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Da Stefano
Well known among Florentines for its fish dishes, this welcoming spot prides itself on using fresh produce imported from around the Mediterranean. Instead of the usual first and second courses you can opt for an abundant single course, mixing various kinds of fish and seafood. In summer head out in to the garden.
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Danny Rock
All right, the name doesn't sound promising but this bright and metallic US-style hang-out pulsates with young locals and foreigners most nights, and has a huge international menu incorporating better-than-expected crepes, huge salads, pizzas and burgers.
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Dioniso
Feel like a big Greek salad full of feta? Or perhaps some taramasalata and other similar dips to accompany typical meat dishes like souvlaki? Dioniso can be a lively and filling stop. On Fridays and Saturdays it stays open until , taking on more the air of a bar, with snacks available.
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Dolci e Dolcezze
This place claims its torta di cioccolato (chocolate cake) is the 'best in the world'. Hyperbole aside, it's damned good, made with fine Swiss and Belgian ingredients and creamy Maremma butter. There are no tables so it's takeaway.
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Edi House
Out on its own to the north of the city centre, this big bright place is a lighthouse for starving locals. They mainly come to feast on the broad variety of pizzas and focaccia (how about the one with gamberetti - tiny prawns - and pesto?), preferably on the pavement terrace in the warmer months.
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Enoteca Fuoriporta
After sunset at Piazzale Michelangelo, flop down the hill to this convivial enoteca in the shadow of the old city gate. Join the local clamour in the bar or set yourself on the pleasant outdoor terrace and explore the tasty menu (try the burata, a delicious clump of mozzarella from Puglia) and wash down with a series of wines by the glass.
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Enoteca Pinchiorri
Hallowed turf in Italian gastronomy, this Michelin-starred place occupies an elegant palazzo with a delightful inner courtyard. It's famous for its tiddly portions of astounding contemporary Tuscan fare and a cellar chock-a-block with 80,000 wines. Trust the tasting menus - Tuscan, seasonal and vegetarian - and the suave sommeliers.
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Finisterrae
With its labyrinth of interlocking dining halls and Arabesque lounges, this place screams (softly) 'chill!' as you wander in. Mood music combines with candlelight to create the kind of setting you might imagine in certain restaurants in, well, Soho. Foodwise, you're looking at simple Italian or Maghreb fare. Pop by for a Sunday brunch.
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Fontanka
Feeling nostalgic for the Siberian steppes? In need of more bracing alcohol than the Tuscan grape can provide? For a real warp out of Florence, head for this out-of-the-way rep of all things Russian, from blinis to Stoly. Makes a definite change!
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Frescobaldi
The wine bar (run by one of Tuscany's name wine dynasties) spills out into a lovely courtyard where you can enjoy nibbles and superb wines by the glass. The restaurant is decked out in garish patterns and is less cosy, but the terrific seasonal and Tuscan fare will take your mind off it (if the wine doesn't first).
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Fuor d'Acqua
One of only a handful of good seafood and fish restaurants in this largely meat-eating town, 'Out of Water' proposes a menu of sea critters that changes in line with what the fisherfolk have been able to catch off the Tuscan coast. The kitchen closes at , late by Florentine standards!
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Gelateria Carabé
For the best and most varied granite in town, head to this Sicilian specialist. You can get the standard lemon and coffee versions of this slushy crushed ice 'drink', but why not try the melon, fig or almond flavours? They do plenty of other Sicilian sweets too, such as cannoli .
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Gelateria Vivoli
The peer pressure to try the gelati here, considered by many to be the best in Florence, is almost enough to put you off. It's relatively expensive, cups are teeny weeny, and the atmosphere is solemn, but all's forgiven when you taste the gelati , the flavours of which will be etched on your palate long after you've returned home.
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Gilli
This is one of the city's finest cafés. Founded in 1733 by a Swiss family in Via de' Calzaiuoli, it moved to its present location in the latter half of the 19th century.
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Giubbe Rosse
This venerable cafe (an early 20th-century hangout of Florentine futurists) takes its name from the 'red jackets' still worn by some of the waiters. There's outdoor seating and an atmospheric chandelier-lit interior lined with old photos and sketches. Ideal for a coffee despite the sometimes snippy staff.
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Gustavino
A young team have created this fresh dining idea, a modern enoteca -cum-restaurant, in which the menu covers all sorts of regional dishes, often with an unexpected twist. The tagliolini neri al riccio di mare con pesto (black pasta with sea anenome and pesto) is a good example. Metallic chairs and glass-topped tables lend a crisp air to the place.
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Hemingway
This is a chocolate-lover's haven. You can choose from all sorts of goodies to take home and munch in private, or sit down for a glorious cup of hot chocolate. The homemade ice cream, crepes, cocktails, fruit shakes ( frullati ) and endless pastries and tarts are enough to make you skip dessert at your dinnertime restaurant and head here instead.
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I Quattro Amici
Just around the corner from the train station, you can start eating well as soon as you get of the train. One of a handful of eateries in Florence that is serious about its fish, the 'Four Friends' is as friendly as it sounds and there's not a steak in sight.
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I Tarocchi
Most people drop by this place for the pizzas. In summer you can gobble one up on the pavement terrace (if you can find a seat, no easy feat), or squeeze in along the benches inside. Aside from the pizza, the kitchen churns out immensely filling pasta dishes and a handful of main courses - only those with an abyss opening up inside them will be capable of ingesting pasta and a main!
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I' 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.
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I' Vinaio
A sociable spot where you sit at close quarters over tiny square timber tables, this is a long-time favourite. Servings of such choices as penne all'ortolana (pasta and vegetables) or spaghetti alla carretiera (a spicy Sicilian sauce) are generous.
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Il Guscio
The meat here comes from a traditional local butcher, the fish is provided by Viareggio fishermen and the remaining ingredients are fresh from the market. A light hand in the kitchen produces feather-weight filetti di gallinella (a tangy white fish) or marshmallow-soft cuts of beef: it's your choice.
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Il Magazzino
This is an utterly unassuming eatery, and those in search of the Florentine tripe experience will not be disappointed here. Start with tagliatelle con ragù di lampredotto (ribbon pasta with a kind of tripe-based bolognaise sauce) and follow with trays more tripe: trippa alla fiorentina or lampredotto, for example, with mushrooms.
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Il Nilo
Revellers, dropouts and a host of other weird and wonderful beings wander in here in the course of the evening for a takeaway felafel . Some hang about and eat it here, although there's nowhere to sit.
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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.
