Solociccia

Of course nowadays this butcher's shop and restaurant are so famous that it is impossible to keep the cosy atmosphere of the old days completely unchanged. And yet: at a very reasonable price and with friendly service they manage to still convey the feeling of being at a neighbour's barbecue party. And what a feast it is! The dishes keep coming and so does the wine until no one can eat anything anymore. Very fresh and well cooked meats and raw vegetables served with Chianti wine. A dream. Reserve at least a week in advance, arrive on time and be amazed.

Normally you need to book months in advance to get into this very popular meat loving restaurant. It is famous all over Italy. We were lucky to get a spot for two on the same day. It is a degustation meal and comes with unlimited water, Chianti wine, bread, and second serves of meat. Their philosophy is to eat all the cow and that they do. You get plates from the muzzle to the butt. It finished with a homemade local cake, coffee and grappa. For €40 per person. You are put on communal table which just makes the experience better, as you meet people from all over the world.

We had no real idea of the celebrity status of the owner, so had no expectations or bias coming in. I enjoy the concept of making tasty food out of lesser used cuts and it was was a really enjoyable experience overall. The butcher himself showed up a couple times and was really friendly and willing to take photos with fans. I have to say however, that the staff were really unhelpful during our arrival and departure. In the email we were instructed to arrive early to enjoy an aperitif but they didn't even inform us of where to get this, we had to ask our table-mates. When we wanted to pay, the staff were more keen to chat amongst themselves and let us stand there. During the lunch, the staff just seemed to want to get the job over and done with and almost never told us what it was that they were serving us. The food itself was great, though I didn't find it to be exceptional. The wine was delicious as was expected for being in the heart of Chianti. As a couple, you're seated with others and luckily our table-mates were fun and interesting people, otherwise the atmosphere would have been poor. I would still say it was worth the experience, though I wouldn't eat there again.