Trattoria Florentine

This visit started at ZERO stars. My husband has celiac disease. We told the owner and the server when we came in before we were even seated to be sure accommodations could be made. We were told there was no problem at all. After ordering, my husband gets his salad. We though, «how nice, to be able to get gluten free croutons!» I had a funny feeling and had the server check. Guess what? Not gluten free. We complained to the server, and told her a little info on what gluten is. My husband was nauseous within minutes. The server says she’ll get a manager, but we had to ask 3 more times. The owner finally comes over to talk to us, and he is just the nicest, neatest guy. He offers first to drive my husband to the hospital, which isn’t how celiac works, but how freaking sweet is that?! So, he goes back to babysit my husband’s food through the kitchen to make sure there is no contamination and makes the cook redo several steps just to be sure. He sent us home with a second plate, too. Then comes my wild mushroom lasagna, I thought… it was actually hearty meat lasagna. I’m vegetarian. The one star is for the nice owner. This is the first time I wanted to cry in a restaurant. EVER.

The service here was attentive and friendly. We ate here after the Summit Rock race and were extremely happy to be served drinks before we looked at the menu. Their delicious warm bread and butter kept our hunger at bay until our Calamari, Side Salads and Minestrone Soup arrived. We asked our server for her recommendations and I ended up going with her top, Linguine Pescatore. It had a good selection of perfectly cooked seafood with al dente linguine noodles a light lemon sauce with tomatoes and capers. Our table also had Tagliatelle Bolognese and Chicken Picatta which were both flavorful and cooked well. At first, we thought the portions looked small but they ended up being just right for lunch. They appear to use very large plates, probably meant for dinner so the dishes weren’t full and were deceiving. They have parking in the back so it was an easy choice for us.

We like the place, tasty and affordable. Grilled salmon, mushroom lasagna and pasta mascarpone were really good. Enjoy

Florentine’s is a standard neighborhood old-​time favorite. This DT Saratoga location has been standing for years.
My family’s been getting their take-​out on lazy nights when Mom didn’t want to cook. We always got their fettucine alfredo (comes with chicken, but you can always say no meat), which comes with their delicious pillowy bread and the famous orange cheese spread. I was obsessed with Florentine’s as a kid and always looked forward to seeing their huge aluminum pans with the bags of bread on the side because I knew it was going to be a carb-​lovin’ night.
I haven’t been to Florentine’s ever since I went to college and things like Unilocal and Pasta Market were invented. But Florentine’s was in the area, so I decided to get takeout fettucine for old time’s sake. Maybe the childhood glamor has finally worn off, or times have changed but DT Saratoga remains ever-​so-​ancient. Florentine’s definitely didn’t have the charm I associated it with growing up.
I paid $ 12 (and tipped the tired-​looking cashier girl) for my take-​out, but only had a small portion of fettucine for dinner. It was not worth $ 12 for that small to-​go styrofoam bowl, but I did enjoy the bread. As I sat in the waiting area (awkward staging with a long line of chairs to sit in), I noticed that everything from the carpet to the wallpaper and staging of the restaurant was so outdated. Years have gone by, but Florentine’s remained the same. Sure, some people might enjoy that… and I totally root for them for doing that. However, there are so many other pasta places that have options like subbing meat for broccoli for free, or cheaper dinner prices with bigger portions. Florentine’s will always be special to me, but it’s time for me to give it up.

I just happened upon this restaurant as I was working in Saratoga. I ordered arrabbiata sauce with gluten free spaghetti. It was cooked perfectly. They also bring out this cream cheese spread with the bread that is addicting.

Don’t love all of the dishes here but can always have a standby dish that I love and who doesn’t love the bread and cheese dip? I think I could live on that for weeks. Also a huge fan of the thick minestrone soup with pasta in it. Good ravioli and pasta dishes. Not my favorite for chicken dishes.

Very nice for a family. Good Bella burger. Slightly overcooked so 4 stars. However kids dishes were perfect. For family outing is definitely a place that cater to the kids’ taste.

Our waitress Karla was awesome! Good very knowledgeable sweet and attentive, good recommendations just the right amount of visits to our table felt really taken care of thank you :) we got the calamari so fresh, the lasagna the pasta tasted homemade, cheese pizza and New York cheese cake. Yummy came here for date night will bring kids next time.

Everything’s okay here. Nothing out of this world.
I feel like their bread/​cheese has changed somehow, or was way better last time I came here (which granted, was a while ago). Rigatoni bake was way too cheesy, and just had some weird meat-​pasta-​cheese proportions.

We were here on a Tuesday afternoon we ordered a bread with cheese and we were hoping to be able to eat inside The waitress would not let us eat inside the restaurant even though it was almost completely empty The food was really good but I wish we could’ve eaten inside we have gotten food here before but I don’t see why we had to eat outside

Ok, I’m gonna be honest & say I don’t remember what we ordered & where my phone pics went. I will say the night before my husband & I both spent the night and all day in bed (in a beautiful, expensive hotel room) after a fine dining «experience» which left us vomiting, sick & weak all day. By later the next evening we were ready for a little food in our bellies and had the strength to leave the room & walk a bit. I’m sure we both looked like death tho!
When we arrived we added our name to the short list. A bit later a «manager» of some sorts takes his food into a back room. A few minutes later a couple entered. He rushed out & began to command the staff to bring them wine, serve them an appetizer & get them a table. WTH? We had been waitin 15+ mins at that point & the place wasn’t full. I went to the hostess stand to inquire. The lady behind the podium was SO kind & apologetic & accommodating. I really wish I’d gotten her name! All I know is within minutes we had bread, cheese spread & pasta of some kind. The server was friendly, kind, gracious & enjoyable. The food was yummy, warm & a great value. Will return without hesitation!

My mother and I stepped in here to have a quick lunch bite. Themenu was pretty big, you could find whatever you wanted on it really, but sometimes you had to mix and match! For instance, the pasta and sauce I wanted was in the veggie menu but I asked for sausage and they gladly gave it. My mother mixed Pesto with penne and mushrooms, which totally wasn’t on the menu together. I love how willing they are to accommodate what you want!
The food it self, was… very fresh but not the best Italian I’ve had. It was good, but nothing amazing. If the service wasn’t so great, They would be getting 3 stars, but the staff are really kind. To be honest, the food was a little overpriced.
One thing I also liked was that the restaurant had a neighborhood feel, there were a lot of regulars there and it really felt like a family Italian restaurant.
I guess if you’re coming here, you’re probably coming for not just the food, but everything that comes with it!

My family has been coming to Florentine’s for years. It;s our go-​to Italian family restaurant.
It all starts with a traditional family décor and the complimentary bread. The triangular shaped bread is so soft and dough, served warm with a nice herbal glaze. It’s reason alone to come.
The for my main I always get the ciopinno. It’s a large stew of seafood — clams, mussels, shrimps, and scallops. It’s the best. It’s served with garlic bread for dipping. It’s the ultimate treat. Try to save some of the table bread for extra dipping or order a side of plain pasta to pour the broth over.

This place was A-​okay. After a long hike with my friends in big basin, we decided to stop by here because of convenience. and also because we remembered how much we LOVED their bread/​cheese spread back during our high school days.
The first thing we realized was that they don’t do free bread anymore! :(It is now $ 3.50 a basket of bread/​cheese spread. In addition, they make it mandatory that each person spends at least $ 10. So. I guess you can’t really come here just for their cheese bread. Also, there was a sharing fee of $ 2 for the entrees.
I got the pasta with alfredo sauce, chicken, and mushrooms. It was pretty good! My friends thought it was good as well and really enjoyed the chicken. My other friend got a pesto gnocchi. He absolutely loves pesto, and seemed to love the sauce here! He even dipped the bread in the gnocchi’s sauce… haha. I thought this dish was only okay, upon trying a few pieces.
Overall, this place is a bit more expensive, but what do you expect. it’s in DT Saratoga. I miss the days of free and unlimited bread. but. oh well

Nothing special for an italian place, things are pretty average. I’d heard a lot about the cheese sauce that comes with the bread, but it was pretty dissappointing. It tasted kind of like the fake cheese you get with instant mac, and I ended up eating the bread plain.
I got the mushroom lasagne, which was decent. Again, nothing to write home about, and with my bill for just that dish coming to a little over $ 20 (including tip) I think it was overpriced for its quality. Probably won’t be coming back.

The Wife and I needed a place to eat before a Mountain Winery event, and as usual, I waited until the last minute to check Unilocal!for the recs.
I was a little nervous about 3 ½ stars, but sometimes beggars can’t be choosers. The Good News is that I’m really not sure why it’s 3 ½ stars. I easily give it four and perhaps just a bit higher.
We were seated quickly in a room with fair décor; the tables were clean and the chairs were sturdy, there is a bar/​open kitchen in the front.
Some have complained about the service, in our case, the waitress was efficient and very friendly. We had our waters and wine quickly, the wine pours were 5 ounces only. Warm, seasoned pita-​like bread was served with a cheese spread, pretty tasty. There may have been a slight delay on the entrée service time, but it wasn’t really noticeable. House salads are a bit on the disappointing side, you’ll get similar quality from a cafeteria salad bar.
I had the cioppino, and it was in the upper band of my cioppino experiences. Lots of seafood and a good tomato based sauce, although the crostini was okay. The Wife had a seafood penne that overstuffed her.
The price was very reasonable, with a glass of wine each we were way under a Benjamin, and that’s including the tip.
Given we’ll be back at the Mountain Winery again for an 80’s concert or something like it, we’ll probably come here again.

Maybe a place to take your kids or teenage date.
I would question whether or not anything in this establishment is made from scratch.
Processed canned food turned into a sad example of Italian food.

An institution. Eaten here about 50+ times over the years. I keep coming back.
First time coming was with my then Italian boyfriend from 1990 that I still keep in touch with. He still goes because we’ve seen him and his wife here too!
My kid the picky eater LOVES this place. Bringing kids? Ask the server for the cheese ravioli with the Romano sauce. Da bomb
My husband LOVES the Seafood pasta dish with prawns mussels squid scallops and clams. He loves it and craves this fish pasta dish. Sorry don’t have Italian name of it.
My current usual is eggplant parmigiana.
These meals come with soup or salad. We usual order salads.
**Try to come Friday nights. The clam chowder is fantastic. You can taste the herbs, very good. Like an Italian grandma cooked it**
Did I mention the bread?! Hot and heavenly! lol
Hot summer nights means you have romantic outdoor eating.
They also have a banquet room for very large family gatherings. We’ve seen geriatric birthdays to graduation parties very frequently.

Wow, all of the not so positive reviews make me a little sad. I’m going to go with a 3.5 (rounding up because I liked the food), and the reason for docking 1.5 stars is such:
The service here could stand to be improved. Significantly. My family had a 7pm dinner reservation here. I was running late for dinner, so I thought that I would arrive just as they were finishing up. But lo and behold, when I walked in to the restaurant at 7:40, my family was JUST being seated. A 40 minute wait even with a reservation? That’s a little bit ridiculous. I was amazed that my family was not more pissed off by that.
Food-​wise though, I was pleased with what I got.
The bread and cheese spread here, as has been said in many other reviews, are quite good.
The salad, while fresh, was unimpressive. Don’t come here expecting a fancy garden salad or anything.
The calamari was pretty standard, but the good kind of standard. (Sidebar: whenever I eat calamari, I always think of the «Dopplegangers» episode of «This American Life» and wonder if I’m eating pork bung instead of squid. Seriously, it’s a good episode. Calamari will never be the same again after you listen to it.)
I have forgotten the precise name of the pasta that I ordered, and it is not listed on their online menu either. But whatever it was called, it was divine. It was a seafood pasta with scallops, mussels, clams, and shrimp in a «spicy» tomato sauce. I didn’t think the tomato sauce was that spicy (read: it was not spicy at all…), but it was quite delicious! I am normally a bigger fan of white sauces than red sauces, but this pasta was absolutely delicious. I was most impressed by the fact that they didn’t skimp on the seafood like so many other restaurants like to do. The scallops were ginormous!
I snuck bites of the linguine portofino and the linguine piscatore also, and they were both scrumptious as well. But I was still partial to my order.
We also decided to pair our meal with some wine. We asked our waiter if the house wine was good. His response? A long, slow head shake.
We went with a different wine.
tl;dr: I am definitely a fan of the specialty pastas here, but seriously, a 40 minute wait with a reservation is still ridiculous.

When we first arrived, nobody approached us to seat us. We ended up having to walk up to somebody to ask for attention. Oh, and it wasn’t crowded.
When we were seated I asked if there were any non-​vegetarian dishes with gnocchi but I was told that, no there aren’t and then he walked away. Maybe I expect more from pricey Italian places but he really could have offered to make one. I’ve made pasta, I know it can be done!
The pasta was okay. Just okay. The clam chowder was really good though!
I don’t think I’d come back. I can find better entrees for much less than $ 20.