Osteria delle Tre Panche - Centro Storico — Restaurant in Florence

My husband & I started our Italy vacation with our first dinner of our trip here & it was AWFUL! A terrible way to start our vacation! Let me first note that in all my 523 reviews, 95% are 5 stars and none below 4 stars. Also, I used to work in the restaurant industry years ago so I am very patient, have never sent a dish back, have never complained, nor walked out of a dining experience not satisfied... until now.

I arrived on time for our 9:30pm rez and told the waiter who seated me and waited on us that my husband was going to be 15 mins late but that I can order for the both of us to not hold up the kitchen which he seemed fine with. A waitress came to the table to ask for a drink order and I promptly ordered a martini which took 20 mins, meanwhile my husband had already arrived and we still weren't able to give our dinner order. Finally at 10pm with flagging down a staff member to ask if we can have our waiter to order did the waiter come. We ordered 2 starters, a pasta course, and 2 main dishes (one being the 55 euro steak Florentine, the most expensive thing on the menu), plus a side of sauteed spinach which he recommended to come with the steak since it didn't come with any sides. He also suggested how the dishes should come out and in what order and said "this is how we do it in Italy". Also note that his English was impeccable. In the meantime, I noticed all other tables had bread and since it took another 1/2 hour for the food to come was I again finally able to flag another waiter to ask for bread. At about 10:30pm, 2 waiters came out with all 6 dishes at the same time which on a small 2 top was impossible. We told them that it was a mistake and not possible for us to eat 6 dishes at the same time and we asked to send the main courses back & kept the starters and pasta. The waiter came & did apologize and said "sorry for my misunderstanding". Not sure how that is possible since we were all very clear during the order taking. You also wouldn't set up your menu with the separate courses and just serve every dish all at once. At that point I felt rushed to eat the 3 dishes and was thinking that our mains were just sitting under a heat lamp. When our mains did arrive, our 55 euro steak was not cold but it was not warm. It was also so gristle that we couldn't even eat 1/3 of it. We left VERY unsatisfied that for the first time EVER we didn't leave a tip! The entire experience was a total...

When i arrived at 12.30pm, there was only one table occupied by a family of 5. The other tables are empty. I was solo but they brought me to a table right beside the family (less than 1m apart).

When i requested for a different table since that was half in the sun and it was 40c that day, they were reluctant and made me wait while they discussed. I asked what time were the empty tables reserved for - reply was 1.30pm. In the end, i was seated by the doorway, two tables away from the family. That was fine with me.

When i first showed up at the door, they were all smiles and welcoming. Smiles vanished after i mentioned that i was only having their famous cheesecake which i had come specially for. Since i also did not wish to order a drink and was told they did not serve tap water, they were even less happy. My experience was worsened when the senior waitress came up to me, stared me in the face and told me firmly “Madam, i will need the table soon ok?” She was not asking me, she was telling me. There was no obligatory apologetic expression. When i said sure, since i would not take long with only the cheesecake, there was no thank you from her either.

Why hadn’t they explain this situation earlier? There were 4 staff standing around and only one table to serve and the restaurant was all set up already. I was subsequently asked 3 times, while having the cheesecake, if i wanted to order any wine. Very pushy.

I was charged €4 for coperto for one person. I did not check for this on the menu but hopefully someone will post a photo of the relevant page here.

The cheesecake was marvellous and the best part for me because my table did not have a view. The terrace was beautiful with the plants...

I don't usually write negative reviews, as I know everyone is working hard. However, I feel obligated to share my experience. Our hotel recommended this restaurant for our anniversary, and the evening turned into a major disappointment due to the chaotic service.

From the moment we arrived, the staff seemed rushed and chaotic. My wife and I had to constantly move aside to avoid being bumped by servers navigating the packed dining room.

Our server was shockingly rude. He offered no warmth or hospitality and only used the bare minimum of words to take our order. When we asked for a wine recommendation, he responded with a blunt "No." He then struggled to open the bottle, causing the cork to break and pieces to fall into the wine. Moments later, he dropped the bottle, spilling most of the contents on the floor. Without a word of apology, he poured the remaining wine into our glasses, cork bits and all, and walked away.

The situation was so unsettling that an Italian couple seated next to us intervened, helping us get a new bottle out of concern there might be broken glass in the wine. The fact that fellow diners had to step in was very telling.

The food was also disappointing. It was bland, poorly presented, and lacked freshness, nowhere near the standard you'd expect from a recommended spot. It felt like the kitchen was just rushing dishes out without care.

To top it off, we were charged full price for the entire experience, with no gesture of goodwill or acknowledgement of the numerous service errors from the manager. Given the poor service and mediocre food, I strongly urge others to reconsider dining here, especially if you are celebrating a...