Il Latini

GO WITH A LARGE GROUP! I went with 10 people and we had so much fun. They have a special where it is 50 euro a person and basically unlimited food, wine and water. They brought out bread, 3 pasta dishes, 3 types of meat, dessert and an endless amount of water and wine. We were able to get our price down to 45 euro and we had the nicest waiter (Leonardo). Go into it knowing that you are about to eat a lot and will be there for awhile. The pasta was great but not the best I have ever had. Such a fun place to go with a group though!

We came here specifically for the monstrous Florentine steaks and were not disappointed! Each steak is large enough to be shared between two people so plan accordingly. The server was great in recommending a nice wine to pair along with everything. They normally get really busy here for dinner given their popularity so calling ahead to make a reservation is a good idea. we came at around 9PM on a Tuesday night however and were seated within minutes. The prices are not terribly high here either which makes this one of Firenze’s must-​try eaterys. Can’t wait to experience this again in the future!

Une institution? Peut-​être, mais d’abord une déception. Dîner au lance-​pierres afin de libérer la table, carte très longue mais sans grand chose d’intéressant, deux références de vin proposées (le rouge et le blanc de la maison …). Sans grand intérêt.

came here 11 years ago on a college trip with three friends, and this is still one of my favorite meals ive ever had. there was a bit of a wait when we showed up, but they gave out free samples of wine and cheese until everyone was seated, very nice touch. the seating is communal, so we were seated at a table with a French family who barely spoke English, but it was a very fun experience. the food itself was amazing, you get a five course meal that is basically whatever they want to serve you, bread, prosciutto with melon, a couple rounds of delicious pasta, some great meat, and a dessert if I remember. There are giant casks of wine on the table, they charge you for however much of them your group drinks. I think it came out to about 40 euro at the time, no idea how much it is now, but it is definitely worth it. Like I said, over a decade later and I still think about this meal.

Do not eat at Il Latini if you are American. First of all, they posted their hours incorrectly on Unilocal.Then, when we tried to eat an early lunch here at 12:00, one of the waiters slammed the door in our face and told us to come back at 12:30. Do workers have manners? Not to sure.
Once we returned, we asked one waiter what certain items on the menu were. At first he explained in English. Then, when he realized we weren’t Italian we were treated like SECOND CLASS CITIZENS for the duration of our meal from start to finish.
THE FOOD:
We ordered one pasta (penne with meat sauce), one meat (chicken on the bone) and a tossed salad. Unlike the Italian natives seated next to us, the waiter slammed down all three courses on the table simultaneously. On the contrary, the people next to us who weren’t speaking a lick of English, had a perfectly paced meal.
Our chicken was dry. The pasta was hard, not al dente. The salad was just some lettuce leaves and tomatoes. The waiter didn’t even offer us vinegar to toss out salad with (granted, he offered vinegar to the native Italians seated next to us).
Finally, every other table was given biscotti and amaretto to sip on with their bill. However, we were just slammed with a receipt. By that point I was so furious I had to ask for the damn biscotti myself.
This restaurant does not know the meaning of RESPECT or service. Don’t give them your business. What a terrible representation of a beautiful city.

I am really impressed with how well this restaurant markets. Prior to leaving for Italy, a coworker who has italian roots recommended this place; then while on the plane I was reading the inflight magazine that also recommended this place. Then of course trip advisor has great reviews for this place.
3 solid mentions meant that we had to go. Getting there it was evident this place serves 100% tourists and it is a well oiled machine. The waiters are very used to being busy and serving tourists. they are efficient and slightly abrupt (they are churning people in and out after all). They are also comfortable with upselling and are clearly all seasoned vets of this environment.
The place is much larger than you expect and it churns out standard run of the mill food. I would say the food is consistent and good.
As an example of the clientele, in the cramped seating area to our left was an American couple and to our left was a German couple. Behind us were more Americans and in front were East Asian travellers.
I can confidently say this is not the best restaurant you will try in Florence. It is crowded and service is brisk. It’s a good restaurant to go to if you don’t know where to go and you want to feel comfortable with other tourists and be assured that waiters speak english and do this all for a reasonable price point.

Awesome food — I would go back in a heartbeat

Unilocaler Jim D. and I hit this IL Latini on the suggestion of some his Italian cousins, but realize if you’re Italian it seems that when in Italy, everyone is your cousin or at least treats you such.
On the night we went, IL Latini was serving guests in what seemed to be two different shifts, I think one at 7:30 and the other at 9:30. The restaurant is located on Via dei Palchetti, which though in Florence is considered as being a street, actually more in the size of an alleyway. The area is said to be safe, the surroundings historic, which they probably are but to me, somewhat creepy to walk during night hours.
Having reservations at IL Latini is a must. Without them, you won’t get in. Indeed there was huge crowd when we arrived waiting for the doors to open.
Once you entered you are brought to a table with the seating being so close to the other tables it’s almost like being seated at one big table. When I was there, they really didn’t have a menu but a standard offering. However, the offerings they brought to our table were varied and more than complete. The foods are generally of meat and poultry, no seafood or fish dishes, probably as the cuisine for which Florence is noted is of meat and pasta type dishes; not fish or seafood.
The first thing they gave us was a bottle of their wine which was house labeled as «IL Latini,» being one of their better Tuscany regionals. As for the meal, it had everything and served in more massive quantities than any two people could possibly eat. It was like a six course meal with ribollita and pappa al pomodoro, penne strascicate in a creamed ragù, and for the main course a heaping platter of arrosto misto (roasted meats), just to name a few. Then a dessert of biscotti with vin santo and of course all of that went with all the house wine you can drink.
Though they may do individual menu offerings, it seems that there standard preset meal priced at 45 Euros is the rule, but when you get it, there are no deviations from their standard preparations or the way in which it is prepared.

*WARNING! Tourist Trap ALERT*
Food (2 stars) — If given the same ingredient, I can probably cook better than this place. They start you off with a bread, which tasted like some scrappy Italian? baguette that had unenjoyable texture and taste. All 5 people on my table took a bite and left it there for the entire meal. They leave a big-​ass jar of house-​wine that is pay-​as-​you-​drink basis. You pay 2 Euro per cup and they somehow measure how much drink you had and calculate it. One of the most cheap tasting wine I’ve drank in Europe. I was mesmerized, given other amazing red wine I’ve gotten in Tuscany.
We had the appetizer platter, Florentine steak, beef-​sauce penne. Appetizer platter consisted of about 5 different things including chicken liver, ham (looks like spam cut like pizza slice), salami with cheese, etc. It was good to try many different appetizers but none of them tasted that good. Well, to get to the main, we came for Florentine steak, as many other tourists come here for. I just had one of the best Florentine steak in a restaurant in central market the day before, so I was pumped to try this one too. First, they do not ask you how you like the meat because rare is how you eat the meat there. They don’t have any taste or smell of charcoal grill and no grill-​line. Some parts were super salty and one of my company said that the steak tasted like «rainbow», referring not to its fantastic nature, but the fact that a chunk of his steak had all varying taste in each slice in terms of saltiness, texture, color, and juiciness. The steak seem flatout looks red and way undercooked but it actually tasted more like medium-​rare if you just ate blindly. The rare did not look too appetizing since most of the crew liked it medium-​rare to medium but hey! who are we plebs to judge or have choice how we like our meat.
Service (0 star): The restaurant starts at 7:30PM. Huge line of tourists form due to some random hype around this restaurant (I also went because one of my companion had this place ‘recommended’). We were one of the first group to be seated, but the waiter placed us at some awkward table that was placed next to the restroom and main entrance of another big room despite having all the tables available. He sits us give us our menu and randomly says «Wait» and goes to another table with 10 other people and take their orders first for some odd reason. Okay… while choosing the menu, there were not much help, the service was almost non-​existent. We had two waiters serving our side of the restaurant and they were covering about 9 tables packed with about 40 people. The waiters did not give a single look at our table and was hard to grab attention to. So I could not ask for water to get rid of saltiness of their steak. Man, I hate it when service is bad enough to lose me my appetite. The low quality of the food did not help as well.
Environment (2 stars) — in a cute little street within walking distance of the main attractions like Duomo. Late opening hour and subsequent long line and wave of people going in. It makes the ordering and cooking process a lot harder than it should be. The decoration was really cute inside with real/​fake ham hanging around from the ceiling. The place is filled with tourists and loud like a pub, and they weren’t even drinking much. Hell, I’ve never been to a restaurant that loud where I pay $ 25+ for my meal. I like it loud when I eat at like a market/​fastfood places but not while I’m trying to have good hearty meal. We had to shout to here each other a foot away.
Man, I did not have a good meal at this place. Horrible food, service, over-​hyped by tourists. I find it hard to believe this is 4 stars. Maybe their service/​food plummeted in quality recently but that is hard to believe. My experience here was as salty as their T-​bone steak. I’m rarely this critical about a restaurant but never will I be coming back here in this century. Ciao, il latini.

I didn’t feel like having steak so I ordered grilled rabbit. Maybe the steak is as good as the other reviews rated but my food was only worth one star. It was like having to bite on a rock of salt — meat was hard as rocks and was super salty. Didn’t even finish half of it and wanted to leave the restaurant as soon as possible, because –
The waiter serving my table is worth zero star. He is like a real world sculpture, no talking, no caring about how we liked the food. The only thing he did was rushing us to order and bringing us the check.
This is unfortunately a tourist trap. The appetizer and side dish were nothing better than what I had at other random restaurants here in Florence. Avoid it if you can.

We always go here when in Florence and it is always excellent. The staff know how to deal with the many tourists and yet it’s very authentic Tuscan cuisine. Either save room for the courses, just sample the courses before the steak comes, or be sure to tell your waiter that you really just want the steak, or I assure you that you will not have room for it. It is true Chianina beef, massive, 2 and a half fingers thick, done on the outside and rare inside and delicious throughout.
Tips:
1) Make a reservation. First seating is at 7:30, I believe 2^nd seating is at 9:30, could be 10.
2) Show up about 20 minutes early if you can, just so you don’t have to elbow your way to the front of the pack of diners waiting to get in.
3) If you are there for the first seating and show up early, you will see the restaurant staff dining inside the front window. Don’t be one of those fools who pushes to the front of the crowd and tries the door or raps on the window. If they were open, we wouldn’t all be standing outside, duh.
4) Likewise, don’t elbow your way to the front of the crowd once the door opens, screaming «I HAVE A RESERVATION!» This happens every time we go there, WITHOUT FAIL. Most of the people there have reservations, you dumbass! Wait for the waiter/​maitre d’ to ask who has reservations. Give them your name and hold up the fingers for how many in your group. If you act in the way described above, I guarantee you will be one of the last to get in.
5) Take it easy on the bread. Lots of food to come, you want to have room for it.
6) The house red is fantastic, no need to bother ordering from the wine list.
7) Don’t you dare tell them how to cook the steak. They are the experts, they know what they are doing.
8) I hope you know that in Italy there’s no need to tip, the wait staff are paid a living wage. But if you really liked the service and food, it’s ok to leave them € 3 to € 5 without looking like a dumb tourist.
We usually get out for about € 50 or less per person.
Buon appetito!

We just followed the trip advise went to there, the waiter gave us the Italian menu and recommend the the steak initially. We actually want to eat the famous steak tonight, however, the most important that is the steak was very hard to chew, although the inside of the meat was full of blood and looks like raw.
Apart from the food, the most memorable was the service, it was hard to describe that feeling, because we are adult and eaten countless steaks before, but the waiter treated you just like «you are a NAIVE people». In a word, we really want to finish the dinner as soon as possible and escape from there quickly.
Such a disappointed experience.

Bisteca is delicious! Food & service are very nice.
My first recommended restaurant in Florence.

The restaurant is so popular, so you had better make a reservation. the beef is 50 euros a kilo and Coke is 3 euros, but the taste is good, the chicken is really a half one, that is a surprise, all the meat are well done except the beef, so Chinese are used to the cooking.

This is a tourist trap.
It was on our «must visit» list, however making a reservation for 7:30 is useless. We came up at 7:20 to a line full of Americans and Asians crowding the door, it was almost as if a celebrity was there.
When they opened, exactly at 7;30, the crowd surged forward, very impatient bunch of people.
We finally got seated but felt like we were herded to a tiny table surrounded by people. The waiter didn’t take time to accommodate, and rushed us through our ordering process.
We started with wine, which he just opened. Most restaurants will let you sample the wine, they just cracked the bottle– you have to pour.
We order two antipasti’s, they came to our table within 25 seconds, way to quick. They were good.
The waiter didn’t take time explaining the Italian only menu, which turned out to be very broad. Almost everything is based on locality, and seasonality, meaning, I ordered penne strascicate and got literally Penne pasta with ground beef. Very American Italian.
The pasta course took maybe 1 minute after ordering to arrive to our table, we were rushed so fat we wouldn’t enjoy our wine and pasta.
Following that, we were forced a second dish, which I urged to decline based on the experience so far.
On the whole, or you are looking for a «traditional experience» where you can take your time; this is just another tourist spot.
It’s sad, but it is a reality.
Our meal cost about 60 €, fair price for mediocre food.

We went here off of several recommendations. We made a reservation for 7:30 as we were told that there were 2 seatings — 730 and 930. We arrived at 715 and there was a huge line of people, some who had reservations, some who did not. When the doors opened at 730 everyone started pushing their way towards the door, nervous about getting in.
Let me first say that the restaurant is HUGE and they let everyone in. I wish I made the reservation and showed up late around 745 or even closer to 8pm because I hated the cattle call and the aggressiveness to get inside. It felt like they do it on purpose to make you feel lucky to be seated.
The food itself was good, simple, rustic, and hearty. My lamb was a bit salty but otherwise everything was good and prices were very reasonable. The service wasn’t great — it is the first place in Italy where the waiter did not pour our wine for us.
The menu itself is more limited than I thought — my wife does not eat meat and there was only 1 vegetarian pasta on the menu and no seafood.
Overall I’d give the food 3.5 to 4 stars, but it seems like every hotel in the area has a deal here and they recommend the restaurant. It felt a little bit like a tourist trap, but the food was good.
For me however, I’d recommend going to a restaurant owned by the brother of this restaurant owner called — L’osteria di Giovanni.

Crowded, cafeteria atmosphere with only subpar food and service.
My friend and I made a reservation for 9:30 at night for a Saturday and it was a good thing we did. When we arrived, five minutes before our reservation, there was a giant crowd outside the restaurant. The hostess told us it would probably be about 15 minutes but much to our delight it only took 3! Upon walking into this place, the main room looked nice with slabs of meat hanging from the ceiling. As we were lead further in we were surprised by the size of this place. We past through three rooms, decent in size, and arrived in a bland white room with little decorations and tables packed as closely together as they could be. Beyond that, there were still two other rooms we didn’t walk through! By the size and the amount of people, it felt like a cafeteria from when I was in elementary school. It was so crowded and the host lead us to a table that was still dirty. The poor bus boy was running around, trying to clear everything and set things up as quickly as possible. This is definitely not a place to come if you want a quick meal. It took 10 minutes just to get the menu.
Once our table was mostly set, he brought over a basket of bread, but no oil even though most other tables had it. We didn’t feel like asking so we let it go. We tried eating the bread plain, but it was not good that way. We ended up saving it for our pasta. My friend and I decided to split the Ricotta and Spinach Ravioli for 9 euros. We were afraid that they were going to charge us a split plate charge, but when I asked they said «we are not cruel!». That made me laugh. The ravioli was alright; it was slightly under cooked and the sauce tasted like jarred sauce, but adding Parmesan made it much better. Portions are definitely much smaller in Italy, half a serving was 4 average size ravioli. We also ordered the Florentine Steak (Fioretine Bistecca) to split for 50 euros. What a crazy price for steak which was mostly bone to begin with! And in the end they ended up charging us 60 euros since it was 1.2 kilograms! I definitely think they ripped us off and for something that wasn’t even worth it. I have had better steak in the US for significantly cheaper but I kept telling myself «it’s for the experience». They cut the steak in half in a way where we had to choose who got the bigger half and who got the tenderloin. I guess that’s a fair trade. I ended up taking the bigger half but I gave some more to my friend. It was cooked rare just how I wanted, but it was a little too cold in the middle for my taste. The steak was super think so I can imagine it would be difficult to maintain that rare aspect while having it heated through. My friend and I were definitely full after finishing the steak. She was very satisfied, having never experienced steak before, but I was left a little disappointed. There was so much hype for this steak but it was just okay and super expensive. I would not come back for this. On top of the food, we ordered their cheaper house wine where the bottle was 7 euros total, but we didn’t even drink half yet they charged us 4 euros. The difference doesn’t really matter in hindsight but the waiter told us earlier that if you drink half it would only cost 3.50. This is part why I feel they ripped us off too, probably because they knew we were tourists. At the end of the meal when we asked for the check the bus boy/​waiter brought us a «present» consisting of biscotti and dessert wine. Reading previous Unilocal reviews, I read that if you eat their «present» they actually charge you 7 euros. So when he brought it out I asked «is this included» and the guy hesitated saying «…it’s a present» and walked away, we were suspicious. My friend and I didn’t touch it. Actually, we waited for the check and once we paid for our overpriced steak we tried our «present». The biscotti was actually very flavorful and not as dry as we expected. Dipping it in the drink was not the most pleasant, but it was an experience none the less.
The bus boy was very nice, but there was this other overseeing guy that came off a little to strong. When we had empty plates at our table this guy basically yelled at the bus boy to clean it off faster. Poor guy. All of the food came at a reasonable wait, but there wasn’t anything superb about the service. If anything, they all seemed very rushed and it was hard to get their attention. You should see the amount of plates these people stack on their arms! It’s crazy. One guy even dropped some. I’m sure this is a daily occurrence here.
Overall, I don’t think I’m going to spend the money on anymore steak in Florence after this excursion, but if I was to, I would go somewhere different. Too expensive for okay steak. And by the size of the place I feel like they probably cut a lot of corners when it comes to the food, so it didn’t seem very authentic. Also, I didn’t like the ambiance and lack of friendliness that you can get at other Italian restaurants.

Muy buena atención, hemos comido y tomado muy bien con exlente calidad de productos de la zona, fuimos un grupo de 5 y a todos nos encanto, volveremos en nuestra próxima visita a Florencia

My wife and I arrived in Florence after a long day of driving from Switzerland, including a disappointing stopover in Milan. It was late, and we were tired and hungry. Fortunately, we are staying at a «bed and breakfast» where the host, Alberto, is awesome at providing advice about the city. He said that he has eaten at Il Latini since he was little, and they have a second dinner seating at 9:30. Since it was almost that time, we walked over.
I speak some Italian, and I let the host at the door know that we didn’t have a reservation. «No problem. Five minutes.» Everyone without a reservation got the same response, and it seemed to be pretty accurate.
Once we were seated and started looking over the menu (I was able to follow most of it), we saw some good options. In just a few minutes, waiters whizzed by and dropped off a bottle of still mineral water, a bottle of the house red wine and a basket of bread, all without asking. We decided the water and wine were good ideas (and ended up costing 1 euro and 8 euros respectively), but the bread is a problem — my wife is allergic to gluten.
When our waiter came a few minutes later, I started with «Parla inglese?» to which he replied, «Sure, if you like.» I explained the gluten problem, and he understood completely; apparently the owner’s daughter also has celiac disease. He took the bread away and recommended some safe options.
We had prosciutto and salami for antipasti (yummy, and lots of them), minestrone for primi piatti (amazingly good), and we decided to share the roast chicken and a side of spinach for the main course. The chicken wasn’t that great — a little dry — but still not bad. The spinach, on the other hand, was delicious.
For dessert, we split a panna cotta with thick chocolate sauce. Oh yeah! And our waiter insisted on sending us a couple of glasses of Moscato on the house.
For the service alone, this place deserves five stars. They were so good about the gluten problem. The food was wonderful as well, especially the minestrone and the panna cotta. We might go back to Il Latini before we leave Florence; it was that good. Oh, and our total check was just 57 euros, which we thought was fantastic for everything we got.

The Bistecca alla fiorentina was literally amazing. It’s so hearty and the seasoning is perfect.
The atmosphere of the whole restaurant was very homey and the service was friendly and nice! Love it all.

House wine for 12 bucks. Great tasting and recommended.
Steak florentine was to die for. Rare is the way to go. It’s like beef sashimi.
Tiramisu was Excellent. Best I’ve had in my life.
Reserve online so you don’t have to wait.

First of all, this place has character. You really know you’re in Italy. There’s a wall of old corkscrews and then you walk in the back room and there’s ham hanging from the ceiling that you know will be used in your meals.
You’ll also receive a menu that is not in English, so ask your server. Or just trust that you know enough pasta terms that you’ll be okay! I know the T-​bone steak is a Florentine special, but I really wasn’t able to eat what I saw being served to people. I mean, this was half of a cow they were serving!
So we went with a filet, which we asked to be cooked medium rare, and probably came out on the rare side of medium. It was totally okay though, because it was really awesome. Flavorful and fresh. I also had the penne with meat sauce, which was good, but didn’t compare to the steak. Pretty much the steak is where it’s at in this place!
The house wine is totally acceptable to order and they give you a complimentary bread basket. Win win!

Es geht zu wie auf Wechselschicht: Man entscheidet sich für die erste Schicht um 19:30, um dann ab 21:00 langsam den Platz für die 2. Schicht zu räumen. Wir hatten uns für die 2. Möglichkeit entschieden und wurden dann gegen 21:30 mit einem fremden Pärchen an einen Tisch gesetzt. Es entwickelte sich ein sehr schöner Abend, der durch die leckeren Gerichte und Getränke abgerundet wurde.
Es wurde Leber Paté auf Röstbrot serviert, dann Penne Bolognese und schließlich das hervorragende Bistecca Fiorentina: 1,2kg Porterhouse medium rare gegart. Köstlich. Dazu der rote Hauswein aus der 2 Liter Flasche. Ich kann das Restaurant nur empfehlen.

Wow, just wow!
Unweit des Zentrums, gibt es in einer Seitenstraße ein herrliches Restaurant, in das sich auch mal Touristen verirren. An unserem Abend hier, waren wir allerdings umgeben von Italiniern, die im Freundeskreis, riesige Fleischberge bestellten.
Authentisch, sehr lecker und hervorragendes Preis-​Leistungsverhältnis

Ich freu mich diesen Sommer wieder im Il Latini einzukehren.
Das Roastbeef ist der Hammer. Allein deswegen lohnt es sich
Touristenfalle hin oder herTouristen haben halt auch Geschmack. Und das Restaurant ist trotzdem im Vergleich zu anderen Höhlen eben noch was besonderes