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Il Pizzaiuolo
The best place in town for the famous Neapolitan pizzas (thin base with light puffy edges), staff and many ingredients here hail from Naples and there are almost 30 different toppings. Pull up to small wooden tables perfect for solo diners and small groups and join expectant locals staring at the glow from the traditional wood-fired oven.
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Il Santo Bevitore
Young staff dash about beneath the vaults of this popular and serious eatery. The dark timber tables are the perfect support for a bottle of deep Tuscan red. Then you'll need to choose some grub from the limited Tuscan menu, replete with classic dishes.
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Il Vegetariano
One of the few restaurants to seriously cater to vegetarians, this is an unassuming locale with a great selection of fresh food, salads and mains. The menu changes regularly, partly dictated by the availability of fresh produce. Try the gazpacho (a cool Spanish, tomato broth) or risotto integrale con radicchio rosso (whole rice risotto with red lettuce).
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Il Vico del Carmine
Away from the madding crowds of central Florence they have created a little piece of Naples - quite literally a lane typical of the southern city. This makes the ideal setting for good Neapolitan pizza, and the ingredients for all their dishes are said to come from the Campania region around Naples.
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L'brindellone
Surrounded by dangling garlic strands and old chianti bottles, this is a truly Tuscan spot with a slightly vegetarian bent too. Alongside such classics as bistecca di maiale (pork steak) you can get vegetable couscous. The house red is good and the atmosphere welcoming, with soft lighting.
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La Baraonda
As the name implies, a 'convivial chaos' prevails at this handsome trattoria, where the friendly owner floats between three connecting dining rooms, articulating the seasonal Tuscan menu. Spare his voice box and order the polpettone (meatloaf).
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La Capponcina
Up in the hills overlooking Florence from the northeast, this is one of the city's better-known restaurants. The kitchen is known in particular for its tagliata di manzo , succulent beef fillets sliced up and served on a bed of lettuce. Sitting in the garden is a true pleasure in summer.
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La Pentola d'Oro
Long a jealously-guarded secret among Florentine gourmands, this place is a one-off. Signor Alessi is a man of encyclopedic learning who spends much of his time studying medieval recipes and transforming them into the most remarkable meals. The menu is largely up to his whim. There is no sign outside.
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La Terrazza del Principe
Leave Florence without leaving Florence. From your garden table breathe in the bucolic views looking back to the south side of the city, mostly blocked from view by the greenery. The culinary theme is inventive Tuscan.
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Mario
For an eternity Mario has been serving up plentiful, hearty lunches to market workers and a host of passers-by. It has become something of a culinary icon. A limited series of pasta options and Tuscan classics are followed by a few meat-dominated mains. No credit cards.
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Nanamuta
Walk in and take a left, past the open kitchen, into a spacious dining area with high ceiling, mezzanine level and cream-and-maroon décor. Some interesting dishes come your way here, like tortelloni di coniglio alla Vernaccia (pasta packets of rabbit cooked in white wine).
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Osteria Antica Mescita San Niccolò
A limited but tasty range of home-style local cooking awaits in this wine den. Centuries ago this spot was a customs post for wine arriving in the city from the Chianti area, and in the early 1800s it became a general store. Now you can sit down at the timber tables, choose from an endless range of Tuscan tipples and place your order.
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Osteria de' Benci
Perennially popular with blow-ins and locals who seem to gather here in groups, the mainly Tuscan food is seasonal - light in summer, heartier in winter - but always on the mark. Street level and outside are cosier than the crammed brick-vaulted cellar where you'll end up if you don't book.
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Osteria dei Cento Poveri
These days the 'hostel of a hundred poor people' focuses almost exclusively on cashed-up tourists who enjoy contemporary twists on Tuscan classics - as well as some from Puglia and a daily fish special - in this tiny and congenial place in a not so congenial part of town.
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Osteria del Gatto e la Volpe
On the corner of Via de' Giraldi, this is a small and welcoming spot where the food is reasonable and the prices are stable. It gets its fair share of tourists, but this hasn't yet ruined what's on offer at the 'Cat and Wolf'. It's closer to a genuine Florentine experience than most of the places that line this much-trampled city.
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Osteria Pepò
Pepò is a classy rendering of a Tuscan eatery and makes a pleasant stop for reasonable serves of Tuscan food with the occasional slight twist - instead of a tagliata di manzo (prime beef cooked medium in chunky slices), try their pollo (chicken) version, with melted parmesan.
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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.
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Perché No
You'll find wonderful gelati and friendly service in this legendary 1930s shop. Creamy chocolates, caramels and coffees compete for your attention with tangy summer fruit numbers.
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Procacci
Truffles - particularly panini tartufati (tiny sandwiches with truffle pâté) - are the speciality in this divine little shop. Wash these tasty little numbers down with a glass of prosecco . You can also buy regional hams and other goodies. The green marble used for the bar and table tops is the same used in the city's great monuments.
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Ristorante Cibrèo
Famous for being famous - as you will see from the number of guidebook-clutching tourists - Cibrèo offers an elegantly simple dining atmosphere for recherché Tuscan cooking in which pasta has no place. The same people run a couple of other eateries and café on the same street.
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Ristorante Pane E Vino
Having moved from the San Niccolò end of Oltrarno, this gourmet magnet has emerged as one of the star attractions for well-dressed Florentines looking to see, and be seen while indulging in, imaginative Tuscan cuisine. Dine inside, where light-coloured clothes hang on the wall as decorative lamp-shades, or outside in the summer heat. You might like to try the saltimbocca di rana (a breaded frog dish) or taglierini in zimino (pasta with cuttlefish, tomato and spinach cream).
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Ristorante Self-Service Leonardo
It's got all the atmosphere of a factory canteen - offset by the chatty old gents who run it - but this large, overly bright self-service joint will do for an uncomplicated feast of salads, fruits and hot dishes courtesy of bain marie .
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Semidivino
The pickings get a little slim as you edge away from Piazza San Marco, so this place is a welcome option. A blend of new and old, it offers the option of sidewalk dining, or sitting deep inside under low lights. It's as much about ambience as tickling the palate.
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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.
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Teatro del Sale
The Cibrèo folk have branched out into a new dining experience with this combined entertainment-food option. First you become a member (around €5 annual fee for nonresidents) and then you check out the concert programme to see what suits. You might be treated to light jazz or world music to go with a well-prepared but no-nonsense Tuscan buffet. Once a member you need to reserve a spot at the mostly communal tables by noon.
