I’m not a food writer. I wish I was. I love food. Worship it, even. Yet, I am not a food writer. However, in my travels, certain meals, certain restaurants, certain bars, make me wish to heaven above that I am a food writer. They inspire me, even, to believe that I could be a food writer. Antica Macelleria Cecchini, Dario Cecchini’s “restaurant” (he calls it a butcher’s shop) in Panzano, Italy, is just such a place. Read on for my guide to visiting.

Antica Macelleria Cecchini is one of several businesses that Dario Cecchini runs throughout Tuscany. If you don’t know who he is, for God’s sake, do your homework, here and here and here. Dario’s an Italian butcher that has gained international fame for his dedication to the craft, his vivacious personality, and the excellent, excellent meals you can find at his stores. While he has avoided calling them restaurants in the past, Antica Macelleria Cecchini might be better called a monument to meat. It is world famous for it’s atmosphere, amazing meat, and for the experience of dining there. We booked our meal in via their website. While they may accept walk-ins, Antica Macelleria Cecchini is an extremely popular little joint, and Dario Cecchini is something of a celebrity in Italy, so you’d be better off booking.

We started our night off at 8 pm in the foyer of the butcher’s shop. Here, we could see Dario at work, carving up steaks for our dinner. He was focussed, not at all perturbed by the tourists filming him at work. However, we were treated to some amazing house wine (chianti is excellent), and were left to mingle with the other guests who had started filtering into the waiting area. I would seriously advise you to start making conversation at this point - all of the seating in the restaurant upstairs is communal, so you’ll want to start engaging with everybody sooner, rather than later!

After sampling some small cold cuts of meat and bread, we were taken upstairs to the main dining area. The communal vibe was extremely casual - with the staff doing their best to get everyone seated and ready for the meal. The environment was relaxed, there were bottles of wine ready to go on each table, and we immediately started talking to an Italian couple to our right, and shortly started making conversation to a Russian couple to our left. After we were served the first course of Beef Tartare (extremely out of this world good), we started to discuss all sorts of topics; our jobs back home, the European union, driving in Italy. The wine was flowing, we were making new friends, life was good. By the time we were being served the first of three steaks (yes, three), we’d started to pour one another glasses of wine. the setting was so excellently casual that it just puts you at ease. the meat we ate was superb. The type of meat that surpasses mere words, and enters the realm of the religious. Each steak we were served up came on a massive communal platter - you could eat as much or as little as you liked. The staff were attentive, keen to have a laugh, and eager to feed everyone as much as humanly possible. we ate the point of ridiculousness - how could this only cost us 50 euro, we kept wondering. Yet the food kept coming, the conversation didn’t let up, and the night wore on.

As the night wore on, and we progressed through Costata alla Fiorentina, Bistecca Panzanese, Bistecca Fiorentina, an amazing baked potato and some panetone for desert, the magic of the evening really began. We’d actually made friends with both couples around us - had shared contact details, and spoken about how amazing it was to share a meal with new friends. This, I think, is the point of Antica Macelleria Cecchini - this is what Dario wants people to be doing. He doesn’t want us focussed on taking photos of the food - he wants us to enjoy it, to meet new people, to have fun.

We finished the night with a small shot of grappa - Dario greeted each person at each table and made sure they had enjoyed their meal. It was an extremely satisfying end to an amazing night. You could see how much he cares about the food that he serves, that he wants you to love it as much as he clearly does. It was, in short, a night unlike any other.

You can book a table at Antica Macelleria Cecchini via their website here. They only serve a set menu for 50 euro per person. This includes table wine, although you can bring whatever wine you want, and they don’t do corkage fees (which is super, super, super rare in Italy). the place is designed to be communal, so bring your best social skills. They also offer a vegetarian menu, which you can get access by request. I would also strongly recommend that you fast somewhat before going - there is a reason the tasting menu is called ‘an end to hunger’ and why they don’t recommend ‘people of little appetite,’ attending. They offer sittings at lunch (2 seatings at 1.00 pm and 1:30 pm ) and dinner (2 seatings at 8.00 pm and 8:30 pm).

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