iO Osteria Personale

Roast pigeon and smoked eggplant, with sesame seeds and tamarind sauce.

The room sets the tone immediately: a long, narrow space with black banquettes, whitewashed brick, and the spare, uncluttered feel of a Scandinavian design studio. Soft jazz plays at a volume that allows actual conversation. There are no dusty Chianti bottles, no framed maps of Tuscany, no obligatory rustic beam overhead - just wall-mounted blackboards where the kitchen sketches out each dish like a science diagram, labeling every component with chalk. It's a deliberate statement of intent, and the cooking backs it up.

Chef and owner Matteo Fantini - a Tuscan native with an unlikely backstory as a former veterinarian turned passionate restaurateur - runs a menu rooted in seasonal ingredients but unbound by regional convention. The kitchen draws freely from global technique and pantry without losing its Italian footing, which is a harder balance to strike than it sounds. Dishes arrive as quiet provocations: a chawanmushi built around cavolo nero and shiitake mushrooms; amberjack ceviche with coconut milk and pumpkin seeds; risotto finished with peated butter, Jerusalem artichoke, and lemon paste; pigeon paired with pumpkin and tamarind. A miso-marinated cauliflower holds its own alongside the meat courses. Desserts push the same boundaries - miso ice cream with a porcini mushroom sponge and persimmon, or sweet corn cream with a licorice biscuit and candied caper. Nothing here is predictable, and almost nothing disappoints.

The format offers real flexibility. You can order à la carte with a minimum of two courses per person, or commit to a tasting menu of four, five, or six courses - priced at €52, €60, and €68 respectively. Tables larger than four are committed to the tasting menu format, and the longer five- and six-course options must be ordered by 9:30pm. Either way, leave room for the cheese course, which draws from cow, sheep, and goat selections and deserves more attention than most people give it.

The below photos are my own and several years old - check their Instagram (link below) for more up to date images

The wine list is extensive and thoughtfully assembled, with particular depth in Italian small-producer and natural bottles spanning the full length of the peninsula - from Valle d'Aosta to Sicily. The by-the-glass selection is modest but well chosen, and the dessert wine options alone are worth a look.

Reservations are essential and should be made well in advance, particularly on weekends. io Osteria Personale fills up precisely because it has earned its reputation - one carefully considered plate at a time. This is one of my favorite restaurants anywhere in the world - not just Florence. For something different yet classic at once - I highly recommend it.

The photos below are mine but were taken several years ago - check their Instagram (link below) for up date images.

×

‹ ›