Tuscan restaurants in Europe
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A
Il Latini
You have two choices at this Florentine favourite: request a menu (as a tourist, you might not be offered one) or put yourself in the hands of the exuberant waiters and feast on a mixed antipasto of melt-in-your-mouth crostini and mixed Tuscan meats followed by a bowl of (indifferent) pasta and a hunk of roasted meat – rabbit, lamb, chicken or veal with white beans (the rabbit is particularly tasty). The wine and water flow and if you’re lucky you might get a complimentary plate of cantuccini (a type of biscuit) and glass of moscato (an Italian dessert wine) with the bill. There are two dinner seatings (7.30pm and 9pm), seating is shared and bookings are mandatory.
reviewed
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B
Trattoria Mario
Despite being in every guidebook, this jam-packed place retains its soul and allure with locals. A 100% family affair since opening in 1953, its chefs shop at the nearby Mercato Centrale and dish up tasty, dirt-cheap dishes with speed and skill. Get here right on the dot of noon to score a stool (tables are shared) and be aware that credit cards aren’t accepted.
reviewed
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C
Acqua Al 2
A long-standing favourite, this is a cheerful old eating den known for its assaggi di primi (mini portions of first courses for tasting). Although well populated with out-of-towners, it retains much of its atmosphere and still attracts Florentines.
reviewed
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D
Trattoria Coco Lezzone
A cheerful, homely spot with a white-tiled interior and photographs of famous customers. No credit cards, (bizarrely!...) no coffee, just a handwritten menu and very good food at this tiny kitchen-style trattoria, where unnecessary concessions simply don't need to be made. Ribollita (Tuscan soup; included in the excellent-value ‘Florence nostalgia' menu, €25 including 25cl of wine and mineral water) is the house speciality and Friday is fresh-fish day.
reviewed
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E
Tullio
A formal wood-panelled restaurant whose simple, classic, mainly Tuscan formula has attracted a faithful clientele of politicians, journalists and artists since the days of la dolce vita. Pasta dishes range from the simple tortellini in brodo (pasta in broth) to the decadent tagliolini con tartufo bianco (pasta with white truffle). Meat, including the famous bistecca alla fiorentina, is grilled over a charcoal fire.
Biscotti (almond biscuits) are dipped in sweet vin santo (holy wine) for a traditional dessert.
reviewed
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Le Vecchie Mura
This is a wonderful spot, especially if you snap up a terrace table on a warm summer's night. The food competes with the phenomenal view of rolling green hills and the wine list has more than a dozen varieties of Vernaccia di San Gimignano. Choose from a delicious selection of primi piatti such as gnocchi con tartufo e formaggio (gnocchi with truffles and cheese) and you can't go wrong with the perfectly prepared beef options. Book ahead to guarantee that panorama.
reviewed
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G
Osteria delle Catene
The windows are plastered with the guidebook accolades it has justifiably received. The brick-barrelled interior is softly lit while the menu is heavy on strong meats - hare, boar, duck and rabbit. Alongside many Tuscan stalwarts and saffron experimentation such as the zuppa medievale, there's the spaghetti dell'Ostria (spaghetti with zucchini, sausages and chilli pepper in puréed sauce) and a small, but sublime carrot and leek soufflé.
reviewed
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Antica Trattoria il Campano
The adventurous Tuscan menu - pasta with leeks in cod sauce, octopus salad, or beef marinated with tomatoes, almonds and hazelnuts - at this long-time trattoria has the added advantage of being translated in English. Of the dining areas - under vaulted arches down or beneath bare rafters up - downstairs is the more elegant. Tagliere del Re (minimum two people) - a wonderfully rich platter of 12 kinds of Tuscan antipastos - is a meal in itself.
reviewed
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Osteria de'Benci
Deep-burgundy walls, a vaulted brick ceiling and a menu that makes no bones about what it cooks contribute to the relaxed, unpretentious air of this friendly place. Old favourites like honest slabs of carbonata di chianina (grilled Tuscan steak) – even more tender and succulent than the ubiquitous bistecca alla fiorentina – are (as the English-language menu so beautifully puts it) ‘SERVED BLOODY!'
reviewed
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Osteria Il Ponte San Lorenzo
Around 15km out of town, you can get superb, home-style cooking and ambitious set menus at this rustic restaurant. Take the SS439 road south, heading towards Pomarance. About 3km beyond Saline di Volterra you enter San Lorenzo; the osteria is the highlight of this tiny, blink-and-you'll-miss-it village. They have a few rooms and the accommodation price includes breakfast if you're too bloated to drive back to Volterra.
reviewed
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Cafaggi
Not an awful lot has changed since Cafaggi was launched back in Mussolini's big year (1922, time of the great dictator's March on Rome). An old-style attention to service, a menu dominated by meat and a muted elegance (beige table linen, dark timber décor) make this a decent, if unsung, choice. Try some old favourites like cervello di vitella fritto con zucchini fritti (fried calf's brain and courgettes).
reviewed
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K
La Clessidra
At the upper end of Pisa's dining scale, La Clessidra cooks up a clutch of themed menus, including a menu tipico di Pisano (minimum two people) featuring wholly local fare, and a seafood equivalent, in a formal setting. Dolci (desserts) are girth-widening and the tourist-free green lawns of neighbouring Piazza Martiri della Libertà are a post lunch siesta delight.
reviewed
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Osteria dei Cavalieri
The Slow Food recommendation for central Pisa, this osteria (wine bar) serves a high-speed, one-dish only - but what a dish - the lunchtime special alongside an enticing array of other tasty morsels, including carpaccio di pulpo (octopus carpaccio). Although the size of portions may mean a siesta afterwards, the set meals are worth it and the wine list is impressive.
reviewed
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M
Trattoria Le Cave di Maiano
This place is not dissimilar, in terms of price, atmosphere and clientele, to La Capponcina. Tables are arranged across a variety of interconnected dining rooms and out on to terraces. Getting here without a car is tricky as the restaurant is actually in Maiano, a frazione (division) of Fiesole, and off the bus routes. You could try getting a taxi from central Fiesole.
reviewed
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Trattoria Da Benvenuto
Eating here, on the corner of Via dei Neri, is hardly an ambient experience, but the food is reliable and modestly priced. Mains include some Florentine favourites, including lampredotto and bistecca, while the pasta dishes are innovative, for example the rigatoni alla siciliana (with a slightly spicy Sicilian sauce). It is wise to reserve a table.
reviewed
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Trattoria Vittoria
A simple family-run place, this is one of the few Florentine locations where locals head to satisfy their marine desires with genuine fresh fish and seafood. It's a little out of the way, but if you are sick of Florentine steaks and dining among other foreigners, it is worth making the effort to wander here. Try the spiedino misto, a handsome tray of mixed seafood.
reviewed
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Al Tranvai
The menu could not be simpler at this rustic Tuscan eatery, known as The Tram and designed as such, where old men arrive at noon to bag their regular lunch spot. Sit nudged up with the locals, slurp house wine (€4 per 0.5L) and take your pick from the day's dishes chalked on the board. Since it's so deservedly popular, reserve your bench space ahead of time.
reviewed
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Q
Trattoria La Casalinga
Family run and much loved by locals, this unpretentious and always busy place is one of the city’s cheapest trattorias. You’ll be relegated behind locals in the queue – it’s a fact of life and not worth protesting – with the eventual reward being hearty peasant dishes such as bollito misto con salsa verde (mixed boiled meats with green sauce).
reviewed
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R
Il Castello
Both wine bar and restaurant, this place has a delightful patio with views and an all-brick, glass-domed courtyard. Nosh on a macho-meaty bistecca alla fiorentina or cinghiale alla sangimignanese con polenta (wild boar with polenta), or opt for a lighter option such as the pennette with broccoli, wild mushrooms and saffron.
reviewed
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La Tana
With friendly service and affordable prices, La Tana is a popular venue for students and staff from the nearby university. Its fare is served up on rustic wooden tables and you can snuggle down in the booths. If you're in a rush to get back to some serious monument bashing, go for the pasta veloce - served with haste and lots of taste.
reviewed
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Sostanza
This traditional Tuscan eatery is a good spot for bistecca alla fiorentina and the minestrone if you are not fussy about your surrounds. A no-nonsense approach dominates. Locals know the place as Il Troia - the (Male) Slut - because they say its 19th-century owner had the habit of touching up his guests. Don't worry, he's long gone.
reviewed
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Trattoria il Poggio
A popular restaurant where the cheery waitresses bustle around and find time to chat with the regulars between dashes to the electric dumbwaiter raising food from the subterranean kitchen. There's a good set menu, an outdoor terrace and rich dishes such as scampi and rocket, or ravioli with asparagus and ham in a parmesan cream sauce.
reviewed
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Osteria Vini e Cucina di Toscana
The old-time lettering on the windows invites you to peer into this welcoming restaurant, the dark timber tables of which are scattered about spaciously. An ever-changing daily menu, including some vegetarian options like melanzane alla parmigiana (eggplant slices oven-cooked with parmesan cheese), keeps you on your toes.
reviewed
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ì Tozzo di Pane
A young and friendly team run this simple neighbourhood place, where cool jazz warbles in the background. For starters, go for the zuppa toscana, a thick gruel of vegetables and barley. Although not to all tastes, the trippa alla fiorentina (tripe) follows on a treat. The small rear garden is a pleasant retreat.
reviewed
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Trattoria Napoleone
Carnivores will want to call by here for a filetto alla Napoleone, a handsome steak dressed in a vinegar and mustard sauce. The pizzas are also reasonable. A down side is that the outdoor dining area on those hot summer nights is in the middle of a car park. An upside is that you can order one in until 24:30!
reviewed
