OSTERIA ACQUACHETA dal giovedì al lunedì pranzo e cena necessaria la prenotazione L'OSTESSA E L'OSTE AUGURANO BUONA VITA — Restaurant in Unione dei Comuni Valdichiana Senese

Finding a place that prepares Bistecca alla Fiorentina in Tuscany and many surrounding areas is not difficult at all. That is precisely what makes Acquacheta so special: this is probably the best Bistecca you can get and the ambiance of the place is really particular.

First thing to know: if you have no reservation, be ready to wait. It is extremely difficult to just waltz in and find space, so try to reserve first and if you cannot, there is still a chance you can go and ask to be put in a list. They will let you know an approximate time you might be called in, so depending on that you can stick around or go take a walk, or even have a drink next door.

Second thing to know: there are no private tables here, so get ready to at least tolerate other people ;D . Acquacheta is modeled after the concept of common tables, where friends and strangers sit together to enjoy a meal. It will be usually packed and since the place is small, it will be noisy in a merry way. You can still listen to the person in front of you, so it is not too bad.

Third thing to know: wine here is usually Rosso de Montepulciano, served in pitchers of various sizes. There is no wine list, so don´t bother asking for it. House wine is actually very good and you can ask for a pitcher up to 1L in size, so no shortage of it.

Fourth thing to know: again related with the drinks, you get one (yes just one) glass per person. This will be used for the water and for the wine, alternatively of course (unless you only have one of the two!). House rules do not allow for more glasses and it makes sense: the tables are fairly crowded and the food platters are big, so you need to save some space.

Fifth thing to know: it is all about the Bistecca and well, you should already know that by the time you come here, right? What you might not know is how the thing goes. Bistecca is sold by weight and you have a chance to select a few configurations related to the cut. With the Bistecca, you order it and you will probably listen to the owner cutting it from a huge meat block in the kitchen. Once that is done, he will come to where you are sitting and let you choose what cut you want. The difference will be the weight and for what I saw, the average is 1.5Kg, so be hungry!

Sixth thing to know: if you are coming to eat here, do not be in a rush. You will ruin a perfect meal. Make sure you have enough time to wait for a place to sit, for your food (you WILL wait for it) and to actually eat. The portions are huge and it takes time. Food this good was not meant to be eaten when you are short of time.

My particular experience was simply great. I loved the place itself and its controlled chaos; the great service which is simply remarkable and even more so considering how difficult is to navigate the place when it is full and of course there is the food and drink, just unmatched to any other.

If you like meat and plan to visit Montepulciano at some point, this is the place you don´t...

This is an eleven star experience. I literally came to Montepulciano for this restaurant. Four trains, a taxi, a cranky airbnb host, no aircon, and I even went wine shopping--and discovered I like brunello more than montalcino nobile. 3€ corkage fee! Bring your own glasses. If your airbnb has no stemware, the owner is fantastically cheap--you're in wine country--and if theyre cutting those corners, you're sleeping in a crumbling building.

You're crammed into a restaurant with a third of it being a kitchen and half of that being an oven. The owner is delightful. I believe his grandson was our waiter--showing him the ropes and developing salesperson skills --'these are round Americans--they will go for the 9€ truffle special and have enough room for a Florentino, pasta, and dessert! Upsell!'

First course, pecorino with truffles. Wonderful with the bread. Our tablemates at this point skipped most of the meal and just ate a 1.8kg steak. They missed out!

Then the pasta. I think wild boar ragu is a vegetable in Tuscany. And it was the best ragu I've ever had. With tagliatelle. It sort of made me sad because I make pappardelle with pork based ragu at home--but it never tasted this good. The pici with game sauce (pheasant or pheasant adjacent) was also delicious. Pici has a wonderful chew. If you like udon, order a minimum of three different picii--you will finish it easily.

The climax of the evening was the bistecca. Glorious cut of meat. Ours was a 'petite' at 1.5kg. From the spiel, Aquacheta's cuts start at 1.6 and go up. You can opt for a 1.2--no filet. Don't do that! Go for a 1.6 to 1.8. 2kg if you're Texan or Brazilian.

I finished everything and the owner made a pirate noise at me--hopefully approvingly. I was mortified people didn't clean the bone. It's the best porterhouse-like steak ever.

Then obviously dessert. A pretty Panna cotta covered in berries. Delicious and smooth.

I would come back again and again and again and again. Wonderful restaurant run by wonderful people--a dinner I will...

Osteria Acquacheta is THE place for an authentic Florentine steak! (and other local classics). We came for the steak and were not disappointed, they were out of this world good, but we also ordered a variety of other dishes from the menu and not one of them was anything less than fantastic! The rabbit was especially delicious! Although they do sell wine by both the glass and the bottle, they still allow guests to bring along their own wine(s), without a corkage fee (although there is a small charge for the glass) NOTE: Some reviewers have misinterpreted the enthusiastic showmanship of the owner as being abrasive or rude, but nothing could be further from the truth! Signor Ciolfi is wonderfully bombastic and rightfully proud of his Osteria, he's just not shy about it! We were treated with the utmost respect and friendliness. Guest are happily seated elbow to elbow in this small dining room with everyone talking at the same time, while the wait staff seem to be doing a dance avoiding the sizzling platters of beef coming out of the kitchen! It's a real show! Eating at Osteria Acquacheta in Montepulciano is very much like having Sunday dinner with a very large and very loud Italian family while their Nonno is running in and out of the cucina with a meat cleaver in one hand and a huge plate of raw meat in the other! Wonderful!! Not to be missed if you're anywhere near...