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Castellina: Antica Trattoria La Torre

Piazza del Comune , Phone: 0577/740236
www.anticatrattorialatorre.com

Reviewed by: AndrewG from CA, review #3675

When: 2010

This is probably the best known restaurant in town, and it was amazingly packed with a few locals and many tourists. We were underwhelmed.

The tables are crowded together, the service is a little too quick and not particularly warm and, while the pasta dishes are good, the meat and fowl dishes, although flavorful, were dry, clearly having been cooked longer than necessary. No need to return.

Reviewed by: Gene from VA, review #1171

When: 2004

Great, traditional Tuscan restaurant in the best of the wine towns of Chianti.

My wife and I ate there on a Sunday afternoon for a fabulous lunch among locals and tourists, all of whom were treated like family, even if there were only two waiters to go around for a fairly large crowd. Not inventive in any way, but they have good traditional Tuscan appetizers, like crostini, bruschette, and beans, and excellent pastas with traditional sauces, like arrabiata and cinghiale. The best part was the roasted meats - chicken, pork, boar, and beef were wood-oven roasted and fantastic, especially on a blustery, season-changing September day.

As I mentioned, there are tourists there, of every stripe - we counted Americans, French and Germans. There were also lots of locals, including the pastor of the church just down the square from the restaurant. It looked like lots of people headed there right after Mass, so if you are there on a Sunday, make sure you make reservations - we saw multiple parties without reservations turned away during our two and a half hour stay. Lots of good wines, fairly priced, from around Castellina and eslewhere in the Chianti Classico region. We'd go back there in a minute. You can eat a fairly hefty meal there for about $30 a person, wine included.

Reviewed by: Doru from Canada, review #709

When: 2003

One of the best dinners we had anywhere in Italy.

The dinner was, without a doubt, a success. I started with a ribollita chiantigiana, which turned out to be less fluid than the one I usually have in Toronto at Tutti Matti, or in Florence, but very good if a bit heavy.

The waiter asked my wife solicitously whether she wished to wait with the primo or to bring it while I have the soup. She elected to wait and later followed in good order pollo alla roti con verdure calde miste for her, maltagliate con porcini e prosciutto, a delicious pasta with a heady herb sauce, and costoleccio di maiale con patate frite for me. I treated myself to a half bottle of Brolio Ricasoli.

One of the best dinners we had anywhere in Italy, complete with water, coffees, coperto included, cost us 53 euro, 60 euro with the tip, too good to be true. No dessert, because earlier that day we had already visited L’Antica Delizia (see review) for gelato.

Reviewed by: Jane from CA, review #86

When: 2001

Not Recommended: We really, really did not like our meal here; although, many people had recommended it to us.

It is quite reasonably priced but so were other places which were much better. We felt the quality of the food to be inferior.

Reviewed by: Karen from PA, review #85

When: 2001

Good service, half bottles of wine and pasta with rabbit sauce, and wild boar stew. Along with a lightly dressed salad, it's a nice way to spend a couple hours in the afternoon.

This review is the opinion of a Slow Travel member and not of slowtrav.com.

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Castellina: Antica Trattoria La Torre

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