Ristorante Retro ' — Restaurant in Florence

I am not a resident here but we were a group of tourist from Dubai and India (native Indians). We took a guesthouse in this area and this restaurant is very close to our guesthouse, hence we decided to have a look at the menu and dine here. The date was 22nd April and its around 9 pm, we went up to the waiter in charge and tried to ask a couple of times to suggest on some menu items (since menu is in italian we wanted to understand something on it). Since, after 3-4 calls we couldn’t get his attention we tried to ask for his attention with a light touch on his shoulder and politely asked him “sir, can you help me please” and this guy saw us with anger and started shouting on us mentioning that don’t touch me, i am not your brother and then acted in a way which does not gave us very welcoming feeling in the city. I don’t want to use that “word”, but it seemed that this guy had different ways of talking to people with different appearances. We were completely taken aback by such a negative behaviour and decided to dine somewhere else. You can prepare good food and people might give you great ratings based on great foods you make ( and i hope we missed a great food that day) but equally important is the way your staff members treat people and must not differentiate between where they come from (particularly on the way they look or the skin colour they have). Its very pity to see people who in a way represent their country (towards a tourist) behave in such a way. People who are in service industry have to be presentable both inside and outside, just looking smart outside does not make them a good human...

Owner was so inviting and showed us around his large and impressive restaurant he’s owned for 40 years. But then he left and it wasn’t hard to see why they had only 5 tables total on a Friday night while other places were packed. The Waitress was beyond rude, impatient and downright abusive to another customer at another table. Yelling at him Sir what do you want - when he didn’t understand the menu. The menu online is why we came in, but it’s an old one and very different from what they serve now. We ordered a bottle of wine and burrata which came out fast before the wine and without the bread that comes with it. We had to remind her twice to bring the bread. Finally we got the other half of the appetizer and started eating. We ordered the field greens salad which was a bowl of dry mescaline lettuce - No cucumbers, tomatoes or dressing- just a bowl of greens. My husband ordered the mozzarella and basil pizza but got pepperoni. My pasta didn’t come until after he was nearly done eating. We looked for the waitress to find out what was taking so long and found her sitting inside eating gelato. She blamed it on the cook but brought out a piping hot dish shortly after. I suspect she forgot to put the order in before taking her ice cream break. We waited and waited for her to come back so we could get our bill. We finally wandered into the bakery part next door to pay for the meal. A little pricey, the food we got was okay but late and not what we ordered, waitress was most unpleasant, total experience was just laughable. Not recommended when there are dozens of better...

While sightseeing the museums, my wife and I tried to see if the Arcaeological Museum was open. While getting our bearings in the "Plaza Di San Marco" we asked two staff at the Ristorante Retro if they knew where it was ?? They did !!! Sorry for us it was closed. However, we told them when we get back we'll have a late lunch!! So the beautiful Angelica took us to our seats and Diana was our server. I was struck by the highly decorated interior with private dining areas and an air-conditioned patio that makes you feel like you are outside !! Also, the whole place is full of old ephemera (collectibles). Toys, toy stoves, a phonograph player to help make the atmosphere better. My wife ordered lasagna and I had the spaghetti. Both of us had the field greens salad which we both could share. I read a post that said pricey. I disagree. This level of restaurant fair in Virginia in America or in Washington DC would be three to four times the amount here in Florenza !! This place isn't for quickly getting back to the shopping district. It's off the beaten path, away from the crowds and noise. This is a place to relax at breakfast lunch or dinner !! Also, I notice that the bulk of foot traffic is more towards the Uffizi Museum area. So if you are interested in a hideaway nook in the middle of a bustling city, then make your way here. Enjoy every bite of the wonderfully prepared foods, deserts and breads !! I hope my wife and I get the chance to come back one day and enjoy another mouth watering meal prepared by the kitchen staff !! Keep up the good work...