L’Osteria di Giovanni

Our number-one choice for Florentine dining is – insert drum roll – this wonderfully friendly neighbourhood eatery, where everything is delicious and where the final reckoning will be within most budgets. Many opt to start with the house antipasto (a plate of salami, fresh ricotta and crostini with liver pâté) and lardo (marinated pork fat), move onto a plate of homemade pasta (perhaps with porcini mushrooms and black truffles) and then forge ahead with a milk-fed veal chop with roasted cherry tomatoes or a sensational bistecca alla fiorentina. Make sure you ask about daily specials, particularly desserts.