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Giostra

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Stella
Stella
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5 out of 5
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Editor Pick

Giostra (La)

  • May 2, 2008
  • Rated 5 of 5 by Travelny2 from New York, New York
Giostra (La)

This is arguably the best meal I have ever had in my life. Considering that this place is ranked among the top restaurants in all of Europe (they have the framed ranking on their wall) it is really not that expensive. The head chef/owner is quite a charater and personally comes to each table at least once throughout your dinner. He served as our somellier and spend at least 5 minutes explaining our wine selection to us, decanting it and the serving. The walls are covered with pictures of him and his satisfied clientele and includes at least a hundred pictures of him and celebrities who have dined at the restaurant.

Compimentary water and bread are not the standard here. They bring you a free glass of champagne as you sit down and a complimentary appetizer sampler platter that is a VERY generous portion. There will be one piece of each appetizer for each person (i.e. there were three of us so there were three of everything on the plate) The free appetizers consisted of caprese, bruschetta, marinated mushrooms, marinated peppers, stuffed zucchini, salami with some sort of fruit, crostini with pate and some sort of dumpling looking thing that appeared to contain pesto. Everything was very very good.

For an appetizer with got prosciutto with bufalo mozzarella. Everything was incredibly fresh and flavorful and tasted much better then what you can get in the states. For dinner I got tortelloni bolognese and veal scallopini with mushrooms. Both were excellent. My two friends both got pasta dishes as well that they raved about. For dessert we got a sampler platter that contained tiramisu, gelato and a cubed pineapple wedge with fresh strawberries. Again, all excellent.

The restaurant is relatively small so reservations are very important. We only made our a couple of days in advance for three people and they were able to squeeze us in but I wouldn't recommend just showing up at the door. The other thing is that the restaurant is fairly hard to find. It is down a small alley and the sign is very small. I recommend walking by it during the day before your reservation so that you are sure you know where it is. The night after we ate there we saw no less then three families wandering around in the street trying to find it. You could always tell people that were looking for it because there would be a family just wandering around the street in nice clothes looking at addresses so we pointed a few people in the right direction. Bring a map with you.

Going to Florence and missing out on eating here would be a huge mistake. For three glasses of champagne, a bottle of nice wine (about $40), the appetizer platter, the prosciutto y bufalo, three pasta dishes, veal scallopini and the desert platter our bill was about $140usd. VERY GOOD DEAL for dining at one of the worlds best restaurants. Make sure you stop by this place and take your picture with the owner!

From journal A Few Days in Florence

La Giostra

  • January 18, 2007
  • Rated 5 of 5 by ayust from West Lafayette, Indiana
I went on a two week trip with Contiki across Europe (London, Paris, Switzerland, Austria, Venice, Florence and Rome) and this was by far my favorite meal! One of the girls on the trip had studied abroad in Florence before, and this restaurant was highly recommended by her. You get a delicious complimentary platter with appetizers, and a large plate of food following. The service was very friendly; the chefs and servers were amazing! We were on a budget for the trip, but if you intend to go all out an have a nice meal for a night, La Giostra is definitely the place to do it!

From journal Eating in Florence

La Giostra

I studied abroad in Florence for 4 months and this is hands down my favorite restaurant. The staff are amazing. Everyone receives a complimentary glass of prosecco and a huge appetizer sampler for free. The food is Italian-Austrian fusion (the owners are part Hapsbourg part Medici.) My favorites are the Pear and Pecorino Ravioli, Spinach Ravioli, and Gnocci.

This is the real, authentic Italian cuisine. Don't waste your time at touristy places like Aqua Al Due.

From journal Contiki European Adventure

La Giostra

  • September 29, 2006
  • Rated 5 of 5 by alyssa511 from Valley Cottage, New York
One of the best meals I had in Florence. The restaurant is located on a side street not too far from the Duomo and owned by a prince. He puts on a little presentation with the wine. We made the mistake of ordering an appetizer, do not do this because they bring out a complementary platter of various meats, cheese, and small vegetable appetizers, all delicious. For my main course I had chicken with vegetables and it was great. Portions are big but the restaurant is a little on the pricey side, but worth it.

From journal Firenze in 4 months

Editor Pick

La Giostra

  • August 22, 2001
  • Rated 4 of 5 by Stella from Brooklyn, New York
Located in a small alleyway but owned by a Prince, La Giostra is an intimate restaurant where white christmas lights and the sound of wine glasses toasting set the mood for the sensuous food to follow. An assortment of appetizers is brought to the table free of charge- pungent tomatoes dripping with olive oil, zucchini gutted and stuffed with vegetable and meat paste, white figs and other samples of the main courses served. For the primo piatto, try the pasta with zucchini flowers or the gnocchi with ricotta and spinach. This dish is one of the most succulent I've had in Florence. Sliced steak topped with fresh rucola and grated parmesan cheese is an excellant choice for your second and to finish it all off, try the homemade tiramisu.

Feel free to take as long as you like to finish your meal; the chef will walk around to suggest a dessert liquor or ask how you enjoyed the wine. After your meal, La Giostra will call you a taxi. While you wait, don't be surprised if you enjoy a free glass of champagne offered by one of the cute waiters...

From journal Pasta and Pesce in Florence

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