The Antico Ristoro di Cambi — Restaurant in Florence

A true disappointment. We arrived hopeful to try some traditional florentine cuisine... and we did but the quality was mediocre at best.

We ordered the following dishes:

Antipasto Toscano Finocchiona e Porcini Sott'Olio Ribollita

As a main dish:

Fried Rabit with Zucchini Flower Cipolle al Forno With Cream of Parmigiano Zucchini Flowers Fried

The antipasto toscano was a crudely presented, supermarket bought salamis and ham, you can find betterbquality in any run of the mill supermarket in italy. The parma ham was old as it was hard on the edges and so were the salamis, there was a small piece of bread with duck liver patè, but after seing the quality of cold cuts served, I decided it was best not to try it.

The Ribollita was almost good, the chef just dropped the salt in it causing all the flavours which were produced during the long hours of slow cooking to be overpowered.

The Finocchiona was ok except for the fact that the porcinis in olive oil where straight from the jar, again, supermarket bought.

After this welcome to traditional Tuscan/Florence cuisine, we should have left but we stuck around just in case the mains were good.

And so the mains arrived...

Cipolle al forno with Parmigiano Sauce were ok.. but too sweet. The chef used an industrial laddle to measure how much sugar to put (sugar on this dish is completely unnecessary.

The Grilled Porcini... a simple recepie: a metal grill, fire, and Porcini mushroom. The Porcini arrived semicooked, all wet and withoit any trace of seasoning. I believe that good food should have the lest amount of salt but I also know that a good, proud (of his cooking) chef, would have never served us 400gr of Semi cooked unseasoned poorly grilled fresh Porcini Mushrooms.

The Fried Rabit was anothe dissapointment... another bland, unseasoned, poorly executed dish. KFC could crush this rabit anyday.

The atmosphere and Service

The atmosphere is noisy, typical turist bus eatery. You are seated in small tables where a very hard and unconfortable stool was waiting for you to be your seat. We called the waiter 4 times for it to take our order. The general consensus and feel was: sitdown! Eat what you ordered and leave as soon as possible.

In conclusion, when in Italy you DO NOT SEE an Italian eating at the restaurant, you know is best to avoid such a place.

Do not waste your time here. You are better off taking your palate and money to any other "Osteria" you may find...

All'Antico Ristoro di' Cambi, located in Florence's Oltrarno district, offers a traditional Tuscan dining experience in a rustic setting. Established in the 1950s, this trattoria is renowned for its authentic regional dishes, including the florentine steak.

We chose to sit outside, enjoying the charming ambiance of the neighborhood.

We began our meal with Cantabrian anchovies served on toasted bread. The anchovies were savory and paired well with the crisp toast. Next, we had a salad featuring artichokes and Parmigiano-Reggiano, which was fresh and flavorful. The handmade pappardelle with wild boar ragù stood out, offering a rich and hearty taste that exemplifies Tuscan cuisine.

The highlight of the meal was the Florentine steak, or bistecca alla Fiorentina, a signature dish of the region. Traditionally, this steak is prepared from Chianina beef and cooked rare over a wood fire, resulting in a seared exterior and a rare interior. At All'Antico Ristoro di' Cambi, the steak was presented in this traditional manner. However, we found it to be colder and rarer than expected. It's important to note that in Florence, it's customary for this dish to be served rare, and diners are typically not asked for a preferred level of doneness.

Despite our personal preference regarding the steak, the overall dining experience at All'Antico Ristoro di' Cambi was delightful. The combination of traditional dishes, attentive service, and the restaurant's historic charm makes it a recommended spot for those seeking an authentic Tuscan meal...

OK. I went to this restaurant without a reservation and showed up at 6 PM on the dot when they had just opened. There was only one couple seated in a outside terrace of maybe 20 tables. The greeter told me OK you can have a table, but you have to leave within the hour. I understood without a reservation that makes sense but immediately felt like I was under the gun. Not exactly the typical treatment that someone gets at a restaurant in Florence/Italy (the Italians have a saying, "non fare in fretta" which means there is no hurry. Anyways, I ordered the Bocconcini chicken cooked with lemon sauce (note, this translated to chicken nuggets), but I really didn’t believe that a nice appearing restaurant would serve me chicken nuggets. I expected the elegant kind of meal that Italian restaurants turn out with flare so well . . . Nonetheless, that’s exactly what I got-chicken nuggets. However, Chicken nuggets at McDonald’s would’ve been preferred to the chicken nuggets this place served. They were fried, overdone, dry and chewy. So I did not finish my nuggets and then I ordered a salad which, unfortunately, was equally uninspired. As I sat and observed the other diners, I realize that this place is resting on its PAST good reviews. This place does not currently deserve a good review and I’m not giving it one. The diners there were clearly Americans and students with more money then sense (as the saying goes). I would strongly suggest you avoid this place given their attitude towards their guests and the substandard food...