Il Ceppo Toscano — Restaurant in San Gimignano

A delightful beefy surprise at San Gimignano

Visiting Tuscany with our family we decided to have lunch at San Gimignano after a quick day tour in the city. We found Il Ceppo Toscano by chance using Google Maps, without any recommendation or previous knowledge about it, besides its good reviews here. And as soon as we arrived at the restaurant we were wellcome for a very young and attentive staff. The ambiance is very refined and clean and the attention to the meets is noticeable at first sight: the dry aging cameras and the Jester in the kitchen are there, showing you what it is waiting for you. It is an Italian Restaurant, but don’t expect finding pasta, ragout or lasanhas there. This place is about beef. And about the good ones! They offer a selection of different breeds from different countries (including real A5 Japanese Wagyu) dry aged in the house. The chef perfectly prepares the cuts (and some of the side dishes as well) using a Jester wood oven. No explanations needed if you know what I’m talking about. We ordered an Italian Wagyu/Black Angus T-Bone that was out of this world. Perfect marbling, lots of flavor… Loved the Joster grilled finochio with saffron as a side dish. My wife had a Parmigiana Melanzane that was terrific too (in case you or some of the guest are not eating beef they have good vegan options in the menu too). Great selection of Tuscan wines at reasonable prices. We finished this perfect meal with coffee and some Cantucci soaked in Vin Santo! Pure joy. The staff made the whole experience even better being very friendly and professional. Great experience, highly recommended. A real steak restaurant that could easily be (and it should as a matter of fact) in any ranking of top notch...

Excellent Service, food and ambiance. A must try when in San Gimignano. I dined there with my family and although my wife is vegetarian they have a selection of vegetarian dishes )not always available in a steak house). Their passion is showed in the food and service delivered. Many details in the decorations make the whole experience an interesting one. Try the T-Bone steak Fiorentina Chianina and not to miss their house wine reserve. Professional staff and high quality ingredients. They even have a beer menu!!!. It’s a pity I did not reserve…the Al fresco dining is just stunning, but all their tables were taken. For the first time I have tried an amato with spicy flavor. I recommend il Ceppo Toscano as the best meat restaurant in...

For a stake house to bring medium instead of rare was a little surprising. When the right steak eventually arrives my partner already finishes her steak. On the second attempt the rare as ordered was brought but the meat was a little chewy and not the standard I would expect for a restaurant charging premium prices. We were not offered any kind of compensation for getting my order wrong or any apology was offered. Unfortunately, San Gimignano is not blessed with too many good restaurants. We had far better meals, almost everywhere else in Tuscany including Florence, Siena, Montepulciano and Pienza. As to this restaurant, we felt the quality of the food or service did not match the...