During our (second) honey-moon break in Florence, we wanted to have one special evening to celebrate one year marriage and the renewal of the vows at the church. We did a bit of research on the internet in order to find a place that could be special both for the settings and for the food.

We ended up choosing the Borgo San Jacopo restaurant, in the premises of the same-named hotel, just few blocks from Ponte Vecchio and our hotel. I contacted the restaurant a bit in advance as I wanted to reserve a table in the amazing terrace overlooking the river. They were definitely available to explain me the possibilities and the special evenings they have already in the agenda and to postpone the confirmation of my reservation because of the weather – the terrace in fact is open only during the summer.

We were lucky. That night was just the perfect temperature, not too cold, not too hot. We arrived at the restaurant by cab – just cause I had high heels and Florence’s cobblestones are even worst than those in Luxembourg. We were welcome by the staff and accompanied to our table. The view – ca va sans dire – was amazing, I think you might have the occasion to dine in a place like this few times in your life but it is definitely worth. Moreover, the actual trend is “rooftop” but I would say this restaurant has nothing less than a balcony overlooking the city.

We started with an aperitif – you have the drink list and you can easily decide between cocktails, bubbles and wines. We went for a glass of Franciacorta Millesimato – served perfectly chilled and with the bottle opened at the table. Good start.

The restaurant card has two tasting menu: one regional (“My Tuscany”), based on Tuscany dishes, the other one with a common item – potatoes. There are also lovely dishes a la carte, but we decided to go directly for the regional menu.

We accompanied it with a bottle of Sassicaia 2011. This is one of the greatest wine in Italy – based on my personal opinion and on general wine rankings, and the bottle was definitely worth the price. Moreover, considering the normal price, the restaurant recharge was pretty fair.

The dinner itself was one of the best I had in my life. Check out some pictures and my detailed comments after them:

Things I loved about this restaurant:

Everything. I cannot list something in particular. When we booked here, we did it basically because of the special location. We wanted to eat something “nice” and not too much touristic, but we were never thinking of finding one of the best restaurant we have ever dined in our life.

We loved the atmosphere, romantic, quiet, delicate. We loved the service – take notes Luxembourgish restaurants! – that was always present but never annoying, waiters were smiling, presenting nicely the dishes, offering the bread when over. We loved the timing of the dinner: we definitely had the right time to enjoy all the courses without feeling overwhelmed. And finally, we loved the food – this perfectly balances Italian cuisine with a lovely French accent. Gastronomic, but attentive to details and authentic ingredients. I still dream about the “bottoni” we had as one of the first courses and the “dama” made of chocolate bites was terrific.

I know in Florence there are tons of good restaurants – we tried several just in few days -, but if you are going with your companion and you fancy something unique, you cannot definitely miss Borgo San Jacopo.

Borgo San Jacopo Restaurant, Borgo San Iacopo 62/R – 50125 Florence