Classic Tuscan restaurants in Florence
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Il Chicco di Caffè
It’s unfortunate that this wonderfully simple corner cafe only opens for lunch, because you couldn’t dine better at these prices. Sate yourself for €10. Eat like a peasant-king for €15. The septuagenarian nonna in the kitchen produces simple but delicious pastas and roasted meats, but the real draw are the contorni (grilled or sautéd vegetables). Tables are communal and water and wine are buffet-style – drink at will.
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Trattoria I Fratellini
Amid all the high-flying dining in Santa Croce, this combination grocery shop, wine bar and trattoria seems to have changed little since it opened in the 1950s. Even prices remain stuck in time. Two courses (perhaps minestrone followed by rotisserie chicken) and a glass of quaffable Chianti cost under €10. And you won’t regret the calories in the homemade tiramisu.
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Da Ruggero
Run by the gracious Corsi family, the menu at this classic Florentine trattoria combines excellent ingredients with an upmost respect for Tuscan tradition, from the crostini toscani (Tuscan-style crostini ) to bistecca alla fiorentina. Making a reservation is recommended.
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Osteria del Caffè Italiano
From the man who brought you Alle Murate, Umberto Montano’s more modest address offers decent value for carefully prepared local classics such as bistecca alla fiorentina (€50/kg), served with beans, greens and roast spuds. The setting is quaintly old fashioned, with gleaming wooden antiques and glowing lamps. But the real treat is the restaurant’s adjacent pizzeria. Dead simple, it offers just three choices, a few tables, a moody pizza maker and only the finest ingredients. Arrive early if you want to sit – otherwise you can get your pizza to go.
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I Cantinetta Antinori
Tuscany’s most famous wine-making dynasty has given over a portion of their Renaissance city home for oenophiles who want a full meal to accompany their tipple. Ask the bow-tied waiters what pourings go best with classic Tuscan dishes such as bistecca alla fiorentina and trippa alla fiorentina (tripe Florentine-style). Afterwards view models of the family’s Tuscan, Umbrian and Californian wine-producing estates in the palazzo’s courtyard.
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Caffè della Spada
This classic Florentine rosticceria (shop serving roast meat and other cooked items) serves spit-roasted meats and other prepared dishes, such as lentil stew, roasted eggplant and sautéd spinach, all packed neatly for take-away. Or you can sit in one of a pair of rustic dining rooms, decked out with countrified terracotta floors and wood-beamed ceilings. Be prepared to wait to sit, as fair prices attract big crowds.
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Enoteca Pinchiorri
This temple to fine food and wine invariably ranks as Florence’s top restaurant. Set in a 16th-century palazzo, the atmosphere is surprisingly easy-going despite the pink-toned finery and gilt-framed art. The wine list is extensive – among the best in Italy. Dress well (men should wear jackets), bring plenty of plastic (expect to pay upwards of €200 per person) and reserve far in advance for an unforgettable evening.
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Oliandolo
For an unknown reason, tourists tend to overlook this simple but attractive eatery, which sits strategically between the Duomo and the Galleria dell’Accademia. Prices are fair and geared to local office workers, while dishes run from creative salads and simple pastas to grilled meats with roast potatoes. Take your meal in the brightly whitewashed interior or angle for a table on the little sidewalk terrace.
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Il Guscio
In two pale yellow rooms dressed in country elegance, Il Guscio serves what local gourmands consider Oltrarno’s best Tuscan cuisine. The atmosphere may be relaxed, but the kitchen does great things with local, seasonal ingredients – and also manufactures its own pastas and desserts. Classics include risotto with shrimp and gorgonzola, fried veal brains, and beef fillet with sweet wine and liver pâté.
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Ristorante del Fagioli
You have to respect a restaurant with the courage to close all weekend long. This family-run place can afford to, because locals pack in Monday to Friday for carefully prepared Tuscan classics like bollita (boiled meats and vegetables served with parsley and garlic sauce). The decor has hardly changed since the opening in 1966, just after the city’s great flood. Cash only.
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Antica Mescita San Niccolò
At just €10, the fine little Tuscan lunch buffet is the big draw at this snug trattoria, with its rustic wooden booths and beamed ceilings. The food is carefully prepared and classically Florentine, from the crostini ai fegatini (‘little toasts’ with liver pâté) to arista di maiale (roast pork). It’s near the north-east edge of the Bardini Gardens.
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Trattoria Lo Stracotto
Despite the stylish young staff and cushily modern interior, this spanking new trattoria embraces Tuscany’s oldest recipes, from hearty ribollita (vegetable stew) to gamey cinghiale in umido (wild boar in savoury sauce). Huge plate-glass windows let in plenty of light, plus views of the Medicis’ tombs.
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Da Sergio
The clientele at this rustic eatery tucked behind the stalls of the Mercato San Lorenzo includes large numbers of old Florentine men dining solo – the ultimate sign of a real trattoria. The handwritten menu includes Tuscan classics such as minestra di farro (spelt soup) and bistecca alla fiorentina.
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Gastronomia Giuliano
One of the best of the city’s rosticerrie (caterers selling prepared dishes to go), the gracious Giuliano proudly serves up grilled meats, hot and cold pasta dishes and grilled and sautéd vegetables as well as a range of sandwich fixings. It’s the ideal place to stock up on picnic fare.
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Cantinetta dei Verrazzano
This one-stop shop for foodies, run by one of Tuscany’s great wine-making families, encompasses a gleaming bakery, a wood-burning pizza oven, a cosy dining room serving reasonably priced light Tuscan fare, and (of course) a wine shop. Note the boar meat complete with bristling hide on the walls.
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La Martinicca
This family-run trattoria looks dowdy with its lace curtains and overly cosy dining room. But local foodies praise the loving preparation and adherence to tradition in its homemade pastas, risotto allo zafferano (saffron risotto) and a celebrated chocolate and pistachio torte.
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La Mangiatoia
This humble but honest rosticceria (caterer selling prepared dishes to go) serves up delicious grilled meats, fresh-made pizzas, hot and cold pasta dishes and grilled and sautéd vegetables to go. For a few euros more, you can eat in the no-frills dining room out back.
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All’Antico Ristoro di’ Cambi
Founded as a wine shop in 1950, this Oltrarno institution sticks closely to the traditional, with its long list of fine Tuscan wines, dried meats hanging from brick-vaulted ceilings and a glass case proudly displaying its highly regarded bistecca alla fiorentina.
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Sabatino
Once a barely salubrious hole in the wall, this family-run trattoria has received a makeover to meet EU regulations. Fortunately, its prices remain stuck in time, as does its menu of heartily humble Tuscan home cooking such as simple pasta dishes and oven-roasted meats.
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Il Cernacchino
Two jolly sisters cook and serve up classic Tuscan cuisine from a counter laden with simmering tripe, creamy pastas and savoury roasts. Vie for a spot at the counter, or head upstairs with your food to the little mezzanine under the ancient vaulted ceiling.
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Trattoria Baldini
Practically a museum of Tuscan cuisine, this cheerily simple trattoria is worth the walk for classics like ribollita (vegetable stew), fegato con salvia (calf’s liver sautéd with sage) and, of course, bistecca alla fiorentina.
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Ristorante Cibrèo
At his flagship restaurant, Fabio Picchi sticks largely to ancient and often humble Florentine recipes, such as salisicce di maiale con fagioli e cavolo nero (sausage with beans and greens) and a kind of pudding of ricotta and potatoes adorned with meat sauce and parmesan. Finish your meal with a divine cheesecake dressed with bitter orange marmalade. Reserve as far in advance as possible. If you’re on a budget or couldn’t finagle a reservation, you join the queue (reservations not accepted) for the same dishes from the same kitchen at virtually half the price at Cibrèino, the significantly more hectic trattoria that sits next door.
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