La Bandita Townhouse Hotel

We start with Pienza with its sweeping view of the Val d'Orcia, quaint streets and shops and the historical significance of its history and architecture. It is stunning, and I only wish I had discovered Pienza years ago. La Bandita is tucked away quietly and respectfully in the heart of this great town.||There are other hotel and resorts options here, I suppose. We are thrilled that we made the right choice on the first try.||Actually, three things stuck with us about La Bandita. First, is the team. Clearly the team excellence starts with its leader and owner. There is verbiage on their website talking about the staff actually being a family. That is not another marketing throw-away line here. From the front desk staff to housekeeping and to the restaurant operation, we experienced nothing but friendly, super accommodating and kind people. It's nearly impossible to describe the vibe properly with words. But trust us, they have something special here.||Second, the attention to detail is incredible. One can discern what must have been almost painful focus on how the former convent would be revived as this boutique hotel. The room layout was not only sleek, but things like the flow of the room, the placement of shelves and furniture and the bathroom/shower demonstrated to us design based on the user experience first. All so smartly done and tastefully beautiful. It's as if all those things that while traveling you identified as "really nice things to have" are automatic here. We also appreciated the common gathering areas both in the hotel and garden. There is just a casual elegance that invites taking moments to slow down and appreciate and to interact with fellow travelers if that is your thing.||Third, the restaurant is fantastic. Again, there are other options in and around Pienza (some of which we sampled), but do give this one a try. We are foodies and wine lovers-great appreciators but not snobs. Come here for a focused menu so well prepared and one of the most thoughtful wine lists we experienced on our trip. All of that, of course, does not come together without teamwork and plan. So good!||Thank you La Bandita. We are grateful to have met you. Until the next time...

This was our favorite hotel of our 10 day trip! It was an easy walk from the parking lot at Largo Romain to the hotel (and the hotel took care of paying for parking and added to our bill). One wall of the room was all windows showing the view over the countryside. We stayed in a junior suite, which had a big shower and a big tub! Service was fantastic. Breakfast was served in the restaurant and included local cheese and yogurt. When visiting Tuscany, stay *in* one of the towns. It was so quiet and beautiful in the evening and early morning. Highly recommend!

We had the most amazing dinner thanks to Monica - she was beyond. We are from New York and have never received service like this. She’s fun but also knowledgeable with respect to the menu. Darling host we will most definitely be back.

They were AH-MAZING!!!! The kindest, most helpful staff and John the owner made us girls feel really safe and at home. They are awesome and helped us accommodate a driver back to Florence within 2 minutes and even helped with things to do throughout the day. They cleaned our room while we were gone, provided a wonderful dinner in the hotel restaurant, and had our room ready with wine, champagne, etc. Could not say better things!!

We did not stay at the hotel just had dinner at the restaurant twice. Had an excellent experience both times and enjoyed a variety of items on the menu ranging from the zucchini appetizer to the burger to the gnocchi - all terrific. A little on the speedy side but worth the money.

La Bandita’s staff thoughtfully ensured we could thoroughly relax as we savored the best food and wine Tuscany boasts in this delightful 12 room hotel in a tenderly restored convent. They were delightful guides of the region suggesting and helping with reservations.

About the restaurant: The place was cosy and the menu interesting and tastefull. But only one member of the staff was friendly while the others were moody and not professional. We ordered a bottle of red fresh wine and they brought us another one instead without informing us. We mentioned that right away and they staryed serving the wine, saying that it was the “same” and of about the same value. In the end, they charged us the bottle of wine with the value of our first ordered bottle, while the one we had , cost about half the price. So we asked for our extra paid money back. If you visit the place, keep your eyes open and pay attention to the services and the prices.

We’ve been here 3 times over the past eight years and it’s always amazing! We love this town and this hotel/restaurant are a big reason we come back. The service is fantastic and they speak English. The outside patio is covered and closed in so the weather is never a worry. The burger is excellent. I had the osso buco raviolo 🤤🤤🤤 Dolci was a cheesecake with honey comb. If you are in the area, I highly recommend lunch or dinner.

I was honestly very disappointed with our meal here, especially after hearing great things about this place. The pea soup we ordered tasted very watered down, and the pasta was forgettable and nothing special about it. But, the bread we had on the table was pretty good. We asked for the check two times but our waiter took 40-50 minutes to give it to us. I would not come back here the next time I come to this area in Tuscany.

So we stayed at La Bandita Townhouse for our trip to Tuscany and absolutely fell in love with the restaurant at the hotel. It is run by an amazing chef from the UK who trained under Gordon Ramsay, and let me just say, I think he would approve. The food is delicious. My friend and I went here the first night we checked in to our hotel and didn't have crazy high expectations for the dinner, but were impressed by the level of service and the high quality of food. They have an amazing selection of local Tuscan wines (by the glass or bottle) from the surrounding region of Montalcino and Montepulciano. The ambience is magical and it feels like you are in someone's backyard, but also one of the most high-end restaurants, we ordered a variety of different things, including the zucchini appetizer, octopus, the ravioli with foie gras, and a few different pastas. The octopus was so tender and delicious. It's such an easy thing to mess up and this one was cooked beautifully. But I need to take a minute to talk about the pasta because that truffle pasta will change your life. I really think it's on the list of top two things I ate during my trip in Italy. Also, he has an insane Lemon pasta (lemons are imported from Sorrento!) that was light and delicious. We had the tiramisu for dessert, which was also very yummy. TLDR: FIVE STARS I would go back here again and again if I lived in the area or visited often.

Once a convent turned modern Locanda. Contemporary Italian cuisine while there are 3 burger options out of total 5 dishes under the secondo part of their menu. Asparagus with poached egg and truffles was delicious. Cooked beautifully and well balanced with excitement. Gnocchi with asparagus and lemon was rather mushy. Osso buco raviolo with fois gras was just okay. Overall, the tastes were not very Italian, perhaps truly following owner's intention. High percentage clients were Americans while we dined and stayed at the property.

This was one of the best meals I've had in Italy - an intimate outdoor dining area, inside a walled medieval garden - a perfect spot for lunch while visiting Pienza. I had the zucchini flowers, oxtail ravioli and the rhubarb tart for dessert. Everything was flavorful and artistically presented - a real treat for the senses!

I highly recommend this place to all visitors to tryout. Food delicious , nice view with garden. I had tuna tartar and Tagliolini with fresh black truffle. Service was great .

It's hard to add a lot of value to Edmond T's excellent and accurate review of La Bandita. The service levels are Four Seasons quality without haughtiness or pretense. John IS a fantastic host and his tastes are perfect modern luxury and well-suited for the ancient location. The breakfast is understated and excellent. The lunch is also fresh and delicious (pea soup, pasta, zucchini carpaccio salad). Not wild about the cheese-filled batter-fried zucchini blossoms (too rich and bready for us, but maybe that's just us). The setting is fantastic. Reminded us of when we lived in Healdsburg, Ca. The outdoor patio is great (just not so much when the temps are in the mid-90's). But the A/C cranks here so no need to worry. Highly recommend eating and staying here.

Amazing. Such great food. We ordered literally All the pastas and loved each dish. Was so surprised by the amazing meal we had, and the staff was so nice. Alesio was the best and we got him on his last night!!! Also the music was so vibey and hip and refreshing for Italy

We stayed in La Bandita country house for five days (AMAZING) before coming to La Bandita townhouse in Pienza for a night. What incredible hospitality all around. Every single person here is so sweet, welcoming, knowledgeable, helpful... we've been blown away by the quality of service, food, and accommodations. The rooms here are beautifully updated without sacrificing any charm. The restaurant and garden are great. Thank you for such a memorable trip!!

The food here is of a very high standard at very reasonable prices. We were lucky enough to find la bandita on our first night in pienza and the food was so ridiculously good we knew we would return several times during our week here. The atmosphere is relaxed and everything else is excellent. Caramelized pear dessert was a particular highlight for me and my fiancee loved the spaghetti with garlic and anchovies dish. If you can sit by the counter you will be in awe watching the chefs preparing every dish while you eat. You simply must visit La Bandita if you are in Pienza of an evening

This is a well organized and interesting restaurant.The staff were very busy the night we arrived but they were still pleasant and helpful. There was a wide variety of dishes on the menu as well as some excellent specials.

Everything is beyond my already high expectation at La Bandita Townhouse. The setting is amazing. Pienza is a small charming town with its little meat shop, cheese shop, home made Gelatos, a nice piazza, lovely restaurants, you name it. At La Bandita everything is new and top notch. I love the Iilly Coffee machine in our suite. The suite is on the top level we have great view of the mountains and a lot of rooftops, super cool. Breakfast was out of this world at the little backyard/ garden, was delightful. All the winery/restaurant recommendations from John (the owner) and concierge was top notch. House keeping was amazing the moment we step out of the room, came back from breakfast our room was already refreshed, turn down service amazing (refilled coffee, carafe if water at bedside, complimentary sparking water and beer refilled at fridge), complimentary laundry a super nice touch for a long vacation. Everything is perfect and beyond my high expectation!

Easily the best meal I had in Italy, both in terms of service and food. I eat mostly pescetarian, which doesn't always offer a huge selection. The menu here was full of great options. The spaghetti "alla chittara" with mullet roe was outstanding, as was the pea soup. All deserts were amazing as well - go for the chocolate bomb if you like some spectacle with your dessert.

A bit skeptical at first thinking it's just a hotel restaurant but definitely one of the best burgers in Italy. Also had the pesto pasta which was incredible and the burrata is to die for. Definitely would recommend! Go here!!

Both the Bandita countryhouse and townhouse are fantastic. Loved everything about our stay.

Wife and I had lunch Sunday greeted with a smile and a warm welcome. Did not have reservation were seated inside and made comfortable. Kitchen is open staff worked well together. We split a zucchini starter that was wonderful. Shaved raw zucchini with a olive oil based component just wonderful. Wife had a pasta with olive oil and truffles she loved I had lamp shank just great. Here for the next 3 weeks have made reservations for each week. Planning to sit outside on patio

Awesome experience. Salad was wonderful...I'd been missing my greens in Italy. Pea soup....off the charts. I had the double cooked quail and hubby had the burger. Top it off with a great wine list. This is a must do!