Trattoria Sostanza

Had to stop in here and try the famous Florentine steak just to see what the hype was all about and it was def a hit! Very rare but cooked perfect and great taste. Did not get a reservation but ended up waiting for lunch time around 5 min at most which was fast as the place seems to keep the business moving in and out quickly. The place kinda of reminded me of fast paced establishment’s over here in the US that have to move fast to keep the hungry fed and the eager to try it moving through the door. Def some place you have to visit when your in Florence once in your life the Florence steak is no false hype it is in it’s own league.

Nice place and the staff/​service was great once we were seated. The place was packed and it was a bit more «Spartan» than we expected. We had made a reservation for two and ended up at a table with six others… all great folks, but just a very different experience than our plan. The food was great, especially the chicken, and the steak florentine was a good steak, but nothing terribly special. Wine list was OK, but limited. Very affordable and we don’t regret going, but there are probably another 200 restaurants in Florence that we’d try before going back.

One of our favorite meals on our three weeks through Italy. Wish we had been able to make another visit because we had no room for the steak florentine, having chosen instead their famous butter chicken and artichoke omelette, both of which are life changing events. My 11 yea old had two servings of al brodo with tortellini and ate every bite. We shared the table with 4 Americans who were friendly. I found this place on the Eat Italy app and could be a kindred spirit of its author as I found all of her recommendations to be spot on. I don’t remember dessert, but the house red wine was an excellent choice to accompany the meal. Inexpensive to boot. I am on a quest for that butter chicken recipe. You will be too!

Take it from a Florentine: The Best Fiorentina steak in Florence. This is a very typical restaurant, cozy, small, very small menu, you sit next to people you don’t know, no coffee served because they need the tables to sit other people… It’s Florence at its utmost level, to me it’s the place to go to have a real Florentine steak (or Fiorentina as we call it).

Told some people I was heading to Florence and they recommended this place for yummy florentine steak! Although it is quite expensive it’s
We were warned that a reservation was necessary but decided to try and walk in anyways. Hoping that the rain and going for lunch will increase our chances. We were lucky! When we got there it was still fairly empty and was seated right away. The table style is interesting since many groups will sit together at the same long table instead of everyone getting their own separate table. I was nervous about sitting with random strangers but it ended up working out really well. A lady sat next to us and we chatted and she gave us great recommendations for places to eat in Rome and Venice. It made it very easy to meet and talk to someone new.
the florentine steak — it came out and I was nervous just looking at the size of the steak. My friend got this and thank goodness he likes a good steak cause I do not think I would have been able to finish it. It was good and definitely lived up to the hype. It was cooked perfectly and delicious.
The buttered chicken — never tell me how much butter was actually used to make this dish cause i want to eat more of it. The dish comes out sizzling hot and the smell of the butter fills the air. Parts of the chicken was somewhat dry mostly around the outer parts. For the most part it was tender and great.
artichoke sformata — no words can describe this. it definitely increased my love for artichokes. The egg was light and fluffy. The artichokes were cooked perfectly they tasted amazing. The dish as a whole was kind of heavy but i would order it again in a heart beat. Changed my impression on artichokes forever!

We came here for lunch, which I highly recommend. I had the steak and my husband had the artichoke omelette. It was glorious. I ordered the steak the way my waiter said he liked it and it was rare. So perfect!!! The omelette was excellent. Seemed like the artichokes were pan fried a bit first, as they were crispy, which we loved. Didn’t think it would be possible, but went for dessert and shared the layered cake with strawberries, choc chips, and merengue. It was so light!
Service was fantastic, they were so warm and friendly. I would definitely return!

We went for our first dinner in Florence, and we couldn’t have found a better place for it.
First, the food was solid great. Steak was done perfectly, and I particularly loved the spinach with olive oil and garlic. We also ordered buttered chicken, which was great to try out by ordering just half of the whole thing. As for wine, if you don’t want to order a whole bottle, go for the half litre, which will provide for about four glasses.
Second, ambience was very local and intimate. In fact, tables are shared with other guests, so it can’t get friendlier. Pictures of (supposedly?) famous people who’ve visited lining the wall are interesting to see. Overall, this is not your average tourist trap type of place.
Finally, service was great. They were largely prompt, and the cooks in the kitchen were kind enough to chat with us and even take pictures with us!
Definitely a must if you’re in Florence.

Trattoria Sostanza is one of my best restaurant experiences in my life. We are talking honest and utterly delicious food served in rustic Italian charm by some knowledgeable and very friendly waiters.
The butter chicken, oh the butter chicken… Two large chunks of chicken taking a bath in butter: It was so good!
We had some white beans in olive oil which was simple yet tasty too.
Their house red wine (¼ at 4 €) was really good, coming only 30 km. from Florence. So does their amazingly good olive oil. The bread was perfect — and perfect to soak up all that butter from the chicken.
Sostanza is a must try. The whole experience is an experience you will remember for sure.

Steak wonderful. Artichoke pie not so good Meringue dessert amazing be sure to visit. Need reservation.

Excellent food, great staff, wonderful service, delicious wines, bisteka made the old style way, and chicken that would turn a vegetarian. It’s not easy to find, but it’s worth looking. Lovely desserts, but no coffee. You’ll have to get that elsewhere. The walls are covered with art from famous Italians, and signatures of the famous from all over the world. My favorite restaurant in the world. Ever. Not to be missed. One of the few places that will serve the bisteka Fiorentina for just one person. I, personally, don’t much care for beef. But I love this one. Except I can’t pass up the petti di pollo al burro– chicken breast cooked in butter. They are also famous for the artichoke tart. I’ve been eating here consistently on each trip to Firenze for about twenty years. There are two seatings at night: one at 7:30, and one at 9:00. Unusual. And also always completely booked, so reserve if you want to have dinner here. And be prepared to share a table.

By far theee most phenomenal meal we had our entire honeymoon. After reading the rave reviews, we made an in-​person reservation (really we tried to chance a walk-​in, but the little place only has two seating times and they’re almost guaranteed to be all full up). The owners (?) were so incredibly friendly though, they happily put our name down for the next day.
My husband had the florentine steak — a thick slab of rare meat unceremoniously presented by itself on a plate, yet bursting with god-​like flavor. I ordered the famous butter chicken, deep fried and still bubbling in a bath of gloriously golden butter. Every bite melted in my mouth. Paired with the house wine and topped off with a fluffy rich torta cake, I swear I had a foodgasm by the end of the meal.
And we lucked out and didn’t have to share seating with anyone. Which was good, because I don’t think they would have appreciated the groaning sounds of tastebud ecstasy coming from our end of the table…

Just FYI, this is my first review on Unilocal.I figured, it was worth leaving a review for this oh-​so-​excellent restaurant! Mind you, I come from NYC, and I live in France, and I never had such an excellent experience at a restaurant in a touristic city. Yes, we were surrounded by tourist, but the florentine steak and the buttered chicken we ordered was mind-​blowing! Highly recommended! be sure to make a reservation beforehand. That is all.

I felt like this was the most authentic restaurant we visited in florence. Hole in the wall type place with communal seating. The chicken with butter still makes my mouth water just thinking of it, and the bistecca fiorenttina is a must but don’t eat it alone. The dessert we had was a Meringa that the waiter told us he made. Think about calling ahead for reservations, we asked our hotel to secure them for us and we were able to get a friday dinner.

On the first night we arrived in Florence, my husband and I made a reservation to eat here two nights later. Had to make sure we could eat here during our short stay. The owner who took down our reservation was so nice. Now after a week of what I call «European service», it was nice to have a friendly face to greet us. When we arrived for our dinner, the first seating were just finishing up their meal. One of the servers made a note that we had arrived and when a table opened up (within 5 minutes), we were seated.
Granted the restaurant is made up mostly of tourists but it was nice to be around a bunch of people who were excited to eat here. The restaurant is really tiny and you’re seated at a table with other diners but it just made the ambiance cozy and comfortable. We were seated at a table right next to the kitchen with a friendly couple from Miami. They had just finished their appetizer and recommended the artichoke omelet to start with. The owner was our server and we ordered the artichoke omelet, butter chicken, a Florentine steak and a carafe of house wine.
We watched the chef cooking steaks and he waved to us while we gazed at the huge steak he was cooking. Our omelet arrived first and we devoured it. We’d never had an omelet so perfectly cooked. I thought it could use a bit more salt but that’s because I like salt on my food. The butter chicken and florentine steak came out together. I actually was not a super huge fan of the butter chicken. It was good but I didn’t love it like everyone else. But the florentine steak was so perfectly cooked and really delicious and tender.
Service was excellent throughout the whole meal. Our meal came out to 75 Euros, about $ 100 USD, but we were surprised it wasn’t more for such a meal.

Came here for the Florentine steak, it did not disappoint. It is only served one way — about medium rare, very good but not for people who dont like their steak a little bloody. I wish I had tried the butter chicken as well, it looked really good, but the steak was pretty big and I couldnt eat more than that. We also had the salad, bean soup, and a pasta. There isnt a lot of options on this menu though, so if you want fish or vegetarian dishes it might not be the place for you. Also, the seating is a bit communal and make reservations.

1. Make a reservation the minute you land in Italy
2. If you buy the steak (even if you ask for it well done) it’s going to come out rare. just go with it. it’s amazing.
3.GET THE BUTTER CHICKEN
repeat as needed.

Sostanza is my favourite trattoria in Florence.
The food is home-​cooked and simple, the wine is cheap and cheerful, and the clients (and staff) are mostly characters. This is a laid-​back establishment where you won’t find any unwanted surprises on the menu. My favourites here include: Tuscan bean soup mopped-​up with crusty white bread, Florentine steak or boiled meats with salsa verde, side of seasonal vegetables, and then wild strawberries for dessert, followed by espresso and grappa. What else does one need in life?
Next time I visit Florence, I’m lunching at this place every day, grazie!

We ate here 3 times in one month because we had a lot of visitors and wanted to take them all here on their first night in Florence… yes, it is that good.
Make reservations! They stay very busy and this will guarantee your spot, there is not a lot of seating. They have a 7:30 & 9:30 seating. The place is nice and cozy, but not stuffy. They somehow make things roll quickly (well, a 2 hour process) without even feeling like you are being rushed… quite the symphony. If you are a party of 2 you will likely sit with others, just part of the fun.
Skip the entire 3 – 4 course Italian meal and just order the meat (bistecca or the butter chicken… one each is perfect) then order a side to share (whatever is in season; we had spinach). The meringue for dessert was perfect!
Every time we go back we just get the chicken with a side of spinach & the meringue. We tried the tortellini al burro and it was good but the meat here is what makes this place so special.
Cash only! Buon appetito! Maybe I’ll see you there soon.

Came to Trattoria Sostanza for dinner. They are supposedly famed for the buttered chicken and beef steak — bistecca alla Fiorentina.
Missed the restaurant twice as we walked by because it was hard to spot in the dark due to the dimly-​lit street the place was located and the rolled-​down metal gate even minutes before it opens for business.
There had two reserved dinner times — 7:30 and 9:45pm.
We had the earlier reservation. As soon as the clock struck 7:30 and the restaurant opens, everyone promptly appeared and the restaurant was soon filled. The restaurant is not very big and where I sat I could see into the kitchen where there were two chefs preparing the buttered chicken.
Had the tortellini en brodo (tortellini in broth), buttered chicken that was so fragrant, moist and tender and the juicy beef steak — bistecca alla Fiorentina.
All was cooked perfectly and absolutely delicious.
A wonderful restaurant to revisit.

Heart attack heaven disguised as a charming family run trattoria.
Smoky, fire grilled chicken coated in egg wash and flour then fried golden brown in BUTTER. It’s simply called petti di pollo al burro (butter chicken) and it’s to die for. The initial grilling imparts a smoky bitterness that adds huge depth to what is obviously a free range happy chicken. It’s just more «chickeny» than what we in America enjoy. Sweet with a barely discernible green freshness. Cooking it in butter traps in the juices. Light fried crust a great textural contrast.
The bisteca is excellent, on par with the two trattoria’s reviewed. Once again from the Chianina cow. Once again only served rare. It is set apart from the others thanks to its wood fire grilling. Smoky bitterness, burnt fat flavor, brightened by peppery olive oil. A thing of beauty and reasonably priced at € 50/​kg (500g minimum). The thicker, the better!
Simple beans in olive oil and the tortino di carciofi all’uovo (artichoke pie with egg) make for perfect sides
.
If available, finish with the incredibly ugly but intensely fruity Italian strawberries (fragola). They look like wild berries the size of a raspberry but the flavor, deeply that of strawberry a hint of green bitterness, freshness of rainfall and a pillowy mouth feel. A simple squirt of lemon and some sugar. Perfect. Yes, I just raved about a fruit.
Quaint space open for lunch and dinner. Its been mentioned in blogs and guide books so it’s always busy, however, that said, they continue to do things the way they have always done it. No mass production. There is simply too much pride to ruin a good thing.
Advanced booking required. Book post 9:30pm if you want to eat with Florentine locals (it’s just way more fun). Communal tables. Loud, jovial atmosphere. Inexpensive house wine and Tuscan wines. Some English. Know your Tuscan food terminology or you will miss all the specials hand written on the menu board. Cash only.

Unglaublich, dass ich als erste über das Sostanza berichte. Luciana unsere B&B Wirtin hat es uns empfohlen und als wir um 21 Uhr ankamen waren wir erstmal etwas überrascht. Klein etwas hell und wuselig, waren wir zunächst nicht sicher ob dies das richtige Restaurant für uns ist. Als ich aber die strahlenden Gesichter der Gäste sah, die das Sostanza mit einem breiten Grinsen verliessen war ich schnell überzeugt: Dies wird der perfekte Abend.
Die kleine Karte bietet natürlich das traditionelle Bifsteca Fiorentina. Ein absoluter Traum, frisch vom Grill, so dass wir sofort ein zweites bestellt haben. Das Roastbeef war zart und saftig. Als Abschluss ein Vin Santo mit Cantucchini und wir hatten alle das gleiche breite Grinsen im Gesicht.