I Ghibellini

I didn't know about this place until a local bar wrote me a literal treasure map to find it.

"A right though the arch, past the Lions fountain, snake the square till the X." But.. you know.. with pictures.

I didn't realize until after I tasted thier pizza that I was in a Disney movie that was trying to teach me that gold could be a metaphor. That the treasure was what the chef was serving all along.

I have eaten what I thought was the best pizza in Washington D.C. maybe near once a week, as a tradition. I didn't know. How could I know what I was missing?

It's like an artist only getting to play with basic colors all their life, only to find out that neon shades exist.

What I thought was the best was only good because I didn't know better.

Now I know. And I might never really enjoy an American pizza again.

I can't describe why it's so good. It's not the ratio of sauce to cheese, or the fluff of the crust versus the crunch.

It's more like eating twinkies all your life, and calling them croissants cuz that's all you know. Then finally having a real croissant.

It's like having something finally live up to your expectation for once in your entire life, and being furious that you've lived an entire life of substandard lies.

I am usually the kind of person who only leaves a review to nuke a place from orbit because I feel like the have failed not o ly me, but themselves.

This is the first time I have ever asked to meet the chef to shake his hand. I always thought if I was going to do that, it was going to be for something elaborate. Like a wellington, or beef burgundy.

Not for a pizza.

I never knew pizza was supposed to be this good.

First meal in Florence. Everything was delicious! And great presentation. Cute location. Highly recommend.

Best calzone I had in Italy!!! The food here is really good. There's outdoor seating. The food is affordable. The calzone had a lot of flavor. This is great place to eat in Florence!

I forgot to finish this review, this was my very first Italian pizza experience. I loved that the crust was less doughy and thin. Everything tasted "lighter" and fresher if you will. I loved it.

Good:
-flat bread pizza
-Peronis
-Affordable prices
-Great quick lunch option, in between walking about the city

Bad:
-None

The place was very conveniently located to our Airbnb and their outdoor seating was very welcoming with the misters during a heat wave. Wait staff was very attentive and nice.

We had the Italian sausage and pepperoni pizza, Greek salad and pasta and the food overall was good. It was tasty and fresh. Everything came out hot, except the salad of course. The pizza was so large we had to take 1/2 of it home. The pasta was yummy and I finished it all, which meant I had no room for dessert. A table next to us though had an amazing lemon sorbet that was their dessert and it looked amazing since they hollowed an actual lemon to fill it with the sorbet and then froze it to serve whole as a dessert. I definitely want to try that next time.

Their cafe next door supplies the coffee they serve and it was yummy both after meals as well as in the mornings as we walked by daily before our tours and activities.

Overall, the place was ok on food but a little pricey for the quality. It was good for a meal but I wouldn't make an effort to go back if I didn't have to when there's so much good food around Florence to try.

GET THE STEAK!!!!!! Everyone was so friendly. Food was delicious. Great price too! We ordered the steak (didn't know that meant 2.2 lbs of steak) but it was WELL WORTH IT. My husband said it's the best steak he's ever had in his life.

This is my favorite pizzeria and wine bar in Firenze
Friendly atmosphere and great foods.

Good pizza and pasta. House wine is a great choice and better price. Good all around choice.

We decided to stop by this place after touring all day....it was on the way back, so we decided why not.

Getting noticed was not super easy. This place was busy, so I give them that....but, you couldn't miss us getting seated. So we sat for awhile with no water, no complimentary bread while everyone was being served around us. But I digress...

Once we flagged a server down, we did receive pretty good service. He checked on us regularly, our food, and drinks came out pretty fast. And not only that, the food and beverages were pretty good! And as far as pricing goes....not bad either. Very affordable.

When I lived in Florence, I Ghibellini was my favorite place for pizza. The key here for real Italian pizza is the toppings. You need to have great vegetables that are as fresh as possible. The meats (especially my personal favorite, the salsiccia) have to be well cured and slightly raw to evoke their true flavor, the sauce has to be freshly made with tomato and herb, and the crust has to be flaky and firm. If that's that kind of pizza you're seeking to try while in Florence, then this is your restaurant.

Good for small groups on the patio, but if you have a large group, don't be discouraged. They have a huge basement seating area perfect for groups of eight or more. Drink list is substantial and if pizza isn't your thing, they also excel at a wide variety of primi and secondi options as well. This is definitely one of those quintessential Florentine spots you need to try...