Osteria dei Baroncelli — Restaurant in Florence

Our tour manager arranged for us to have a small group dinner to try the type of steak that Florence is famous for. It's called Bistecca alla Fiorentina and is a T-bone steak served char-grilled but rare. Once grilled, they season it with salt, pepper, and olive oil. I once had a 'Fiorentina' steak at Carnevino in Las Vegas and it's the very same dish, except in Florence, it's cheaper by far. The steak came out presliced for us and for our table of 10, we had 3 T-bones.

The steak was indeed served rare and some of our group asked to have it at least medium which they did accommodate. I happily had the rare steak and it was delicious. The restaurant looked empty as we walked in but we soon realized that they have other rooms in the back because at one point a very large tour group walked outside. The staff was very nice and the owner, Giuseppe, was very hospitable. He even let us try the limoncello on the house. They served us some pasta that was al dente and perfect. The house wine was delicious. It was probably the best meal I had in Italy, hands down. I gobbled every single morsel because it was that good. Our meal was 28 euro per person and worth every penny. We left...

I am deeply disappointed and appalled by the experience our tour group had at this restaurant. We had reservations made through our tour company (EF tours) and were looking forward to enjoying a pleasant meal. However, what we encountered was far from acceptable. Our group, which spoke a mix of four languages, was met with aggressive and rude behavior from the staff. The waiters not only treated us poorly but also insulted our group in Spanish, not realizing that some of us understood the language. This unprofessional behavior included both verbal and physical aggression to our tour leader making us feel unwelcome and uncomfortable. As a guest on a tourist destination I expect a certain level of hospitality and respect, especially when reservations have been made in advance for such large groups. The treatment we received was completely uncalled for and left a negative impression on our entire group. I strongly advise other tourists and tour companies to reconsider visiting this establishment. Such behavior is unacceptable, and I hope the management takes immediate action to address this issue and prevent it from happening again

• the food was good but the hostile environment made it...

The most humiliating and racist experience ever faced today at noon ... We were a group of 50 people who had the worst experience while dining today. Not only the food was burnt and inconsumable, genuine grievances expressed by most of us were also met with humiliation. In fact, contemplating legal action ....

Mr.Baroncelli .... It is only regrettable that the true events that actually transpired and the insult and insinuation meted to over 50 of us is sought to be hush hushed with naive and untrue denials. A bare perusal of your CCTV footage, which you alone have access to, would amply demonstrate the facility in your claims. Be that as it may, thankfully your response to that extent admits the subject unpleasant experience faced by us at your place. While the background of the person is wholly irrelevant and immaterial, your grooming makes all the difference. In fact, despite having admitted to the untoward and unpleasant incident, it is regrettable that you are attempting naive explanations ...

Having said the above ... I shall not waste any more valuable time...