Florence Restaurants

Eating out in Florence is a pleasure, with unique and simple dishes consisting of the freshest ingredients and finest tastes. Options for dining include stand up snacks in bars and restaurants, family run trattorias and full-blown restaurants. Not all restaurants offer superb quality however and this particularly goes for the historical centre, where many restaurant owners are purely in it for the tourist buck.

Local cuisine

Traditional Florentine specialities include ribollita (minestrone soup with bread, beans and extra-virgin olive oil) and creamy fegatini (chicken liver spread). A typical main courses is bistecca alla fiorentina; a huge t-bone steak, which can weigh as much as 900 grams and is charged per 100-gram. The locals may then follow this with a visit to a wine bar (enoteca) for some Chianti or cocktails.

Gelato (Italian ice cream) is also a big deal in Florence, where stands and gelato bars make up exotic concoctions including garlic ice cream.

Where to eat

The main things to be aware of when planning to dine in Florence is that the closer you get to the historic old centre, the more expensive food becomes, and that many city restaurants are small and usually require advance booking. Eateries come in all price ranges and you can choose to dine in style or simply go for the cheaper window stands. Once you get outside the historical centre, the price versus food quality tends to go up; the Mercato di San Lorenzo neighbourhood is probably the worstein this respect, as it is loaded with tourist restaurants.