Marina Di Santospirito — Restaurant in Florence

We chose this restaurant based on its raving reviews, and for a change to our previous meat heavy Tuscan diet. Upon our arrival we received a complimentary glass of wine. The place opened at 20:00 and seemed to be almost fully booked. The atmosphere is cozy and tight, the staff on the floor composed of two young girls and the owner. We both decided to go with the tasting menu without the extra raw seafood option. And also got a bottle of white wine to go with it.

The first dish was baby octopus, which was uneventful in flavour. Then we had raw shrimp with truffles sitting on grated dry carrots, the only prevalent flavour was the truffle which overpowered the dish, and the carrots added nothing but pollution to the plate.

This is when we first started to express our dissatisfaction with the unmet expectations, to which the young waitress was very receptive and we received a dish, outside of the planned menu as an apology. As much as we greatly appreciated the gesture, this „compensatory“ dish, was equally underwhelming, presented as a raw shrimp on unwashed and unseasoned salad, with a single slice of kiwi, which was neither prepared in any way, nor complemented the sea food.

Upon being asked if the dish was to our liking, and we expressed our opinion, the owner started to get preoccupied with making us happy. We considered deviating from the original menu, but decided to give the restaurant and the chef a chance and continued with it. The next fish was cuttlefish which was alright. Then the food took a more positive turn, my partner really enjoyed the pasta and the whole fish with asparagus, courgette and potato was also very much to our liking.

Regardless, the restaurant is presenting itself as an elevated culinary experience, yet fails to achieve the flavour compositions, and meticulous attention to detail required. While we do appreciate the compensation and the attempt to make us happy, this restaurant falls short...

This was one of the best meals of our Italy trip. This place books up quick so I recommend getting a reservation as soon as you can.

We had a reservation for 9:30pm (or so we thought). Upon arriving at the restaurant, we were greeted by the owner who asked if we had a reservation, when I showed him the email I thought was the confirmation he asked if I received a separate confirmation email (which I did not). When he realized this he made accomodations anyway and was able to seat us right away. When we sat down they gave us complementary white wine and let us know if we want more to just ask.

The service was prompt compared to other restaurants we visited, each of the waitresses were constantly checking on multiple tables and making sure all guests were taken care of.

In terms of food, we ordered the cuttlefish in black ink sauce over white corn meal, scampi saffron pasta and the lobster cooked in salt. In addition to this, to our surprise, they brought us a complimentary appetizer 1st that was cuttlefish dressed in a light olive oil, lemon sauce along with bread. Each dish we had was incredible. All the seafood was fresh and cook perfectly with great flavor. We especially loved the main lobster dish which came with two large prawns on top of it which was not mentioned on the menu at all.

Once we went to pay, the woman gave us the itemized bill which was accurate and decided to take off an additional 5 euros for no real reason.

Overall this restaurant gave us exceptional service and amazing seafood. It felt like it was ran by a family dedicated on giving a memorable experience....

OUTSTANDING MEAL!! The food is a perfect representation of how great Italian seafood can be. Did it take a while to get our check, yes. Did it take longer for them to take payment after we got the check, yes it took forever. But would we happily ignore the delays to eat their wonderful food and to support a family owned business again? Yes!! Lets all at least recognize in Italy it can take a while to get the check and make payment almost everywhere.....then lets take a deep breath and see the humor in it. In reality none of us are in a rush at 10-11pm at night and perhaps we should learn to relax and enjoy the moment, enjoy the company of our friends and family. Enjoy the Italian experience. I think anyone who doesnt think this place is great doesnt actually understand what great Italian food is, its simple and soulful, it allows the product to speak for itself. Ir doesnt weigh you down with heavy cream sauces and starchy butter based sides or dozens of conflicting flavors This place is a must for anyone wanting amazing seafood and who truly understands what real Italian food is about. Take a look at who is cooking the food in the kitchen, this is someones mother, grandmother cooking the food and this makes it so much more...