SE·STO on Arno - reopened as COSIMO Rooftop Restaurant & Bar

Incredible rooftop bar in Florence. We walked in without a reservation, and were immediately seated at the absolute best corner table in the place. You have an amazing view of the river, bridges, and Florence skyline. Service was outstanding, the waitress always came over to check in and refill our wine glasses at just the right time. Drinks are a bit pricey as you would expect, but worth it for the incredible view, service, and ambience

- We have high praise for this restaurant/bar, overlooking the city, Duomo & Arno River. Thanks to Isabella & the team, my wife had the most wonderful birthday experience here. The food, the drinks & the views were top notch, and we felt first class all the way. My advice is to make a booking of you have a special celebration and want to see the best of Firenze. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The view from the terrace is superb over Florence, but, on the other hand, the service leaves much to be desired. I ordered 3 cocktails, and in the end, on the bill, they charged me for 4. Luckily, I was inspired to check, and I won't even mention that the order came half an hour after I reminded them of my order, which they had forgotten.

The food was incredible, the views were beautiful, the service was impecable. The music was terrible, at least while we were there. It felt like a U.S. night club. So that was off putting at lunch time in Florence. However, they still get 5 out of 5 for incredible service and some of the better food we had during our whole stay. We couldn’t get a dinner reservation, as they were booking a week out for that.

At every stage of the experience was wonderful. Everyone is super nice and accommodating. We had lunch, grilled prawn salad and grilled octopus and it was delicious, filling yet light. The views are phenomenal from here. Must go if you stop by Florence

Truly a five star experience in Firenze (Florence). The ambiance is modern yet unobtrusive to the experience. The staff and service is beyond incredible and the sommelier had a truly in-depth knowledge of the wine cellar. The food was on par with any Michelin rated restaurant that I’ve ever been to.

What a place! What a view! What a service! There is no much to add to these words, but I will ( as always ). We visited this restaurant 2 times I one week period. 1st - for a regular hours dinner, 2nd - for a private event. 1st night experience was unforgettable. Night panoramic view on the canal, delicious food and bottle of Kosher wine. Portions are a little bit small for my personal preference, but everything was outstanding: fresh fish & salads, mediterranean spicing, meals were cooked till perfection! 2nd day experience: private brunch. I got lost with cheese platters & fruits. I didn't eat such a delicious cheeses in a long time. Highlight! Service is outstanding!

Amazing views and great service but they really need to improve their mocktails list. A place charging this much for drinks should be able to make good non alcoholic drink. Especially since not drinking alcohol is on the rise. We ordered the spaghetti for €26 which was quite expensive but absolutely delicious. The breads provided were also really good. They only however had 3 non alcoholic drinks so the waitress recommended the wellspring which we ordered. That was honestly one of the grossest things we've ever tasted! We would have loved to go back for dinner but again I can't stress enough how gross that drink was. At €20 for non alcoholic drinks they should all be delicious! We still enjoyed our meal overall since the spaghetti was so good but please improve your mocktails for non drinkers!

Gorgeous view, I mean wow!!! Service is exceptional and staff are super friendly. Rooftop bar has an inside and outside. It's super clean and the olives are delish! You are paying a price for the view, it's pricey but worth it. Went during the day as we had our kiddo with us not sure if they allow kids in the evening. This is located in the Westin hotel, 6 floor. We had a bottle of Pinot Grigio between the two of us and it worked out $ wise. Highly recommend this bar for the view and service. I don't think I'll find a place like this with such a stunning view. Weather was gorgeous, wine was yum and company was great so zero complains.

You're going to be paying a lot for drinks here so let's get that out of the way, OK? And yes, you can get a glass of wine or a cocktail for about a quarter of the price at other places in Florence, but what you're getting here is impeccable service, glorious views of the Arno and complimentary snacks that are a little more special than the typical chips and taralli (no disrespect to potato chips and taralli of course as I love all the snacks). Just make sure you go on a day when you can sit on the outdoor terrace. Inside, while sleek and sexy, just isn't quite the same experience. We recently had to sit inside because weather was not permitting. It was our only night left to visit Se-sto before heading out of town so we sadly missed out on the terrace experience and its sweeping spectacular views. Another mention of the exquisite service here. I was so impressed because everyone was nice and yes, it's a bit more buttoned-up but not in the slightest bit pretentious. Love that they'll come over to put a discreet hook on the table so that your bag is never on the back of the chair, or, heaven forbid, the floor. This will always be a must for me when I'm in Florence.

Excellent spot for cocktails at the top of the Westin in Florence. Health portion of bar snacks and really inventive drink recipes. You cannot beat the view and ambiance.

This place was so nice and peaceful. It was great to see the city from above at night.

The food was not good and severely overpriced. I got the cheeseburger and the meat was undercooked and the bacon was raw. The prices were highway robbery and if you are considering eating here for the view, do not because the prices are not worth the view.

Food is middle tier, the drinks and food are beyond expensive and they charged us for items we didn't order. Had the cheeseburger and a €28 mimosa that they didn't tell us was €28 or show us a drink menu prior to ordering.

Food varied from good to great, service was amazing, view was unbeatable. Particular standouts were the Amberjack Tartar and "sphereamisu"

My favorite rooftop in Florence. The sunsets are amazing. Late nights are also the perfect way to end a day in Florence. Here's the deal... Top floor of the hotel. Non guests are welcome. Two sides with a giant bar in the middle. The bar side is open all day. The city views here are unmatched. Extensive wine and cocktails available with upgraded bar food. Pro tip: with the bar side open all day; mid-afternoon and late night can find it nearly deserted...that's when the place is at its best. The restaurant is also very good, and probably offers the better sunset views. It specializes in tasting menus... if you have to ask how much a tasting menu at a rooftop restaurant within a five-star hotel in Florence would cost... it's probably not for you. I immediately walk in and head to bar side and hope one of the two or three tables on the far left outdoor balcony is available. Even late night with the heaters and a blanket that they provide... the views are amazing and the setting offers one of my favorite experiences everytime I'm in Florence.

My wife and I are on rooftop bar kick as of late. We visited several while we were in Florence including this one. Se-Sto has the most incredible views of any hotel we visited in Florence. You get a great view of the Arno river since the hotel is right next to it, but you also get a great view of the rest of the city. For our drinks my wife tried the fashionista and I tried the spritz. They were okay. As for our waiter he came off as somewhat judgmental to me. However, he did bring our drinks to us quickly and correctly. As a whole, it's amazing. I highly recommend staying here at the hotel or at least coming for the sunset views.

Se-Sto on Arno is a nice spot to grab a drink and soak in some great views. The drinks are a bit pricey at about 18€+, but they're not bad. I went with a classic negroni, while the wife ordered a gin fizz type cocktail. The service wasn't great, but the views were outstanding. They also provide almonds, vegetable crisps, and little garlic/herb breadsticks to snack on. This bar is located on the 6th floor of the Westin hotel.

Food was the best I had in Italy! The service was good, the view stunning, and each of the entrees delicious. I had three courses: a risotto, a squab dish, and a hazelnut mousse dessert. All were excellent, and in particular the squab was perfectly tender and super flavorful! My other companions also particularly loved the oysters and the cod fish dish.

Spectacular views, exceptional food and fantastic atmosphere!! Have celebrated multiple special occasions here, including some birthdays. For a special request, the chef prepare an entire custom chocolate birthday cake which was incredible and perfect for the occasion. Come for dinner - the sole is wonderful. In the early evening come for sunset drinks - the nearly panoramic views provide a full view of the Arno, the Duomo and city from above. The limoncello spritz is the perfect summer drink - refreshing and summery. Do not miss an experience of any form up at S'Esto!

We were in Florence for a day and while speaking to a few locals on the best place in town for an unforgettable dinning experience they all agreed to visit Se-Sto on Arno at the Westin Hotel. We were thrilled we listened to their recommendation! Valentina the somelier is amazing! She is always looking to test the boundaries during your menu tasting and pairing! She was quick on her feet with different wine recommendations if a particular one was not to our liking. Marco one of the managers was very engaging and started our experience on the right way finding a gorgeous sunset table! While everyone wanted the terrace to see the Ponte Vecchio we were thrilled to watch the sunset over the mountains. Through our conversation I had mentioned that my boyfriend had yet to try zucchini flowers and while I had no idea that their menu tasting didn't include that, both Marco and Valentina came to our table with their famous zucchini flower quiche half way through our tasting! thank you for doing that for us. The food was fantastic and as long as you are open minded the tasting menu will give you some of their best dishes! We can't wait to come back and visit! It is a meal well worth experiencing.

Breathtaking view. Great selection of drinks. I had dinner with friends and family here. Everything is great except the desserts were not that impressive Quite windy during sunset. A jacket is a must

With our cab driver and concierge's recommendation, my husband surprised me with a dinner reservation to celebrate our first honeymoon night in Florence and 26th birthday. The restaurant just as everyone has described it - chic and trendy. The view was spectacular - even if not seated by the window or on the balcony - the floor to ceiling windows allowed for the most gorgeous sunset one can find in the city. Service started off very professionally - bread basket, drinks, explanation of menu/ specials. After placing our orders however, we were simply forgotten. Perhaps because we didn't order their fine wine? Or didn't go with their 5 course tastings? Honestly, we felt as we were treated second class citizens - definitely not how I wanted to remember my honeymoon/birthday. Aside from being ignored, the food was atrocious. I'd almost never sent food back to the kitchen but I did twice on this single dining experience. I actually spit out my ravioli. After addressing my server that my dish was inedible (beyond salty and unbelievably fishy), a new "remade" was brought out. Unfortunately, It tasted exactly the same. Not wanting to make things more difficult, my husband offered to swap his dish with mine. Yet again, I was disappointed - his pasta was bland and tasteless. The pesto was this green watery sauce. I took one bite and I knew this dinner was done. My husband felt so guilty for choosing this restaurant as our first meal in the city. We simply wanted to get out of there as soon as possible - We didn't even bother staying for the sunset or the view. What an unforgettable, wasteful meal...

They opened this modern/comtemporary bar/restaurant on the rooftop only a few months ago. Since a couple of people I encountered highly recommended this, I went up one night for after dinner drinks. There are dining tables where you can have meal, or bar where you can just have drinks. It looked to be filled with both tourists and locals. It is a nice/upscale bar/restaurant, so guests were behaving well (looked to be), and no crazy party kids were around. :p It is actually good contrast to the rest of the hotel which is very historic. The night views were really nice. The bartender was an old gentleman who said he's been working there for 20+ years. Had a nice glass of Chianti recommended by him.

Terrible drinks/service. Overpriced. Not worth it for the view. It's great for a photo, only if they allow it. My friend tried to take a photo of the view, and the waiter very rudely interrupted and told her it's for "customers only". Meanwhile we spent 250€ for 6 (very bad tasting) cocktails. Drinks were not made correctly. Only bar I've been to that is unable to make a Paloma. Then they made a martini with lemon juice instead did olive. Also, I'm not sure if they're cheap or don't care about their customers, but it was 95 degrees Fahrenheit/35 Celsius. If someone is paying for an overpriced drink, at least have the decency to ask if they enjoyed it, and maybe turn the air condition on for God's sake. Take away: there are way cooler rooftop bars in Florence to visit. Don't bother going here.

Always looking for a great view in Firenze and one with beverage service gets extra stars. I must say this was perfect. A warm day, I was walking around town and thought, why not. I sat on the right side of the building, along the Arno looking toward Ponte Vecchio to avoid the sun in my eyes, but the sunset view would have been perfect. I left before sunset. I enjoyed an orange & raspberry mojito...very refreshing on this sunny day. The spritz was also very refreshing & I highly recommend trying it during a trip to Italy. Drinks are very expensive, so not something to do often, but considering the view it was a nice treat. Enter through the Westin hotel lobby and head to the 6th floor on the elevator. They offered a bowl of chips & nuts at the table for snacking, which I appreciated.

Went to Florence for a day drip and decided to end our day at a rooftop bar. I searched google for rooftop bars with a view and found this little gem that's supposed to have beautiful views of Florence. I was not disappointed! Upon arriving to the rooftop of the Westin hotel, we were greeted warmly by the wait staff and led to the outdoors area where we can pick any table we desired. We chose the corner table since it has the best views and drank wine for the next two hours while soaking in the scenery. If you want a place to rest and take in the view with a glass of wine, I highly recommend Se-Sto. You can sit back and enjoy the sunset!

Pros: Drinks are delicious View is outrageous Cons: Service is terrible Prices are steep You really can't beat the view of Se-Sto...right next to the Arno, with views of all of Florence, plus the hills beyond. Located on the top floor of the Westin Excelsior, this is a great place to spend a bit of time, sipping a cocktail and taking in the sights, but you'll pay for it...cocktails cost, on average, €15, but they go up to a minimum of €18 from 7:00-9:00pm. Because they can, I suppose! On the bright side, the drinks are really well made. The Wonderland (aperol, ginger syrup, mandarin vodka, St. Germain, and fresh mint, garnished with blueberries) was the table favorite, but the traditional spritz was also fantastic--probably the best we had in Italy (and we certainly tried a good many!). They serve potato chips and peanuts with the drinks as well. The service is snotty, but whatever.

The most stunning view of Florence. Cocktails are $$$ (between 7-9pm, drinks are a minimum 21€ each), but it sure is worth it. Came here one afternoon during a rain storm, and the tranquility of the rooftop during the rain was unforgettable. Great place to be with family for a casual, fancy drink.

My wife and I popped into Sesto on Arno for a late-night drink on our honeymoon. What an unfortunate mistake we hope others can avoid. Sure, the view is what you'd expect from the sixth or seventh floor of a building. But the service was beyond atrocious---it was exploitative. We were shown to a table but weren't given any menus. After our patience wore out, I approached the bar to order drinks: a glass of "house" prosecco for my wife and a glass of "house" red wine for myself. When the drinks arrived, I joked to my wife that they appeared to have been measured with a thimble. Two or three sips later and they were gone, so I walked back up to the bar to order a second round. Another prosecco for wifey and another house red for myself. It wasn't until I asked for the check that I discovered just how bad we'd been taken. Instead of charging us for their "house" prosecco and wine, the same staff that had "forgot" to give us menus had charged us for glasses of their premium top-shelf prosecco and wine. My eyes literally popped out of my head when I saw our bill: nearly 80 Euros for two glasses of so-called "house" prosecco and wine. "There must be some mistake," I said. "No," said the staff, "you ordered premium top-shelf drinks." "Excuse me," I sheepishly corrected, "I actually asked for 'house' prosecco and wine. Normally, that means bottom-shelf, not top-shelf. There must be some mistake." "No," repeated the staff, "the bartender says you ordered top-shelf, and our prices are on our menu." "I'm sorry," I responded, "that's wrong. There must be some misunderstanding. I specifically asked for 'house' drinks. And no one ever gave us menus or asked to serve us, which is why I went to the bar to order drinks. Please, is there anything you can do to help correct this mistake?" "No," said the staff, "unless you'd like us to call the Polizia...." *** Wow, what a racket...what a ruined honeymoon evening. Who knew The Westin was being run by the Mafia?! If there is any good to come from this God-awful experience, I hope it's sparing our fellow travelers from a similar rip-off fiasco.

Other reviews comment on the spectacular view. This is about food and service. We had supper the previous night at the bar of the Westin Excelsior so we decided to try the restaurant. Reservations required. We show up at the appointed time and are seated. Menu is embarrassingly small. Prices quite large. We each ordered one course. Wife asked for the filet. I requested spaghetti in clam sauce. Filet turned out pretty well. Took 45 minutes. Now imagine a can of clams well past their sell-by date. Make chowder. Submerge a bit of spaghetti in it. That was my dinner. Nasty! Sent back. Order tortellini stuffed with veal. After another 30 mins it comes: 8 tiny roll ups with ground veal inside. Tastes OK. Bill came to 140 euros. Anyway save time and euros. Dine elsewhere.

I came here one night with my mother, we got two glasses of wine, two appetizers, two mains, and I also got a dessert. Pretty small portions but understandable, The quality of the products was good but the dishes were nothing special. The place itself is quite "trendy", although I think they could have done something more special; the view is absolutely spectacular. The staff is extremely professional but also friendly. I noticed the place is manly frequented by businessmen/women. All in all, we spent about two hundred euros. It's a nice place to see Florence from a different perspective but I'm not going back.

Service was good, but food was very bleh. Don't come here to eat, really. But do come to have a cocktail or two and enjoy the view. A little on the pricey side of things.

After hearing such great things about this new restaurant, I decided to give it a try. I was fairly disappointed. The menu was incredibly weird, and had no authentic Italian food whatsoever. It featured strange exotics such as octopus, and things I had never even heard of before. All of this is given a purely outrageous price 20 euro for a 1st course, which is upsetting since the restaurant is only slightly upscale. To make matters worse the service is incredibly slow, it took me about 30 minuets to flag down a waitress to give me my check. The restaurant had a mixed crowd of obnoxious and loud American tourists and some local Italians here and there. The only saving grace about this place is that it has a fantastic view of Florence. By walking around the restaurant you can get the entire panorama of Florence. Perhaps I will come back, but only to have a drink at the bar and have a view. Otherwise, I can get MUCH better value and elegance for my money elsewhere.

When my boyfriend and I were in Florence, we were staying at The Westin, so we decided to try their rooftop bar one evening. While the view of the city, especially over Arno and the bridges, is truly spectacular, especially at sunset, and the apertivo offered very generous, we thought it was pretty pricy and the service left something to be desired. Two glasses of wine here could have bought us four bottles down the road. We only went once during our stay, but I'll admit, the pictures I took from up here during sunset are some of my favorite from our time in Florence, which is why I am giving this 4-stars.

Great view! Decent mixed drinks. Came for the bar only. Minimum €21 per between 7 and 9pm. Did I mention the view? Nice hosts, bad service. We were seated quick and ordered our drinks. Asked to keep a menu so we could order more. An hour later no sight of anyone. I've been trying to order a drink or even pay so I can leave and hit the local pub. Here I am on a nice rooftop writing a yelp review. I would have rather spent another €42 on drinks than sober up and Yelp an hour later. Asked the waitress twice for the check on that span. Even approached her with my visa and said "hey let me give this to you, it's been an hour." She said she'll be right back as she carried some dishes to the kitchen (understandable). Come and enjoy the view, but be prepared to be held hostage. I would have rather skipped the view from a few stories up and got an hour of my life back to enjoy the Florence streets having fun.

Great view and that's it. Extremely overrated and for a top notch hotel, the service was very poor. The food was very bland and the atmosphere was pretentious. Much better places in Florence to explore for apperitivio!

Heard about the bar on top of the Westin, and thought we'd give it a try. Service was horrible. Waited for nearly 30 minutes just to be talked to. As we were about to leave the server stopped by and we ordered. I really wish we would have just left. Mediocre food and drinks and very over priced. View is OK, but there are better views in the city for sure. We waited another 30 minutes to try and get our check, and when it never arrived, we had to go up to the welcome desk to pay. I would never recommend this to anyone.

Service is atrocious and they are condescending as well. Maybe they should check their attitude when they don their uniform. I'm fine with Hotels, Restaurants and Bars maintaining a certain level standards, but don't treat your high paying customers like they're an inconvenient turd you stepped in. There are many fine establishments in Firenzi who are more deserving of your patronage.

Nice view and great service. The cucumber martini was delicious - it had a lot of basil in it but still had a fresh cucumber flavor. The manhattan was also prepared well. They give out plenty of free snacks and the service was really attentive. A little pricey, though but that's what you get at hotel bars.

Went here for lunch because R wanted a Michelin star meal. The wine flights were nice but soooooo unbelievably slow. We did not receive the third pour until after dessert was finished. And the two empty glasses from first two tastings were still on the table. I had octopus saffron risotto. It was good but there was only 3 small pieces of octopus about the size of my index finger...3 pieces combined. R had the pici pasta with seasonal mushrooms and sausage. The sauce was goopy and creamy with non existent mushrooms and some bits of splattered sausage. The pici had a unique texture, but that was the only positive on his dish. R convinced me to try the tiramisu which was 2" in diameter and less than 2" tall, was mostly marscapone with about 1mm sliver of ladyfingers. Well I think it was part of a ladyfingers...maybe 1/10 of one. Only R was offered a coffee following paying the bill. After waiting about 20 minutes we decided to check the view while we waited some more. Needless to say his coffee never came. But the view is phenomenal. I don't know how they got any kind of Michelin star let alone Yelp review stars. Maybe the Michelin people were blinded by the magnificent view. The service gets a 1.5, the food gets 3 and the wine gets a 4. View is 5! If not for the view it was a waste of money and a 2+ hour lunch! With the exception of the bread girl, the service was terrible. I have better service at a fast food drive through. Did I mention there were only 3 other tables at the time?

My favorite dinner in Italy. I had the papardelle, turbot for 2, and the creamy almond for dessert. Each course was not only a work of art, but more importantly, incredibly delicious. The beautiful 360 view of Firenze helps to set the mood of such a great dining experience. Highly recommended.

My friend and I came here on a recommendation, and unfortunately, this was by far our worst experience in all of Italy. The wine was expensive, the view was OK (nothing compared to the Cupola at the Duomo), but the service was inexcusable. The manager asked us to move from the six-top seating area because there was only two of us. We complied, as we're accommodating people, but the group sitting there before us was only two and the group that sat down immediately after we relocated was only two as well. When we asked him about it later, he just restated again that we were only two people and the area is for six. We didn't get an apology or anything. For 14 Euro a glass, I would expect better customer service. Actually, for 14 Euro a glass, we were just being crazy. The local restaurants are hands down better and cheaper. Don't waste your time here.

Awful, rude staff. Avoid. Went here for a sunset drink pre dinner reservation. They would not allow us to get drinks at the bar or stand on the patio and said that its a 40 min wait for a table. As we have reservations elsewhere I said sorry, next time, well just check out the view and leave, at which point I was literally treated like a street rat, physically not allowed to step one foot beyond the host stand. I am a lady in a dress and heels with my husband , and the man not only prevents us from looking out the window but calls over his old man boss to tell me again (even though I did not ask) that we are not permitted to enter without a table. You know the "you see this watch" scene in Glengarry Glen ross? I was so close to recreating that speech to this ahole. Its a god damn roof bar at a hotel, where people are paying upwards of $500 to stay. I will NEVER return and look forward to reviewing the entire hotel poorly due to this one employees awful head up his own ass behavior.

We went to the bar here for aperitivo on June 22nd. While the view of the Arno and Florence is spectacular, the whole experience was not worth the overpriced cost of drinks and the extremely slow service. It took 30 minutes from the time we sat down for a member of the wait staff to even come by our table. Our drinks took another 25 minutes to get delivered. While the drinks themselves were tasty, the price tag was outrageous - we paid 21 Euros PER DRINK (about $24 US). This was the price for aperitivo, which consisted of a fairly weak offering of some cheese and meat dishes. (Many other places in Florence offer a full buffet + a cocktail for 10 Euros or less). The waiter never once came back to ask if we wanted anything else. And getting the check - well let's just say that after 25 minutes of asking our waiter, we finally just got up and went to the bar to get it ourselves. Terrible service for any bar, but shame on you, Westin Excelsior - you have a reputation to uphold, and if you're going to charge insane money for a cocktails and some salami, you'd better have the service to back it up.

Beautiful place for a view. If you sit on the right side of the restaurant (looking away from Ponte Vecchio you get sunset views over Tuscany. Best view on the Arno from any seat. Went just for drinks but the food looked good.