1. Leo S. Croce

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I have visited this restaurant for the last few years and it was always very good. On my visit in September 2009 it was deplorable. My wife had ordered a steak which she has done so on many occasions and was given a T-bone. When I complained to Leo that the order was wrong he cut out the meat from the large t-bone at the table. However this was uncooked and he left the bone on a plate at the table. He continued to humiliate her infront of other diners and sent the steak back to the kitchen for cooking. We had all finished our terrible meals when he returned with the steak it was still not edible. The chef came out and apologised to my wife and agreed this was incorrect. Leo was still ranting and I asked for the bill. When handing over my money Leo then threw his arms in the air and stated I will pay for it. We left after apologising to the other diners never to return. My elderly in laws were disgusted.

Wonderful restaurant in Florence
We were in Florence over Easter 2009 with our teenage girls ages 13 and 17. Our hotel concierge recommended Ristorante Leo when I told him I did not want to go to a restaurant where tourists go – I wanted to go to a restaurant where the Florentines go. So that is how we met Leo who owns “Ristorante Leo”. This is a wonderful restaurant located in the Santa Croce district of Florence. As soon as you enter the door you get the feeling that really good food is served here. It is immaculate and charming-all of the tiles, dishes, and paintings speak of Florence. Leo is the ultimate host. He speaks fluent English and he is the most charming, debonair guy with a great sense of humor. He makes you feel right at home and we loved him, his food and being in his restaurant so much that we dined there twice! There is coal burning wooden pizza stove in the front of the restaurant and Leo’s brother makes the most amazing pizza but as Leo told us and we soon found out this restaurant is not about pizza at all-it is about the five star rated foods. The first evening we were there I asked Leo if he would make me a “Spritz” because we had just come from Venice and I loved starting dinner off with the taste of Compari. While the drinks were coming the server placed a plate of thinly crusted pizza on our table. The dough was so delicately made that it was light as air and the best accompaniment with our drinks. We then moved on to Leo’s grandmother’s homemade Chianti. I can’t describe this wine except to say that it was so full-bodied and rich and smooth-it is the best wine we had on our whole trip. Because everything Leo suggested sounded so good we decided to try two appetizers. All of the food made in this restaurant is fresh and delivered daily. We started with antipasto with meats and cheese and Brushetta. Both dishes were unbelievable. We left not one bite of food on our plates. For the next course, our daughters insisted on each having their own individual pizzas-they could not resist the smell and sight of those pizzas that Leo’s brother was making in front of them. My husband and I had to have the homemade pasta so I chose ravioli and he had the tagliatelle. They were the best pasta dishes I had in Italy. The sauce was perfect, the filling was a delicious mixture of cheeses and the pasta was light and tender. After that we still had room for a tiny bit more and I spied the braesola with arugula and parmesan on the menu so we finished off our dinner with that dish and some warm crusty Italian bread. It was a perfect choice. For dessert we had to try “Leo’s Cake” which is his secret. It was cool and refreshing and hit the spot. Because the food was out of this world and I was not going home without trying Leo’s pizza we had to go back. So we decided to spend our last night in Florence with Leo. It turned out to be so memorable I only wish it was closer because it would always be my destination. The second time we went to Leo’s he was waiting for us and we were served our drinks immediately and the server brought that wonderful hot pizza appetizer over and we devoured it. We started our dinner with nice cold refreshing glasses of Prosecco then moved on to Leo’s homemade wine which I still dream about. The beautiful thing about red wine that is pure and doesn’t have preservatives and chemicals in it is that you do not get a headache while and hangover after drinking it. We started this evening off with marinated zucchini with parmesan. The zucchini was tender and sweet and lightly dressed. We also had our favorite pizza -anchovy with no cheese just oregano, garlic and tomatoes and it was made exactly the way we love it. It beat out the best pizza restaurant in the U.S. – Pepe’s on Wooster Street in New Haven, CT (Bill Clinton’s favorite too). The crust was delicate, light and tender-it was so delicious. For our second course we decided on three pasta dishes to share: spicy spaghetti, gnocchi, and penne with artichokes. They were all amazing-each executed to perfection. We cleaned our plates with that wonderful warm crusty Italian bread and we were in heaven. So, because we always have a main course and Florence is known for their “steak Florentine” we had steak. Leo said we had to have his spinach and scalloped potatoes with the steak so that’s what we ordered and he was so right. When the steak was ready a small table set with linen was brought out and Leo came with the biggest sharpest knife we had ever seen and filleted this tender, juicy piece of thick meat the skill of a surgeon. When he was finished there was not one speck of meat on the bone. That dinner was so memorable we still talk about it. Of course we ended the meal with Leo’s homemade Tiramisu and Panna Cotta. I’ve run out of words to describe that dessert-both were to die for. Leo then brought us his homemade Lemoncello and our dining experience was complete. I can only say that I am buying more lottery tickets now and praying that the dollar doesn’t get so bad that it’s impossible to travel because I have to get back to “Leo’s Ristorante” soon!

Excellent food, very charming owner. Can't wait to go back. Probably the best pesto I've ever had.