Firenze

Love it!. I spent a semester in college in Rome, and I've rarely found food that matched true "Italian". Bottega Fiorentina, however, came VERY close to the real thing! The service was awesome, wine menu great, and ambience was unbeatable. Every time I go I really feel like I'm back in Italy! Make sure to call ahead- very small and limited seating. Definately worth every penny!…

Mediocre service and ambience but excellent food. The service could be better and the atmosphere isn't astounding, being in a small basement and all, but the food is absolutely worth it. If you are ok with putting up with a bit of waiting, and what is clearly an understaffed restaurant, you'll find that the food is worth your patience. I highly recommend the tuna rizotto, the carpaccio, (for those who love rare meat and a fresh salad) and to top off the evening with some traditional, home-made Tiramisu. Though the business info does not indicate that reservations are required, I would highly recommend making them before going to ensure a good seat and minimal wait-time on what could potentially be busy days/hours.…

Good food, questionable management. I read the recent reviews and it was with some trepediation that my boyfriend and I went to this restaurant the other night. It was right around the corner from our house, however, and immediately near the Coolidge Corner theatre -- we decided to take the risk. We were promptly seated without reservations (although those who followed us weren't so lucky and were turned away) but, after being seated, we waited 15 minutes before we were asked about water and... yes... another 5 minutes before we were able to order wine. 10 more minutes followed before we could order food. Oh, did I forget to mention the table next to us was curiously decorated with two full plates of food, a half consumed bottle of wine... and no patrons? They had, evidently, left in quite the huff... likely because of the slow service.

Having some experience with this, we politely asked our rather harried server if something had gone awry. (He was the only person we saw during 2.5 hours... he was the host, server, bus boy and telephone operator.) He conceded the other server had called in sick, the chef had a broken ankle, and the kitchen assistant spoke only a smattering of English (hardly an indictable offense but certainly limited his ability to help). So, the slow service was no fault of our intrepid waiter but, if judging by the previous reviews, does seem to indicate the owners or management isn't taking as active an interest in the restaurant as they may have in the past.

Oh... the food. It was great! I had the beef carpaccio and my partner had a great chicken dish. Selection of appetizers was limited, but of good quality. The wine list was small but respectable, as well. We plan on going back, but only when we're in no hurry. Note to management: Get it together, give your server with the slightly unruly hair a raise, and pray he doesn't leave. He never complained, but if I were in his position I'd have walked out. As customers, we nearly did.…

Avoid when you can. I have no idea when this restaurant was last reviewed but this week the bread was dry, the olives were out of a can, and the service was horrible. I would advise against the garlic bread (oil soaked dry bread with garlic). The only thing that is left of the old restaurant is the price.…