Acqua Al 2

A friend who comes from Florence recommended this place, and this has got to be the best recommendation I've ever recieved. Of course, I tried the blueberry steak. It's unique and the name sounds fun, but the flavour is also excellent. Not too sweet, and somehow they've made it so that the blueberry sauce compliments the steak perfectly. I also tried the gnudi - a typical Tuscan first course - and it was just as good. Plus, the house wine is a perfect compliment to both. The atmosphere is very nice. Went for lunch, and was one of only three tables present. So, I don't know if it gets crowded for dinner, but I also know that my tour guide didn't have this place on the list he shared, so it might be under-the-radar from most tourists. Also, there was a TV monitor with a view of the kitchen, which was pretty cool to see. You can tell that the staff (very courteous) take a lot of pride in the food they serve. I would **highly** recommend this place to anyone in Florence. They also have a location in Annapolis, Maryland, USA, so I plan to visit it one day!

We visited on a recommendation from family and were not disappointed! We had a fantastic meal. My started with a pasta sampler that we shared (all dishes were amazing) and then my wife and I each had the steak sampler. It was hard to decide which steak tasted better, the blueberry or the balsamic ... both were perfect and you wouldn't be disappointed with either ... so get both!!! Unfortunately we ate the steaks before grabbing a picture!

Babe, it slays. The meat carpaccio? Paper-thin perfection — delicate, decadent, and dangerously addictive. The meat pasta? Rich and sinful, like it knows it’s the star. And the truffle pasta? Please. Pure, creamy drama on a plate. The whole vibe screams, “I’m in Italy, living my best life, and carbs don’t count.” In short: this isn’t dinner — it’s a serve. 💅🍝🔥

We heard about this from another group and they were right. Great food, atmosphere, and service. The blueberry sauce is good, can be a little sweet, but a wonderful steak. We went for the pasta sampler and if you do this you must come hungry! It was a lot of food. Reasonably priced too.

Wow, a true gem of a restaurant in the heart of Firenze (Florence). We had the 5 pasta sampler, all of which were amazing - and then a bistecca balsamico which was a new experience for me but I loved. I loved the camera showing the restaurant the kitchen. The decor was nice. Service was great and the plates lining the wall, signed by famous people was really cool. Highly recommended!

TLDR Good food, mediocre service. Would give them another chance to redeem themselves. We came on the recommendation of a friend who studied abroad here. She highly recommended the blueberry steak. Reservations Easy to make. I was able to make a same-day reservation on a weekday for dinner through their website about an hour and a half before our desired reservation time. It took about 20 minutes to receive confirmation of my reservation via email. Please note you do need show the email confirmation when you show up. When we arrived for our reservation, the restaurant was just about to open and there were 2 other parties already waiting outside. We probably waited 5 minutes total. We did have to show the email confirmation of our reservation. Service Service was initially good. Then, we discovered mid-meal when the manager was was taking away one of our plates that our second order (my order) of blueberry steak was never placed. We had ordered everything together with our server. By the time we learned that our second order of blueberry steak hadn’t been ordered initially, my boyfriend was almost finished with his. We later saw the manager talk to our server, presumably about the error in our order. We decided to go ahead and order it anyway. When the manager brought it out, he mumbled an apology to us. To make matters worse, my fork had been taken away so I couldn’t even eat my steak while it was hot from the kitchen. It took another 5 minutes to flag down staff to get a new fork (it was busy and the staff seemed to have tunnel vision). Sadly, by the time I got a fork, my steak was a bit too cooked than I wanted—more medium than medium rare—and also cool. I was actually really looking forward to trying this dish, and unfortunately, this whole ordeal left a bad taste in my mouth. Truth be told, I expected a covert and genuine apology or possibly a small token gesture from the establishment. However, that was not the case. Food Overall, the food was good. My boyfriend loved the food (and had a great experience). My impression of the food would have been better had I actually been able to enjoy it simultaneously with my boyfriend! In my honest opinion, the blueberry steak reminded me of the flavor profile of sweet and sour pork. In terms of drinks, the strawberry wine was very dangerous—it tasted like strawberry soda and I couldn’t taste the alcohol at all! Ambience Plates on the walls decorated by lots of celebrities with appropriate mood lighting.

We came here for the blueberry steak from a friend’s recommendation who studied in Florence. I’ve never experienced anything like it, very unique. Yes, it is great. Highly recommend. My wife had the tortelli gigantic con ricotta, spinaci, avocado and she said it was fantastic, very flavorful. Service was pretty good, our server enjoyed and was playful with our baby which is always welcoming as parents. Would appreciate a little more communication when ordering(we forgot to order drinks initially) and paying the bill/leaving. Overall, we enjoyed our dinner and would go back. Very nice establishment.

Acqua al 2 was absolutely fantastic! The blueberry steak was unbelievably delicious—such a unique and flavorful dish that I’ll never forget. The service was outstanding, with staff who were friendly and attentive throughout the evening. The restaurant does get packed pretty quickly, so I’d definitely recommend making a reservation ahead of time. A must-visit spot in Florence!

I honestly cannot get over how amazing this place was. My wife and I made a last minute reservation for dinner because we'd heard about their steaks and wanted to try them. Got there right as they opened for dinner and sat down. The service was incredible with our waiter taking great care of us, being incredibly friendly, and making great food and wine recommendations. My wife got the blueberry steak and I got the brandy steak. They were cooked to perfect and were some of the most flavorful steaks we've ever had. The blueberry steak was incredible and unlike anything I'd ever had before. The brandy steak was also amazing and I couldn't get enough. This place was so good we're considering coming here every night for dinner until we leave. If you're in Florence, you HAVE to try this restaurant. Ignore the negative reviews. They all seem like they come from tourists who aren't used to dining outside of America. This place is AMAZING

The interior was so cool! There were plates with drawings on them lining the walls that were cool to look at. Our server was helpful to answer our questions in English and was pleasant. Every other table was full of Americans, so it was not a local place. I'd recommend the pasta platter (they give you a bunch of different pastas to try) because it was nice to try all of the classics. My boyfriend and I split it which was honestly still a lot of pasta for both of us because they served us 5 smaller portions of pasta. We also split the famous blueberry steak and it was delicious. Who would have thought those flavors would pair nicely? It was very good! 10/10

Group of 4 coming here after all the hype about this restaurant. Unfortunately it didn't really live up to our expectations. It was ok but nothing quite impressive. It was busy but the food and service was just alright. The risotto was average. The filet mignon was interesting. The appetizers and contorni were all ok. Probably wouldn't return.

our best eat in florence and the bestttttttt espresso martini's i have ever had even though i couldn't sleep later that night lmao. the entire menu is in italian so we had zero clue what to order but our server recommended the 5 pasta sampler & 3 steak sampler. i can't believe how affordable & what great value this all was. i've been hating on squash but this squash pasta was actually my fav of all the pastas and sooo flavorful. they are known for their blueberry steak here - definitely my fav of the steak samples for how unique it was but the balsamic glaze steak was all delicious. everything was SO GOOD HIGHLY RECOMMEND

SO GOOD! the inside of this place is so cute. There are decorated plates hanging all over the walls. I got the spinach and pine nut pasta which tbh wasn't my fav but i tried my friends gnocchi and it was AMAZING. Also their blueberry steak is a must try. This place was recommended by many different people and I can see why! It's pretty small so definitely make a reservation.

Our daughter took us here for dinner. We had two Hugo spritzers that were the best ones we had in Florence. For dinner we ordered the pasta sampler, which is 5 different pasta courses to share based on the chef sends out. We had cheese ravioli with balsamic, pasta in vodka sauce, gnocchi in Gorgonzola sauce, rigatoni with eggplant, then finished with shells with a vegan ragu. Pasta was all cooked perfectly and super tasty. I am not a fan of gnocchi but my wife and daughter loved it. My favorite was the rigatoni with the eggplant. Was also surprised with how good the vegan ragu was. Staff were great and asked without prompting about food allergies to make sure it was not an issue.

food was merely okay. the service was good. they do have gluten free options and are very knowledgeable about it!

5 stars hands down! This place is fantastic! Was visiting from out of town and came here based off of tik tok. I'm usually very skeptical of tik tok reviews but they got it right. The staff were great and our waitress was very friendly and helpful. Our menu was in Italian so it was difficult to read but she translated everything for us and gave great suggestions. We started with their cocktails and we got their ugo and limoncello spritz. Both were strong but light and tasty. They then brought their bruschetta bread with their special spread and tomatoes. It was not too filling which is perfect for an appetizer and the spread was delicious. We also got their steak samplers where we got to try their blueberry steak, their steak covered in balsamic reduction and their steak on focaccia bread. They are known for their blueberry steak and trust me, it did not disappoint! The steak was so fresh and juicy and the blueberry sauce was amazing. It was slightly sweet and balanced out the savoriness of the steak. The steak covered in the balsamic reduction was great as well! It wasn't too acidic and wasn't overpowering the steak. I've had balsamic reduction sauce before where it completely over powered the flavor of the steak but they were able to perfectly complement it. The steak on their focaccia bread was great as well! The steak was cooked perfectly however there was a lot of rosemary on top of it which I wasn't a huge fan of. We ended with their tiramisu which was the best tiramisu I've had in a while. I'm not usually a big tiramisu guy because I don't like coffee but this one was great! It wasn't super heavy or sweet, rather it was airy, fluffy, and hit the spot. Overall would highly recommend this spot!

Had reservations. Arrives 15 minutes early. Seated at our reserved time. waitress, put our bottle of water a forceful on the table.. We had to pour it ourself. After the water arrived we sat 30 minutes. Waitress never acknowledged us after she delivered the water. One waitress had zero backup help. We waited Patiently as she proceeded to re set a table instead of offering us bread or taking our order. We talked to the tables around us who said they too waited a while on service. But the food came out quickly. Makes you wonder if the food is just heated up before it is served. We walked out of the restaurant we were so excited to eat at. Poor service and the lady who appeared to be the owner/ hostess was very rude. Think twice before you eat here.

I loved the ambiance of this restaurant. It was very intimate and warm. Different sections of the restaurant had a different vibe. The service was okay. In many restaurants in Europe you will be waiting for awhile at times, but here they will come up and get your order soon after sitting, which is not necessarily good here since the menu is a little harder than others to understand. Make sure you connect to wifi to translate and call ahead to make a reservation because you will not get in for dinner if you didn't. The food was great, especially the blueberry steak, mushroom ravioli, and the macaroni. We also loved their espresso martinis.

What a sweet experience this was! I've had this Italy trip planned for nearly six months, and a friend told me I absolutely had to try Acqua al 2, that it was her favorite steak she's had in her life (and she lived all over Europe for 20+ years!). We started off with the chef's "appetizer" sampler, which was five little plates of whatever the chef wanted to give us in the way of pasta dishes. Every single one of them was delightful, but I especially loved the pesto one at the beginning. After we had all of those, we split a main entree of the steak with the blueberry sauce (what they're known for) and potatoes. Our server was incredibly kind, and we even chatted with the chef/owner? for a bit. He helped us scope out a jewelry place in town and even gave his friend, the owner, a call. Both he and our server were over the top in their hospitality. Loved our time there!

Outstanding dinner! First off, one of the few places in Florence that has A/C. Very cozy interior, not the most comfortable seating. But the food is fantastic. My daughter is vegan and they had many delicious options, unlike most of the restaurants in Florence. The waiter was very honest and offered a better wine than I chose that was less expensive. Unheard of! Highly recommend this place but make a reservation or you may not get in.

Very disappointing . Where is the homemade pasta.? Rotini out of a box? I sincerely hope the owners take note. I am sure this would not fly in Florence.

service is iffy but the food makes up for it! definitely recommend getting the pasta sampler and even the steak sampler to share among the table. the blueberry steak is to die for

I was recommended this restaurant by my friend who studied abroad here. I noticed every single table was American (which I don't know if that's a good thing). We were a party of two but we were sat in the back at a table for 5. Another party of two was then seated at our table even though there were other tables available, which made seating awkward. Aside from that, food was very good. Very vegetarian friendly. We ordered the pasta sampler which is all vegetarian, the ribollita, a yummy vegetarian soup, and the dessert sampler, which was amazing. Special shoutout to our server, Andrea, he was great.

Amazing food i recommend the steak sampler! The blueberry steak is a show stopper! Service was okay the waitress was a bit impatient but all was excellent

Fire the matre d. Rudest person we've ever met. Our name and count was in his reservation book but claimed since we didn't have a confirmation (which we did, but couldn't find) we were turned away. After many cuss words back and forth and us finding the reservation in his own book and he was caught lying he seated us. The famous blueberry steak wasn't worth all the problems. I had better steak in my hometown.

Overall bad experience and wouldn't go back. The food was very good. The last part of our order got lost. Other than blaming the waitress, there wasn't an apology or acknowledgement. Dinner was over 2.5 hours in very uncomfortable chairs. The staff made us feel like we were an imposition and were very inhospitable. Sadly this was our last dinner of our trip.

This was recommended by my dad who was in Florence about two decades ago and it is still worth the hype. Definitely make a reservation and make sure you get a confirmation as they are very busy. A must get is the pasta sampler and blueberry steak. Wine was great and atmosphere is fun and moody.

This was our final dinner in Italy. After being disappointed by a few restaurants, we didn't want to take chances. We were told that Tuscan steak is famous and a must try, so we wanted a place with good reviews. This was exactly what we were looking for We liked the salad sampler (Assaggi Insalato). It comes with a fresh and well dressed Greek salad, a pretty good tomato, mozzarella, pesto salad, and an interesting melon salad. A great starter to split between 2 people. Although, I would have been just as content with getting a full order of the Greek salad We heard some people mention that they're known for their blueberry steak (Filetto Mirtillo), so that's what I went with and WOW. It sounded like a weird combination but I went for it and after the first bite, it all made sense. The sweet blueberry is met with a bitter balsamic to make a new mouth watering flavor that I hadn't experienced before. The waiter didn't even need to ask how well I wanted it cooked. They know just how to get the melt in your mouth perfection and that's how they're going to cook it

Beautifully quaint Florentine dining room with fresh Italian cuisine. No one in our party could speak Italian with any proficiency.l, but our waiter was fluent and gladly shared her recommendations from the menu. She did not fail us. Try the Burata and prosciutto appetizer. We also had Greek salad. I'm sorry I didn't take her recommendation for the pasta sampler nevertheless our entrees were perfect. I had a sort of bucatini with cherry tomatoes, while my wife had chicken and mushrooms. The bottle of Chianti wine on the table was perfect for us. A wonderful dinner.

Multiple recommendations to come to this restaurant while in Florence and it did not disappoint! I would recommend to anyone visiting this city. Started with the prosciutto and burrata and pasta sampler. Some of the best pasta I've had here in Italy. The blueberry steak also came highly recommended and that was absolutely delicious as well. Must end the meal with the dessert sampler. Such a great meal and Sara, our server, was knowledgeable and super helpful when ordering!

The service and food was top notch. The proprietor was very cool and talked about how he surfed when he lived in San Diego. Had the filet mignon with blueberry sauce, crazy good. My better half had Porcini Risotto. Tiramisu for desert. Top off with the house Chianti. Definitely coming back again when in Florence

Service was rushed and lacked any personality; food was average at best. I think the place got caught up in the social media hype and has lost its original momentum.

Friendly servers, caprese and Greek salads were great and so were our pasta dishes. Interior is fun and it's in a quiet area that is great to walk to.

We heard great things about this place, and had to try it when we were visiting the area. This is definitely a very cute and quaint spot, and the food was great! We got the blueberry filet and it was delicious! The only thing that wasn't great that evening was the service. Our server kept forgetting our table. We ordered wine at the very beginning after sitting down, and he kept forgetting to bring it to us-- he didn't give us water either. By the time the food arrived, he still didn't bring it. We had to track him down to remind him. He apologized and said he'll bring it right away, and still forgot. We could see him going around to other tables, and continued to forget to serve us water and our wine. We then had to ask other servers to get us our drinks, and was finally able to get it half way through our dinner by another server. Another thing is that a different server came out with our food. He made a mistake and had given my blueberry steak to someone at a table next to mine. That guy had already cut through the steak by the time this server realized, and thus had to take that guy's dish back, bring him his correct dish, and bring me a new blueberry filet dish. And we all came when it just opened at 7:30pm, so it wasn't like the restaurant was that busy yet. Not sure what happened, but service wasn't too good that night. The food was good though, and that's why it's getting 3 stars. I'm not one to complain about service since I understand things can happen. It might have just been a night for some of the servers. I would still come back to this restaurant because I enjoyed the food immensely.

Pretty restaurant and not so easy to get a reservation. Service was good. Food was good. Steak dishes are the must order here. Our steak with rosemary was delicious.

This restaurant is great! We got the pasta sampler, blueberry steak, and curry chicken. I asked the waitress for recommendations of chicken dishes (thinking I would get a recommendation of an Italian dish at an Italian restaurant), and she recommended the chicken curry. Felt like a fever dream. Honestly, the curry was great and the chicken was cooked so well. Seating isn't super comfortable, but it looked nice.

My favorite meal on the last night in Florence! They started with serving a yummy Tuscan bean dip and bruschetta with bread. Then we ordered the eggplant parmigiana app to start, which was a meal in itself! My mom had the pasta sampler (5 and all vegetarian) and I had the steak sampler (Firenze style, filet with blueberry sauce and filet with balsamic vinaigrette), along with a side of potatoes. Phenomenal!!! I highly recommend.

Amazing! From the fresh made mozzarella to the steak sampler, we were blown away! The steaks were like butter, and the flavors of the blueberry and chocolate sauces expanded my palette in one meal! There's a stateside location in Annapolis, so we're going to have to try it!

Blueberry steak is top tier! I loved the pasta tasting and the real Italian feel in the restaurant. Service was great and d prompt

Went here specifically for the blueberry steak because everyone raves about it. The cut of the meat was amazing but the overall taste with the sauce was...interesting. Would I order it again? No. Mushroom risotto and house wine were good af tho

Acqua Al 2 holds a special place in my heart because my husband has been about talking it ever since we first met. It's his family's favorite restaurant in Florence, so when we visited Italy for our honeymoon, our first dinner in town was a no-brainer. The first night (yes, there were multiple) we are here, we got the pasta sampler at my husband's insistence. Smart move since we'd know what to get again later. Also the whole menu was in Italian so I was really down to try anything. Turns out, my favorite dish is the pumpkin farfalline. Now I understand why my husband dreams about this place. The balance of flavors and textures was perfect. While I thought I loved every Italian dish, broccoli pesto isn't really my thing. I just washed it down with wine. Service is ok, though I've learned about how different European restaurants are compared to ones in the US. Either way it wasn't one of my favorite restaurants in Florence, but I'm honored to have shared the experience with my husband on our honeymoon.

My husband and I had dinner here on the recommendation of a friend. It was just ok... I think it has become well known among the tourists and is not as authentic feeling as other places we ate. We shared the gemelli ragu with porcini mushrooms and the mascarpone cannelloni with porcini mushrooms. Both were good but nothing I was dying to eat again. They suggested a house wine that was imported and overpriced. They also forgot our salad and were a little short with us overall. You will also need a reservation if eating before 9:30pm. I just think there are so many better options that are not so touristy while in Florence.

Spectacular food and service. We got the salad sampler (pictured), the pasta sampler and chocolate cake. Stefano brought us a decadent chocolate/coffee drink that was to die for.

Florentine restaurant that attracts a lot of Americans (fun fact: their second restaurant location is in Maryland!) The blueberry steak is the most famous, but I liked the balsamic steak better as the sauce doesn't mask the flavor of the steak. What's great about this place is that you can order samplers of the pasta, steak, and even desserts. House wine is a 100% Sangiovese Chianti. Service is great and fast.

What a great find! Andre ' was our server and he was the best! You can tell he loved working at this restaurant. We were recommended to this restaurant when we arrived. We had such a great experience the first time, that we came back again! We were lucky enough to get Andre to serve us again! The food was excellent. We ordered the sample salad, sample pasta and sample steak and It was all soooo good!! Even though the manager could not find our reservation, which is required, he accommodated us with a smile. We were not rushed and Andre was on top of things! We never had to ask for anything because he made sure we had everything we needed. We will be back and we will recommend this restaurant to our friends and family. Grazie!

Celebrated my wife's birthday here last night. We had heard about this place and were excited to try it out. We were disappointed! We started downstairs in basement bar where the music was so loud our party of 4 couldn't talk. The drinks were disappointing and after 25 minutes we left to take our table upstairs, with two drinks only half finished. The food never rose above mediocre, with the pasta rubbery, soup cold and chicken uncooked. Worst of all we were served sliced white bread ( think Wonder Bread!) instead of Italian bread before our meal. Ambiance was nice, the servers pleasant, which is why I gave it 2 stars.

Omg.... Their blueberry steak... I don't want to hype it up but... omg... when I sleep I am dreaming about it... when I'm awake I'm crying about it. I wish covid didn't shut down their US location. I will forever be thinking about this steak when I'm back home. For those trying out this restaurant... get the steak. But also, don't go in with high expectations. Just think that it's a regular steak, then when you try it prepare to have your mind blown. But again, ... low expectations people!

Good food, AWFUL SERVICE!!! We went last night for dinner. We had visited a number of years prior and were looking forward to repeating. We ordered the pasta sample and the dessert sample. The server mumbled the names of the dishes as he threw them on the table. No chance to ask questions. He was not at the table long enough!!! When we we're finishing our desserts he told us that the table was reserved and to hurry up. It was like we were bothering him the whole time. When my husband complained to him, he threatened him!!!! I have never experienced service this rude! Will not go back.

My roommates and I are studying abroad and Acqua al 2 was one of our first stops. We have since been 2 more times, and it is consistently amazing every time! The pasta and salad samplers are delicious, and even our friends that don't prefer meat enjoy the blueberry steak. The ambiance is very relaxed and the service is great, we feel very welcomed every time we eat there. Definitely recommend!

Definitely one of the BEST restaurants I've been to in Florence. Their blueberry steak is a must. The owner Stefano is amazing as well as all the other servers. All pasta dishes there are unreal as well. The ambience is great and you feel very welcome !

Incredible place. The ambiance and the food is incredible. Highly recommend the steak and pasta sampler! Staff is attentive and service is amazing!

The owner of this place is the biggest problem, very rude with customer and the staff

It's funny how things happen. Spending a day in Florence we asked our driver about a fish restaurant for lunch. He said his sister lives in Florence he will check with her. About 30 minutes later he text me, Acqua al 2 is the best seafood places in Florence. We show up at 2 pm and as we are walking in about 6 lady's were walking out boasting ,"this was the best restaurant they have ever been too". Obviously I took this as a good sign. Like every other restaurant in Italy the place was very small. As we walked in the first thing I noticed was a display to the left filled with different salads and various wines. We were greeted promptly and shown to a table in the room adjacent to the main entry. The server who sat us was a bubbly young lady. Smiling and very nice. Italian accent but I knew she was grime elsewhere. We were given menus and I asked for a light wine. The owner cane over and suggested a rose. I obliged and looked through the menu. Everything in Italian so it was tough to read. I decided on melon salad, porcini risotto and filet with balsamic glaze. Now if you were paying attention I asked my driver about the best seafood restaurant in Florence. Come to find out, they don't serve seafood. At first disappointed. After enjoying my first course. Couldn't of cared less. The melon was fresh. Presentation was amazing. Server was funny. Risotto amazing. Best I have ever had. Steak was perfectly cooked. Balsamic glaze was perfect. I was blown away. I must say I loved this place and will go back again. Restaurant has a lot of history but I will leave that up to your own exploration and visit. A must see and must eat in Florence. Thank you driver for the mistake.

I'm really unclear how this place had 4 stars! Americans that don't enjoy food. Disgusting. The service is awful. The beef is soaked in balsamic. I'm shocked anyone eats here. Truly.

This place is great. They have an amazing selection on the menu with just the right amount of options. They also have a lot of unique dishes that are amazing. We tried many dishes but the highlights were the blueberry steak, balsamic steak, and the pear ravioli. The atmosphere of this place is very cool. I would recommend this place for anyone looking for a nice dinner in Florence.

This was my wife's favorite place in Florence, and probably her favorite restaurant on our Italy trip. It was the only restaurant we went to twice in Florence. The blueberry/balsamic glazed steak was her favorite. I personally really loved the gorgonzola gnocchi. The atmosphere is really cool with all the plates from past celebrities and notable visitors. The service was amazing, particularly since the two of us do not speak any Italian.

Maybe the best meal we had in Italy, and that's saying something! So nice we went twice. Simple, unassuming interior. Great service. The house wine was good and inexpensive and love they have a 1/2 bottle option for us lightweights. The single best dish I had in Italy, their huge ravioli (spinach & ricotta) in a cream sauce topped with shaved avocado and pomegranate seeds. The seeds provide wonderfully tart bursts that break up the richness of the cream sauce in your mouth. Brilliant combination! Just go. You won't be disappointed.