Il Gusto di Xinge

The Verdict

If you have already eaten at Il Gusto di Xinge once, you already know the answer: go back. This is the kind of €€ restaurant that delivers a level of craft that feels out of step with its price point, the Michelin Plate recognition in both 2024 and 2025 confirms that this is not a local secret being oversold. For Florence specifically, where the competition at the leading end is almost entirely Italian-focused, Il Gusto di Xinge fills a gap that no other venue in the city fills in quite the same way. Asian contemporary cooking, Chinese-led technique, French and Italian influence, a dining room that takes the experience seriously; all at a price that makes a return visit a low-stakes decision.

What to Expect on a Return Visit

On a first visit, the room is the first surprise. The interior at Piazzale della Porta al Prato runs in warm brown tones that evoke the form of a teapot, interrupted by flashes of blue and modern leather chairs. It reads more considered than most mid-range restaurants in Florence allow themselves to be. On a return visit, that novelty fades, what remains is the cooking itself; which is where this place justifies its reputation.

The kitchen operates with a Chinese chef whose reference points extend beyond a single tradition. The base is Chinese, including dim sum, but French and Italian influence filters through in ways that feel deliberate rather than opportunistic. The result is a cuisine that borrows from three strong traditions and does not feel confused by any of them. For a regular returning guest, the practical question is: what to order this time.

The Michelin inspector's specific recommendation is the Dream of Red Chambers dish, lychee-shaped balls filled with shrimp and melted cheese, named after the classical Chinese novel. This is the dish most worth anchoring your meal around if you have not had it yet. The combination of shrimp and melted cheese inside a lychee form reads like a culinary in-joke between three food cultures, the fact that it works is the clearest signal of what the kitchen is capable of. If you had it on your first visit, order it again; it is the dish that leading explains why this restaurant holds Michelin recognition at the €€ tier.

On the subject of scent: the kitchen at this price range in Florence tends toward olive oil and garlic. What is different here is the aromatic register that comes with a Chinese-influenced kitchen, spice, fermented depth, steam rather than the roasted and browned notes that dominate Florentine cooking. It is not dramatic, but it signals immediately that you are somewhere operating on a different set of flavours, which is part of the appeal in a city where dining options are heavily weighted toward one regional tradition.

Value and Tier Positioning

The €€ price range is the single most important practical fact about Il Gusto di Xinge. Florence's Michelin-recognised restaurant list is heavily concentrated at €€€€: Enoteca Pinchiorri, Santa Elisabetta, Gucci Osteria da Massimo Bottura, Atto di Vito Mollica, and Borgo San Jacopo all sit in the top tier on price. Il Gusto di Xinge operates two tiers below that and still carries Michelin recognition. That gap matters. If you want Michelin-level cooking in Florence without committing to a €€€€ dinner, this is a short list of one.

At this price point, consistency is the harder thing to sustain, the dual Michelin Plate years suggest the kitchen is not coasting. For a regular visitor, that consistency is the thing most worth trusting, you are not gambling on whether the kitchen is having a good night.

For context on how Asian contemporary cooking performs at this level elsewhere, Willow in Singapore and Blackitch in Chiang Mai operate in the same genre. Il Gusto di Xinge is not in the same city as those benchmarks, but it is doing something structurally similar, bringing precision to an informal price point, in a European dining context where Asian contemporary cooking is far less common.

Practical Notes

Florence Context

Florence is an exceptionally strong restaurant city for Italian cooking, Enoteca Pinchiorri alone holds three Michelin stars and sits among Italy's most serious wine destinations. For a broader view of where Il Gusto di Xinge fits within the full range of options, see our full Florence restaurants guide. If you are planning a longer stay, our Florence hotels guide, bars guide, wineries guide, and experiences guide cover the rest of the city's offering.

Elsewhere in Italy, if the combination of craft cooking at accessible prices interests you, Osteria Francescana in Modena, Dal Pescatore in Runate, Uliassi in Senigallia, Quattro Passi in Marina del Cantone, Reale in Castel di Sangro, and Atelier Moessmer Norbert Niederkofler in Brunico each offer a different tier of ambition across the country.