Ristorante il Paiolo — Restaurant in Florence

TOTALLY EXQUISITE DINNER ! My wife and I arrived in Florence by Bullet Train from Rome on Sunday, March 23rd. A well appointed king suite on the 5th floor of the luxurious Hotel Berchielli would be HOME for the next 4 days. Hard to beat that view of the picturesque River Arno ! Arriving back at the hotel after lunch at a cafe across the bridge I happened to ask the reception staff for a recommendation for dinner that night...il Paiolo was the response I heard one of them say. We headed out to grab some craft beer and stopped by il Paiolo to have a look inside....very nice, our kind of intimate Italian restaurant. A very sweet server named Nina suggested we make a reservation if we planned on dropping in for dinner that evening...so 6pm it was. Walking over here from our hotel we were amazed to see how many people were out and about. We arrived for dinner a few minutes before 6 pm and the restaurant looked pretty busy. NICE WELCOME ! And Nina who turned out to be our server showed us to a comfortable table. A couple of glasses of Prosecco arrived promptly courtesy of Nina. My wife doesn't drink but hey I like it. We asked Nina for glasses of iced water, some artisan bread and a craft beer. Nina suggested a bottle of German Paulaner Weissbier - 5.5% abv which arrived with a tall stem glass soon after. GOOD ENOUGH ! It tasted fine...similar to an American pale ale. I enjoyed some fresh baked artisan bread with my ice cold beer while we checked out the dinner menu. With Nina on hand to offer her valued input my wife selected Tagliatelle ai Funghi Porcini ( flat noodle with porcini mushrooms ) and I decided on Pappardelle al Ragu di Cinghiale ( large flat noodle with wild boar meat sauce beef )....after Nina assured me it does not taste gamey. The restaurant had a certain elevated charm inside...part decor, part layout, part the assuredness of our talented server. FAST SERVICE ! Our meals were on the table by 6.15pm and looked truly mouthwatering. My wife...a true lover of porcini mushrooms enjoyed her pasta dish immensely. FIRST TIME ! I've never eaten wild boar in my life but my meal tasted absolutely sensational..obviously very slow cooked to maximize the flavor and tenderness. DESSERT ! With everything a winner so far we thought some dessert would be worth a try. My wife asked Nina about the Torta della Nonna ( Traditional Grandmother Cake ) and decided to order it. I love Cheesecake so that's what I asked for...with Strawberries. We were more than happy with our well made desserts which rounded out our very enjoyable dinner nicely. THERE'S MORE ! And sweet Nina brought me a glass of Limoncello....I have to admit the Italians are getting me addicted to this palate cleanser. We loved our dinner experience here...the relaxing ambience, top tier service, good drinks and sensational food. TAKE A BOW ! Thank you Chef Denis Mucaj for delivering...

FAKE REVIEWS! MISGUIDED TOURIST TRAP. Do not go here.

We unfortunately found ourselves at this restaurant after we asked our hotel (5-star Il Tornabuoni) to make us a reservation at 2 other restaurants that we had frequented before and enjoyed. We could not make the reservations ourselves because our e-SIM cards did not include calling.

They told us that the 2 restaurants we requested were fully booked and instead they made us a reservation for this restaurant.

From the outside it is unsuspecting, but when you step inside, you realize what it is. 90% of the other diners were older Americans who likely asked their hotel for a recommendation and were sent here. The ambiance was uncomfortable. Some other tables seemed disappointed that they fell for the trap as well.

The food was not spectacular. Just average. The steak was 25%+ more expensive than other restaurants. The fiorentina bistecca was not tender and required some work to eat. Not like the 3 other times I’ve had it at other restaurants. It also was not hot when it arrived to the table. The potatoes were forgettable.

The only saving grace was the waiter we had. He was at least personable and attentive.

The majority of the reviews of this restaurant are fake. All have very Italian names and are posted recently and only have 1-2 reviews in their history.

I suspect that this restaurant pays off hotels to send visitors here. Shame on the restaurant and shame on the hotels who participate. Especially the “luxury” 5-star hotels who manipulate their guests. Not all guests who speak English are ignorant to this.

I visit Italy nearly every year as my family lives here. I am disappointed by this experience as this type of con is not in the...

My favorite restaurant in Florence — absolutely magical!

We had the most incredible evening at Il Paiolo. There are two beautiful dining rooms — one makes you feel like you’re dining under the stars, and the other is a super elegant candlelit space lined with wine bottles. We were in the second one and I loved it — it’s intimate, warm, and so romantic.

The service couldn’t be better. Our server Klevis (I hope I’m spelling that right!) was exceptional — gracious, knowledgeable, and attentive without being intrusive. He met us at the door and gave us some Prosecco while we waited just two minutes for our table. He made the whole experience feel seamless. Our glasses were always full and if we needed anything we had to do was look up and one of the servers would come to help us.

We started with a delicious meat and cheese board — everything was the highest quality. Then came the highlight: the bistecca alla fiorentina. They brought the raw steak to the table before cooking it, which looked amazing — and once it was prepared, they brought it to the table plated in this incredible way. It was perfectly cooked and so rich, tender, flavorful — one of if not the best steak I’ve had in my life. We paired it with a beautiful Tuscan red, and finished with a slice of cheesecake topped with berries and a round of house-made limoncello.

Everything — from the food to the setting to the warm, thoughtful service — made this our most memorable and romantic meal. If you’re in Florence, don’t...