Le Botteghe di Donatello

This was probably the first restaurant where I didn’t complain about how awful the food tastes. This is also the first restaurant I’ve ever been to where I ordered 2 main dishes because the first was that good. I’ve been to several different cities in Italy on different occasions and I’ve always been disappointed with the food. Either too bland or too salty. I’m Asian American and from SoCal so I’m used to seasoning in my food other than salt…. This place absolutely delivered. Even my boyfriend ordered a second main dish. Ravioli with Truffle - SO creamy and generous with the truffle flakes. However, this felt more like an appetizer. Only 6 pieces of ravioli??? But would absolutely order again. Seafood Spaghetti - Initially doubtful about this until I took a bite. Very generous with the clams. Very seafood-buttery flavored. Delicious. Penne Pesto - This was one of my bf’s choices. I only took a small bite. Still too salty for my tastebuds, but way less salty compared to other pasta I had elsewhere. Good flavor. He enjoyed it but wouldn’t order again. Pasta also a little too firm for our liking though. Service was slow but our waiter was all over the place because it was very busy.

Absolutely wonderful food at Le Botteghe Di Donatella! Franco and his staff were so friendly and welcoming. Great atmosphere and chilled vibes. Restaurant was busy which is always a good sign. We went for pasta dishes and a pizza to share. The spaghetti vongole were some of the best I’ve tasted. Pizza was perfect and the cocktails were delicious. Highly recommend coming here

The food was excellent! We had penne with ragu, which was perfectly seasoned, and a truffle risotto that was also delicious. For dessert, we had cheesecake, which was very good as well. The atmosphere was lovely, and the staff were so friendly and attentive that we decided to come back for dinner. Once again, the service was outstanding, and the food lived up to our expectations. The location couldn’t be more perfect, with a beautiful view of the Duomo. Highly recommended!

Surprisingly good price given it's right next to the duomo. £35 for steak with wine. Sadly the side of the duomo it's facing is still covered is soot and hasn't been cleaned yet. Food is decent, steak was on the tougher side but calzone was great. Wine was ok as well. Full house but no queue. Overall can consider a meal here if you're not super picky, but won't particularly recommend as the food is just alright.

Le Botteghe Di Donatello is a fantastic spot right by the Santa Maria del Fiore Cathedral—perfect location with an incredible view. They have outdoor seating and sometimes someone is playing live music right across the street from the outdoor seating area of the restaurant. Their pizza is absolutely delicious, with fresh ingredients and the perfect balance of flavors. The service was excellent as well—friendly, quick, and very welcoming. Whether you’re stopping for a meal after visiting the Duomo or just looking for authentic Italian pizza, this place is a great choice. Highly recommend!

Just finished up lunch here. The atmosphere and service was excellent. Food was good and affordable for the area. Would definitely come back. Great Gluten Free menu also

Right in dumo easy to find it big restaurant , sit outside is enjoyable in the heart of the square , good service , pizza good taste but not big and i had better pizzas after in other places , pasta was good taste , good prices being in tourist main spot of Florence , I recommend if you are in Dumo

La Botteghe di Donatello is an amazing restaurant, the atmosphere is cozy and pleasant, the food is excellent, and the service is outstanding. We went there several times during our stay in Florence, and every visit was wonderful. I’d like to give special thanks to Norbert, who welcomed us warmly and was very attentive and friendly. Without a doubt, an exceptional professional.

Excellent service and pretty good food. We sat outside, which was pleasant. The pizza was quintessential Neapolitan. The ravioli was outstanding, unlike the non-al dente versions that we find in the U.S. We have had better (Italian) food in this country, but this joint was far from a disappointment. Totally recommended.

Ambiance/ good Ordered a pizza margherita and pasta. Not bad. Service was prompt. Good place for a quick meal

I loved everything about Italy . And I ate this whole steak in one sitting lol. Delicious!

I don't know why the reviews are not better here. one of our favorite places we've eaten in all of italy!! very authentic food, and very very fresh! the place also has the best ambiance sitting out by the duomo. My mom is from italy, so we know authentic food when we find it!

Perfect spot to have lunch and people watch after visiting the cathedral is doing some shopping. The orange spritzer was light and cool on a warm sunny afternoon.I had the spicy sausage pizza and it was on a delicious thin light crust with a nice sauce ,plenty of mozzarella cheese and spicy salami. Husband had the mushroom pizza and said it was cheesy and tasty.This place is definitely worth a stop and you won't be disappointed.

I ended up eating here as we really needed to use a restroom and this place had one. This was one of two restaurants located near the Duomo and picked this one as the lady outside greeting passers-by that they had the best Florentine Steak in town. I decided to give this place a try based on their claim and I was hungry for some steak. The Florentine Steak came out and it was easy to notice that there was no noticeable filet portion. I started cutting the steak and it was cooked perfectly; however, it was way too chewy for a restaurant-grade steak. My wife liked her lasagna but I was disappointed with the steak. The service was good here and this was a great location being right next to the Duomo. I just wished that the "best Florentine Steak in town" was actually the best. 2.5 stars!

I hate giving mixed reviews to a restaurant, but here we go. I really liked the pizza that we got and the pizza was reasonably priced for the center of Florence and next to the Duomo. The service, however, was distracted, slow and at times unfriendly. They also had a three euro per person table charge as well (ok, I found out later that is a standard charge for service). I probably would've given a better review if the service was a bit more attentive and friendly. Maybe just take the pizza and find a good place to sit and eat it.

What a pleasant surprise - being directly across from the Duomo I thought this restaurant would be a tourist trap - but after 14 hours on a plane I was tired and hungry! And how wrong I was - this restuarant has delightful food at reasonable prices. The staff is charming - and the view of the Duomo is wonderful!

Tourist trap. Food was not great compared to all the other restaurants we ate at in Florence. The service was horrible. Waited forever for our food. Definitely try something else instead of going here.

Not very friendly. Food is mediocre and to top things, they have hidden fees. My wife and I sat down for lunch and they charged an extra $6 EUROS for a "coperto" charge - meaning cover charge. Look at picture. What kind of restaurant does that?!!

Stopped here for lunch, knew we were in the heart of the tourist trap but didn't have many options for gluten free. At first we had great service but after taking our orders everything went downhill. Eventually we got our meals ate then sat for a while. Nothing mind blowing here just tourist trap. They do offer gluten free pizza which is why we came here.

DO NOT GO HERE. I know it's convenient because it's right next to the Duomo, but you'll be better taken care of elsewhere. Our bad experience started with waitstaff who weren't that nice or helpful, and then our food took forever. We didn't get any food for about 25 minutes, and it took us 1.5 hours to get our main course. However, right as our food got there the umbrellas outside broke and started dumping water all over us and our food, spoiling everything. The staff attempted to help us by moving the tables, but our meal was ruined. We were already frustrated prior to this, but this was the final straw and we got up to leave. BUT the owner made us PAY for the food that had been barely touched before the dirty rainwater ruined it. Overall the worst dining experience we had during our entire vacation. Save yourself the trip.

After our train ride to Florence and exploring the beautiful streets of Florence, we stopped here for dinner. We were greeted right away. It was a busy evening, but only waited a few minutes. We were seated outside as requested by us, it was a gorgeous evening and stunning view of the Basilica. I love to ask the staff for their favorite dishes and one suggested the mushroom ravioli with cream sauce, I was not disappointed and it complete spoke to my heart. Very delicious, full of flavor and the perfect amount of portions considering it is a heavier comfort dish. I ordered the house rosé and absolutely loved it. You will very much enjoy yourself here. Thank you to the friendly staff for delivery a great experience. Cheers!

My friends and I stopped at the restaurant when we were tired of roaming around in Florence. Outdoor sitting is very nice and romantic. Food is okay and the service sucks. Our server had lots of attitude and wasn't attentive at all.

Tonight was a great evening at Le Botteghe di Donatello. I'm not sure why there are any reviews that aren't amazing for this restaurant...we experienced excellent service that included great attentiveness and service and the food was amazing. I would highly recommend and the pizza we had here a few days was great as well. High quality ingredients, made with care and served hot, very delicious and very authentic.

this restaurant is located behind the Duomo. I was looking for a non-touristy restaurant but failed so my friend and I gave up and ended up here. probably the most touristy because it's behind the Duomo but oh well. the salmon penne pasta and the seafood pasta was really good!! the pizza was okay. and the salad was horrible. however, the service was good and staff was friendly.

We were just walking and dropped in. After 9pm and the crowds thin, the ambience of the outdoor seating with the Duomo all lit up at nite was inviting and was matched by the friendliness of the english speaking staff. And reasonable prices. We had a light meal of bruscetta (ok tho nothing special but tomatoes were fresh!) but pastas & the meat and mushroom sauce was excellent . Unless you are really hungry think about sharing. Paired with a half bottle of montepulciano this hit the spot. The panna cotta with the berry sauce was delicious- not too sweet or custardy with a nice vanilla taste. All in all a nice find.

After seeing the Duomo next door we were hungry.The pizza with spicy salami and olives was good. So good I had to get another to go for my daughter. My wife had a calzone with ham that she enjoyed. Bonus is the location - above the restaurant was Donatello's workshop.

Normally wouldn't expect too much in the tourist area, but this little restaurant surprise me with good service and food. Great outdoor seating next to the dome, can't be any closer... Glass of wine, seafood and pairing with beautiful historical site next to you, such wonderful experience. Best to come here at night much less crowded.

Our first meal in Florence after an extensively long journey. We were exhausted and didn't have a chance to check Yelp first, just found this place and ate. The food was actually not bad. I had a pizza and the wife got a pasta dish. We enjoyed both. The issue, however, was the service. We'd come to learn later that this is how sevice is at most restaurants in the country as they don't rely on tips, but still the waiter seemed grouchy and acted like he didn't want us there. Overall, not a bad place to go, but definitely wouldn't be my first choice.

In between climbing Giotto's Bell Tower and climbing the Duomo, my husband and I decided to get lunch. We didn't want to go too far from Piazza del Duomo, so we wandered around and ended up choosing to take advantage of the outdoor seating at Le Botteghe di Donatello. Great choice! I ordered a glass of Pinot Grigio and the Gnocchi alla Sorentina. It was amazing. My husband ordered a beer and the Pizza Napoli. The pizza was not the best he's had on this trip, but it was up there. And the best part of our meal was the view - you can't beat the Duomo's beauty, and the people watching was fantastic. This is an excellent place to eat lunch while exploring Piazza del Duomo.

We stopped here to get a drink and an appetizer and to watch a world cup match. It was ok, nothing outstanding. There is the location surcharge for being next to the duomo, and the food was just ok. We decided no more tourist restaurants after that and ate the best we ever had in a city for the rest of our trip. The food is good, but Florence has soooo much more to offer, go a few streets down, spend less, and enjoy more!

This place has great service: my first night in Florence (ever), I didn't realize I would need reservations for anything, so I walked up and asked for a table. They politely told me that I would need a reservation in the future, but said they could squeeze me in that night, then and there. The food was delicious and you most certainly get your money's worth! For a great view of the Duomo (you're literally right beside a towering piece of architectural artistry), you really get to experience life as a local. Out on the sidewalk drinking a glass of wine with great seafood pasta with a light breeze and people's voices laughing in the background? What a great evening. There is a lot of different options to pick from, food and drink wise. But don't bother getting water: a glass of a fine wine is around the same price as a bottle or naturale. Overall it was a great little place... in fact we loved it there so much, we went there twice during our three day stay!

I went here in August 2014 while visiting Italy with family. It is in a great location, right by the Duomo. If you sit outside like we did, you have a nice view of the Duomo. The food was very good! We were a total of 5 people, with 2 children included. They had a wide array of food to satisfy all of us. We had steak, pizza and three different types of pasta. The wait staff spoke English and were very attentive. If you are in Florance, stop by- you will not be dissapointed!

Had gluten free pizza with prosciutto. Yummy! Service was fine, typical Italian. Had some sort of spritz drink which was interesting and watched Spain v Russia in World Cup on outdoor patio right beside Il Duomo

Sitting directly adjacent to one of the most beautiful buildings in the world, I expected subpar food. The rent must be exorbitant and you gotta make a profit somehow, so you cut the quality. I will say that our waiter was excellent: soft spoken, completely competent in English, helpful in ordering, and patient. They did not cut costs on the wait staff. We also chose this restaurant because of their gluten free menu, which my sister appreciated. The food was fine. With unbelievable food within blocks, you're buying an amazing location and fun people watching. Both of these are worth it. The food was perfectly fine. I'm glad we went here, though most of my meals will still be where there's terrific food.

Had Beer, Soup and Spaghetti here with Juli and Don. Soup was great, pasta also. Good friendly service, very nice outdoor and indoor facility. Reasonable prices.

Lowest quality of dining during our trip! 100% tourist trap... should have YELPED it first. Steak was tough & was only able to eat 1/4 of it. No take home on this one .. it's better to find a fountain & toss a bunch of EUROS there.

This was our last meal in Florence and I have to say it was the most disappointing. It's right next to the Duomo and an obvious tourist trap. The pastas weren't fresh, and most likely boxed stuff you'd get at the supermarket. The caprese salad was packaged mozzarella you'd get anywhere (I saw the creases on the end pieces from the packaging). Compared to the dinner we had last night, this left us wanting and regretting we didn't take the 10 min walk to the other restaurant again. If you're here, and didn't want to walk anymore, it's adequate...but do yourself a favor, don't think this is the best meal you'll have in Florence.

The family went to dinner here last night. Overall the experience was fine. We had been turned away from our planned restaurant since we didn't make reservations and ended up here because of the gluten free menu. Those in the family that eat gluten free were quite happy with the amount of dinner and dessert options available to them. They enjoyed pasta dishes and various dessert options like an apple tart, chocolate cake, and caramel creme (flan?). For the folks eating gluten, like myself, the dinner was not anything remarkable but still satisfied our hungry bellies after a long day of exploring the city.

It's hard to believe a restaurant right on the heels of the Duomo could be anything but a tourist trap - but Le Botteghe di Donatella delivered the best fresh pasta meal I have ever had in Italy. Skip starters and order the Fettucine with beef, cream and porcini mushrooms. Reasonably priced, friendly service, cold Prosecco and an unbelievable view of one of the most incredible buildings in Europe - what more could you ask for?

The food was good, but the service was terrible. The server had the worst attitude, constantly ignoring us (party of 5). The table next to us got there after we did and they got their food before we placed our order. They finished dinning before we even got our food. By the time we got our food (about 45 min) one of the dishes was wrong and we were still missing 2 drinks. The wait staff constantly acted like they were doing us a favor. Every time we asked for anything their answer was "wait", "one minute" and they wouldn't come back. None ever checked to see if the food was good. We were going to order dessert, but 15 minutes went by and the server never came arround. At the end of the meal, when we asked for the bill the server's answer yet again was "in a minute" and started arguing with us and saying it wasn't his fault that they had over 50 people dinning at the time. Sadly, we were not the only people in the restaurant that felt this way. Restrooms are clean and place has a nice atmosphere.

The location is right the food wasn't. It's pricier than many at 25 euro or so per person for a meal and the food lacked flavor. The bread tasted like it needed salt even dipped in olive oil. The pasta was okay but definitely in first course size. I would recommend skipping this one and looking for something slightly less Americanized.

Service was not good, our bill was wrong, my pasta that was raw on the inside is apparently the "style in Tuscany." The coffee was bad too. Worst meal I've had in Italy so far.

We happened upon Le Botteghe di Donatello while exploring Florence and stopped for dinner. Our waiter was surly and the food was adequate at best. There are better options nearby. Keep walking.

Beautiful views of the piazza and great service from this busy restaurant. As you would expect the wine and food is perfectly italian and makes it a popular place to eat.

The food was decent at best, but the two stars are mainly because of the service. It's not that the staff was rude, however it seemed like they were unsure of when and where they were meant to be bringing orders and overall didn't care about the service they were providing. We ordered a coffee, a pizza, and carbonara pasta. First, the coffee was brought to the incorrect table, which was fine as it was promptly brought to us. However, we then watched the carbonara get dropped off at an incorrect table nearby (which already had all of their food and was eating so it didn't make sense). The carbonara sat on their table for about five minutes before the man told the waiter it was wrong, we then watched the server bring the dish straight to our table after sitting at the wrong table for five mins. Additionally, the pizza did not come for another 15 mins. So my boyfriend and I ate our meals at completely different times. We then asked for a basket of bread, which was given to us completely stale. Do not recommend this place one bit

I wouldn't recommend this place. I didn't enjoy the vegetable soup or the shrimp zucchini pasta that I had. Also the service was a bit slow. The shrimp tasted fishy and didn't seem to be fresh.

I don't have anything to say regarding the food itself, it was fresh, tasted good and the price was fair. The problem was the owner of the place: she's a 50 years old woman who loves to yelling and swearing to everybody! It's pretty impressive how she's able to screw up the atmosphere of the place. She was telling blasphemy to everybody, screaming and cussing to tourist because they "don't understand Italian".

We walked in with the expectations of a touristy restaurant but little did we know, the pizzas were worse than $3 frozen diGiorno's. Definitely not worth your time. Dominos puts this place to shame. I would give zero stars if I could...

Great location and better than expected food for its touristy locale. The service was prompt and efficient. The octopus carpaccio was very good as was the spicy penne. All ingredients seemed fresh and the price was right too, especially for eating next to the duomo.

The service was good the restaurant was clean and neat. We had the homemade lasagna it was tasty but a little soft. Laura had the wild boar and polenta and I had the sea bass. They were both very good. I had the Tiamisu and Laura had a delicious combination of ice cream and coffee together. It was really good. I would go there again....

Not bad, not good neither...We had pizza. Insipid ingredients, I ate my pizza alone, my wife's pizza came fifteen minutes later... I'm pretty sure you can have a better pizza anywhere else in Firenze.

Picked up 3 paninis to go which totaled 15€. Service was a little on the slow side. Food was very authentic - we watched the solo chef hand make our food with fresh ingredients. All 3 paninis were delicious. Would definitely return.

Avoid. Period. Lasagne was mush, I guarantee you've had better bruschetta before, meatballs were cold, dessert was off-the-shelf. Service was friendly but slow and inconsistent. This was slightly better than airline food but not by much. You've flown all the way to Italy; eating here would make your trip a joke.

Great views of the Duomo. Located on the Piazza Duomo. We stopped here because we were tired & hungry, not because we particularly wanted to eat here. We had a better vegetarian place in mind, but it was getting late and would have taken too much time to get to, so we stopped here. They have indoor & outdoor seating. The indoor seating is advertised to have Air Condition. When we wanted to sit inside they wanted us to sit outside, but we insisted on sitting inside which seemed to be a problem. We DID get to sit inside, but only because we insisted. The food was good, pretty tasty. Service was mediocre. The style of the place was very tasteful & classy though and seemed pretty clean. The bathroom downstairs could use a good cleaning though. Parking wise you have to find a parking garage & pay to park. We paid 12 euro for 3 hours. The cost for two us us to have a shared appetizer, a drink and two entree's was about 50 euro. It is pretty touristy, but the food was good & the staff spoke English which helped.

This restaurant is behind the Duomo. It is a very pretty spot and although it is very touristy all restaurants in Florence are, so what can you do? The food is pretty good, the location excellent, and the place gets an extra star for having a gluten free menu. It is fairly extensive and the owner says they will be adding more items soon. I was there twice and had pizza both times - quite good. The owners and waitstaff are very friendly.

Slow service. Everything takes forever and staff does not have a sense of urgency. Asked for the check 3 times and waited 45 minutes.