatoes were as you would expect, no one can mess up potatoes and these were good! As for the sausage fagioli all'uccelletto- My favorite. All of the seasonings came through in not only the sauce with the beans, but in the sausage itself. Rosemary, tomato, basil, the works. There softness and flavor of the texture matched the beans and was filling with every bite. I would not get this dish with the intention to share, you won't want to.

The Grandma's Cake was mouth-watering, served cold, the custard filling having hints of lemon and vanilla. Only made better being topped with almonds and powdered sugar.

All in all, I loved it. Both times I went,service was inviting and relaxed even when rushed with an influx of people. Small and intimate setting allowed for great conversation

It's truly impressive what they can accomplish with such a small kitchen space.

I wish I took pictures...

We headed across the river from the center of Florence to check out La Bottega di Via Maggio for dinner one night. It's definitely off the beaten path from the crowds in the center of town and there weren't that many people in it at all. We found a sweet spot that was only a couple of minutes from the river with a staff that went above and beyond to make sure we were happy.

We only got a cheese plate and some wine so I'm not sure we took full advantage of their offerings, but the cheese was good and the wine accompanied it nicely. We also liked the bread they served it with, drizzled a bit with olive oil already and more focaccia style.

The real star was the staff who, despite the fact that it was almost empty, and that we weren't ordering that much, just made sure we were happy...they were very friendly and seemed just happy to not only be working there, but to be serving us.

Also, as vegetarians, we especially appreciated that they had an allergen menu that listed ingredients which were in their dishes and are quite confident anyone with almost any diet could get a good meal here.

If you're looking for a quiet vibe, away from the crowds, in a much less trafficked neighborhood, but still super close to the center of town once you cross the river, this may be the...

Writing a less than positive review is not something I want to do, but I feel like I need to speak out so other folks don't make the same mistake I did and be misled by all the positive reviews on here.

We made reservations day of and when we arrived my wife and I started to feel like perhaps we didn't make the best decision. The decor is fine, the environment is fine, but the service was a bit lackluster (although attentive!) and the food left a lot to be desired. I ordered gnocchi which was overly starchy and overly salted, my wife ordered another pasta dish that was pretty boring and not memorable. We skipped out on dessert as we were both ready to just get a move on.

When we cashed out the cashier made a loud comment about how I didn't select the 50% off promotional discount when I made the reservation, which is fine, but felt weird.

Ultimately, we left feeling like we wasted an opportunity for a great dinner. Perhaps it was an off night, or perhaps it was us, but this place was not nearly as good as the Google ranking leads you to believe it is.

Don't make the mistake we did, I urge you to do your research early and book your dinner reservations for your top restaurants well before your trip...