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Restaurants in Florence
Florence is awash with restaurants, though many in the most touristy areas (around the Duomo, Piazza della Signoria, Piazza della Repubblica, and Ponte Vecchio) are of low quality, charge high prices, or both. We point out a few that are worth a visit. The highest concentrations of excellent ristoranti and trat ...
Florence is awash with restaurants, though many in the most touristy areas (around the Duomo, Piazza della Signoria, Piazza della Repubblica, and Ponte Vecchio) are of low quality, charge high prices, or both. We point out a few that are worth a visit. The highest concentrations of excellent ristoranti and trattorie are around Santa Croce and across the river in the Oltrarno and San Frediano. Bear in mind that menus at restaurants in Tuscany can change weekly or even (at some of the very best places) daily. Reservations are strongly recommended if you have your heart set on eating anywhere, especially at dinner on weekends.
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Raw Food
A Crudo
The name means "raw," which provides a clue to the strengths of this restaurant. A short carpaccio list includes venison with bitter citrus and pink peppercorn vinaigrette. But the real star is the meat tartare, done in traditional style, as well as in such creative combos as…$$$In the Oltrarno, San Niccolò & San Frediano
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Florentine/Light Fare
Bondi
To label this place behind the Mercato Centrale a mere sandwich joint is like describing the Super Bowl as “a football game.” Bondi specializes in piadine in the Florentine style, prepped to order from a long list of traditional and unusual combinations. Order at the bar and take a…$Near San Lorenzo & the Mercato Centrale
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Vegetarian
Brac
An artsy cafe-bookshop for most of the day, at lunch and dinner this place turns into one of Florence's best spots for vegetarian or vegan food. There are plenty of seasonal salads and creative pasta dishes, but a piatto unico works out best value for hungry diners: one combo plate…$$Near Santa Croce
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Tuscan
Cibrèo
This restaurant blazed a trail when it opened in 1979, and it is still a place to discover reliable, high-end Florentine cooking overseen by head chef Fabio Picchi. Traditional Tuscan ingredients are prepared simply, combined creatively, and presented with a touch of style. Oh, and…$$$Near Santa Croce
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Tuscan
Coquinarius
There is a regular menu here—pasta; mains such as pork filet with peaches, rosemary, and balsamic vinegar; traditional desserts. But the real pleasure is tucking into a couple of sharing plates and quaffing from an excellent wine list. Go for something from an extensive carpaccio…$$Near the Duomo & Piazza della Signoria
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Florentine
Da Rocco
This tiny trattoria inside Sant’Ambrogio Market is our favorite place for a bargain lunch. Behind a takeout counter is an enclosed seating area with snug booths. Hearty dishes of lasagne, roast meats like coniglio (rabbit), and salt cod stewed with tomatoes cost 5€ to 7€. The house…$Near Santa Croce
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Florentine
Da Tito
Every night feels like party night at one of central Florence’s rare genuine neighborhood trattorias. (For that reason, it’s usually packed—book ahead.) The dishes are classic Florentine, with a few modern Italian curveballs: Start, perhaps, with the risotto con piselli e guanciale…$$Near San Marco
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Pizza
GustaPizza
Florentines aren’t known for their pizza-making skills, so I guess it’s just as well that this place is run by Calabrians. Pizzas are in the Naples style, with fluffy crusts, doughy bases, and just the classic toppings on a menu that you could write on the back of a napkin: The likes…$In the Oltrarno
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Light Fare
I Due Fratellini
This hole-in-the-wall has been serving food to go since 1875. The drill is simple: Choose your sandwich filling, pick a drink, then eat your fast-filled roll on the curb opposite or find a perch in a nearby piazza. There are around 30 fillings to choose from, including the usual…$Near the Duomo & Piazza della Signoria
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Tuscan
Il Latini
This place is the closest you’ll come in downtown Florence to the experience of digging into a hearty, gut-busting meal at a typical Tuscan countryside osteria. It’s a place where everyone jams together under a canopy of hanging hams and makes like they’re dining at a tavern on some…$$Near Piazza Santa Trinita
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Florentine
Il Magazzino
A traditional osteria that specializes in the flavors of old Florence. It looks the part, too, with its terracotta tiled floor and barrel vault, chunky wooden furniture, and hanging lamps. If you dare, this is a place to try tripe or lampredotto (intestines), the traditional food of…$$In the Oltrarno
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Tuscan/Grill
Il Nutino
This tiny, traditional joint has been in business since the 1950s. It’s become our go-to for bistecca alla fiorentina, in both classic and marbled styles. Whichever you choose, your meat spends a short time on the grill and is best served simply with roasted potatoes and fagioli al…$$Near San Lorenzo & the Mercato Centrale
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Contemporary Italian
Il Santo Bevitore
Sure, this place has lost its original in-the-know, local buzz. But the commitment to top produce served simply, and a trademark take on Tuscan ingredients, is unwavering—and reservations are still a must. Carefully sourced cold cuts make an ideal sharing antipasto: prosciutto crudo…$$In the Oltrarno
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Japanese/Sushi
Kome
Perch at the downstairs counter to get the best out of this fashionable Japanese joint. The vibe and decor are more 21st century than Medici, with a contoured wooden ceiling sculpture and lots of glass. Grab the dishes as they spin around the bar on a conveyor belt; the sashimi,…$$Near Santa Croce
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Japanese
Koto Ramen
Ramen’s march to world domination continues, in a city whose culinary traditions could hardly be further from Tokyo. The cooking here is authentic, however, with each item on the short menu based on a deep, rich broth that’s made in house (as are the noodles). The “tantan” ramen,…$$Near San Marco
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Florentine/Grill
La Gratella
It doesn’t look much—a workers’ canteen on a nondescript side street—but looks don’t matter much when you can source and cook meat like they do here. Star of the show is the bistecca alla fiorentina, a large T-bone-like cut grilled on the bone and brought to the table over coals. It…$$Near San Marco & the Mercado Centrale
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Florentine
Mario
There is no doubt that this traditional market workers’ trattoria is now firmly on the tourist trail. But Mario’s clings to the traditions and ethos it adopted when it first fired up the kitchen burners 60 years ago. Food is simple and hearty and served at communal benches—“check in”…$Near San Lorenzo & the Mercato Centrale
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Gourmet Food Hall
Mercato Centrale
In 2014 the upper floor of Florence’s produce market reopened as a bustling shrine to Italian street food. Counters sell dishes from all over the country: pasta, authentic Neapolitan pizza, vegetarian and vegan fare, cold cuts and cheeses, fresh fish dishes, Chianina burgers and…$Near San Lorenzo & the Mercato Centrale
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Florentine
Nerbone
Since 1872, this place has been serving simple Florentine food to go from a stall inside the covered market. It is famous for its panino con bollito, sliced beef boiled in its own juices and served warm in a roll. Nerbone is also strong on classic Florentine workers’ food like…$Near San Lorenzo & the Mercato Centrale
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Tuscan
Osteria del Porcellino
So many characterful restaurants of “old Florence” have dropped standards in the age of mass tourism, but not this place. Traditional Tuscan is what they do best, and pasta dishes such as pappardelle with wild boar sauce are always tasty. Follow that with a tagliata (sliced steak)…$$$Near the Ponte Vecchio
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Modern Tuscan
Osteria dell’Enoteca
Opened in 2017 by experienced wine bar owners, this place majors in reasonably priced, refined dining. Traditional flavors dominate, although combinations are just as often modern, in such dishes as a poached egg “affogato,” floating in a pecorino cheese cream with wild mushrooms.…$$In the Oltrarno, San Niccolò & San Frediano
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Modern Tuscan
Osteria di Giovanni
If only every Tuscan restaurant in town was this good. Family-run Osteria di Giovanni is a standout in this category and therefore always buzzing: You should reserve even in low season. Meat is a specialty, both traditional (the bistecca alla fiorentina is legendary) and modern…$$Near Santa Trinita
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Tuscan
Osteria Pastella
There is an air of sophistication about this place, set near Piazza Santa Maria Novella. Pasta is handmade in the window, and the offering includes ribbons in classic boar or seafood sauces, as well as sublime tortelloni filled with 3 types of ricotta and served with a light seasonal…$$Near Santa Maria Novella
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Contemporary Tuscan
Osteria Personale
There’s a definite hipster atmosphere here, with the stripped brick walls and young staff, but the food ethos is unshakable. Ingredients are staunchly Tuscan and traditional, but combined in a way you may not have seen before, on a menu that rejects pasta. The menu is modular, and…$$$In the Oltrarno
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Cafe
Rivoire
No getting around it: the pavement cafes of Florence are overpriced. But at least here the steep prices (6€ for a cappuccino, 4.50€ for a small mineral water) help pay for the loan of one of the prettiest slices of real estate on the planet.Near Santa Croce
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Kosher/Vegetarian
Ruth’s
Ruth’s bills itself as a “kosher vegetarian” joint, but you will also find fish on the menu. It’s small (around 12 tables), so book ahead if you want to be certain of a table. The interior is cafelike and informal, the menu likewise. Skip the Italian primi and go right for Eastern…$$Near Santa Croce
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Light Fare
Sandwichic
Perhaps Florence’s best sandwich bar, Sandwichic succeeds because it keeps things simple, with freshly baked bread and expertly sourced ingredients including Tuscan cured meats and savory preserves. Try the likes of finocchiona (salami spiked with fennel), pecorino cheese, and crema…$Near San Lorenzo & the Mercato Centrale
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Modern Italian/Vegetarian
Vivanda
This small, modern deli-diner is ideal for a light, healthy lunch, or for a light dinner if you have eaten heartily in the middle of the day. Wines and vegetables are organic, pasta is made on the premises, and there’s a good proportion of the menu that caters to vegetarians, vegans,…$$In the Oltrarno
