Bistecca alla Fiorentina Is a Two Pound Steak, and That’s Not a Typo

Bistecca alla Fiorentina is not a normal restaurant steak order. It typically starts at over a kilo, more than two pounds, and it is priced by weight, not as a per person entree.

That single detail changes how you should be ordering it as a family, so it is worth knowing before the menu shows up.

It comes from Chianina cattle, a Tuscan breed that has been raised in this region for a very long time, cut thick, usually including the bone, and grilled hard over a wood or charcoal fire. It is served rare, properly rare, seared dark on the outside and cool and red in the center, and a real Florentine kitchen will not cook it further just because a table asks. Ordering it well done in Florence is a bit like ordering a well done cut of prime rib at a serious American steakhouse. It can technically be done, but you are working against what the dish actually is.

Here is the part that matters most for a family of five. One bistecca is meant to be shared across the table, not ordered per person. A steak this size, cut this thick, easily serves three to four adults as a main course alongside sides, so a family of five ordering one bistecca plus a side of white beans or roasted potatoes and maybe one smaller dish for a picky eater is usually plenty of food, not too little. Families who do not realize this sometimes order one per person and end up with an overwhelming amount of meat and an enormous bill neither one was necessary.

It is priced by weight on the menu, usually listed per hundred grams or per kilo rather than as a flat price, which throws people who are used to seeing one number next to a steak. Ask the server to confirm the total price for your specific cut before it goes on the grill if the menu math is not clear, since a large steak at a per weight price can add up faster than you expect.

For a kid who is not going to eat rare beef no matter how it is explained to them, that is completely fine. Order the bistecca for the table and let a reluctant kid fill up on the sides and bread, or order something smaller and grilled through for them specifically. Nobody in Florence expects every single person at a table to eat the same thing, and a good trattoria will not blink at a simple grilled chicken request alongside the main event.

Pair it with nothing fussy. White beans cooked simply in olive oil, a green salad, bread. The steak is the entire point of the meal and the sides know to stay out of its way.

If your family eats meat and you are only ordering one splurge dinner in Florence, this is the one worth building an evening around.

More on where to eat in Florence on the Florence city guide.