Ristorante I Tre Merli — Restaurant in Florence

Avoid if you can. We went there a while ago on a visit to Florence. The food was actually not bad (not brilliant either) but the service was appaling. Among the dishes we ordered a vegetarian meal for one of the kids but were given a steak which was much more expensive. Complained straight away, young waiter did not know what to say so we agreed they would charge us for the meal we asked, not the steak - he said fine. By then the kid was starving so we said we'd carry on and he would just eat potatoes and salad that went with it. When we finished the bill included the steak price on it so we asked to see the manager. He came out shouting and loudly suggested we are trying to get food for free, all in front of other customers! Told him to shut up and explained that we had complained and came to the agreement with the waiter before so he went back inside. Apparently that poor young guy never admitted his mistake to his boss and hadn't even mentioned there was an issue, so then we could hear the boss shouting at him inside and then he came back afyer a few minutes with a reduced bill. All felt a bit like a scene from Fawlty Towers in a hindsight, but wasn't so funny there and then. While I understand people make mistakes, the manager's treatment of customers and his staff...

This place appears innocuous enough - but do not be fooled! While their aperitivo was satisfactory (although, notably, no nibblies...) our request for an entrée was ignored, forgotten, and when it finally arrived, unimpressive. But this was a mere trifle compared to the horror that awaited us: nestled in a seemingly harmless porcini, none other than a real, very much alive WORM - and this in a pasta dish that cost more than 11 euros! We thought this must be the worst, but alas, 'twas just the beginning. We were subsequently lectured by an adequately dismissive waiter that we should be grateful for our wormy main, on account of the fact that it indicated just how fresh our meal was. Pardonez moi, signor, but I prefer my food to be stationary when I consume it. We presumed that at the very least we would be entitled to a complimentary bottle of wine or a free meal - but no. Instead, I found myself engaged in a degrading argument with a waiter who insisted this situation was to be expected, if not approved of! I have NEVER been so appalled by restaurant service and will most certainly NOT...

This family has been in business many years and it shows. The wait staff are fun and knowledgeable. They did not rush us nor did they make our dinner last too long. This is my first time in Firenze and my wife and I were looking for something slightly away from the touristy side of things. This restaurant did not fail. Neighbors walking by stopped to talk with wait staff, general manager and owner. I had two glasses of Chianti, my wife had a spritz, she also had a latte after dinner while I had an espresso and amari. Oh yes, I forgot the tiramisu. Dinner was fabulous. I had the papardelle with wild boar ragu and my wife had a spinach ravioli. We started dinner off with mozzarella di bufala and prosciutto.

The time and care the wait and kitchen staff take in preparing your meal fresh, not frozen, and serving it with a humble flair was impressive.

We are going back tomorrow to try more.

Bravo Ristorante...