Trattoria da Ruggero

This place was definitely worth the trip away from the city center. It’s about a 20 minute walk from the area of the Ponte Vecchio. Food was very tasty and the service was extremely friendly. Come hungry because the portions are huge. You might consider splitting either the pasta or the meat courses with another diner.
I had the most incredible lamb shank I’ve ever eaten and the pork chop (called «Arista») was tender and very flavorful. The food was not sophisticated, but for plain Tuscan cooking could not be surpassed.

Dad found this place on trip advisor and said that we had to go. I looked it up on Unilocal and this place really checked out. We were the first ones to be seated in the back room. It was nice and cozy. Our waiter explained each dish on the menu to us since our Italian was no good. We studied it a bit and then ordered. With our food we got sparkling and flat water along with their house wine. The wine was great, I drank my entire glass which is rare for me.
To start we got the tortellini in chicken broth and ribolita. Both were warm and comforting just the taste of Italy. The chicken broth was homemade of course, I could tell by the tiny sparkling bubbles of oil on its surface. Always a good sign. Even after the soft pillows of cheesy tortellini were gone we still took spoonfuls of broth. The ribolita was probably my favorite dish of the entire meal. Hearty, flavorful and warm, great for a rainy day in Florence. I wish I had eaten more of it.
Dad and I split the boiled beef tongue with parsley, olive oil and garlic sauce. It was my Dad’s first time trying beef tongue and he approved. He discovered he was a «tongue guy». We also had side orders of asparagus and artichokes. The veggies were unbelievably tasty, best vegetables I’ve ever had. Both were super tender and delicious. I also tried my Aunt’s Italian sausage and my Uncle’s pork chop. The Italian sausage was a little salty, but nice and crispy. The pork chop wasn’t dry at all, just juicy and meaty. I took my Aunt’s ossobucco bone marrow since she didn’t want any and ate it with bread. If you get the ossobucco don’t miss out on the fatty bone marrow.
We tried to stay light for dessert, but failed as always. I ordered the lemon sorbet, Dad got the caramel crème and my Aunt got the chocolate pear cake. The lemon sorbet wasn’t sour, just icy and refreshing. The caramel crème was eggy and tasted of caramelized sugar, best flan I’ve ever had. The cake was a bit heavier and I couldn’t really make out the pear in it, but the cake was moist and had a light chocolaty flavor. Great way to end a great meal. It was nice to get out of the city and eat here.

Amazing typical trattoria just outside of the city center. It’s definitely worth a cab ride to experience an authentic Tuscan meal here! Try the crostini to start then followed by one of their daily pastas (the menu changes daily!) and finish with their country chicken and roasted potatoes. All is delicious! A must!

When I feel like having a true tuscan meal I go to Ruggero.
For some time, while living in that neighbor, I was doing take-​out too. So easy. So good.
Two things are important to remember: you need reservation and you don’t want to go there to spend a whole evening. Ruggero works on two shifts, at least for dinner, so you can eat antipasto-​primo-​secondo and dolce in 1 hour if you want :)
I tried many dishes, almost all I could say.
My favorites: spaghetti alla carrettiera, arista, braciole rifatte con carciofi, truffle eggs and tagliolini in season, castagnaccio in season, zucchine and pomodori ripieni in season, pici… OMG I should say I like all, that would be faster!
Service is kind and naturally raw, I know and like very much Paola and his brother the Chef Ricardo, and Daniele… the best waiter ever, to me.

My boyfriend FINALLY took me to this small trattoria on via Romana after always raving about how good it is. We got seated right away in the back, a small Tuscan countryside-​decorated room with paintings all over the walls. The inside is small and charming, with wooden tables and chairs and wood paneling. We started with a liver crostini, a half liter of red wine, and I got the involtino con carciofi, which was a divine meat dish wrapped around ham and artichoke. It came quickly, stewing in its own sauce and oils. So fragrant and tender! My boyfriend got a filet, cooked perfectly and tender beyond belief on the inside. We were happy to share with each other, and I tried the filet in the involtino’s sauce — give it a go, it’s fantastic!
Both our dishes came with roasted/​grilled rosemary potatoes, which were the perfect complement to the meat.
A fantastic lunch for 40 euro!

What a great restaurant! It is a smallish, charming set of two rooms, both with a lot of original woodwork. The tables are spaced nicely despite the size of the place. Our server was a very nice guy whose English was flawless and who patiently explained the Italian menu to each table of English speakers. Considering how far this is from the city center, we were surprised to see so many non-​Italians here, but don’t let that deter you from eating here.
My daughter started with some fantastic, sweet prosciutto and I had the crostini Toscana with ground, spiced chicken liver. Both were fantastic. I then had spaghetti with a spicy tomato sauce and she had penne in a meat ragú. Both were so good, especially mine.
We shared a perfectly cooked veal chop that was served simply with a half lemon to squeeze over it. It was crackling on the outside and tender and juicy inside. At € 15, a fantastic bargain.
We had créme caramel and chocolate cake foe dessert, both delicious. All this, plus a small bottle of good Chianti and two bottles of still water came to € 66! A meal of similar quality in NYC or Paris would cost twice that easily.
Highly recommend dinner here! Thanks to my colleague who suggested it.

Vorspeise: Ribolita, Hauptgericht: Bistecca alla fiorentina (1kg, allerbestes Fleisch, von jeder Seite kurz scharf gegrillt, innen absolut blutig, aber sehrm sehr lecker, das Fleisch zerging regelrecht auf der Zunge) Nachtisch: weiß ich nicht mehr, dazu Wein, Brot und Wasser. Das ganze in toller, familärer Atmosphäre. Absolut TOP!