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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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L'erta del Mangia
Up the lane leading to the Convento di San Francesco from Piazza Mino da Fiesole, this place's pleasant location is an immediate plus. The warm terracotta and timber interior adjoins the airy, chianti wine bottle-lined terrace with views over Florence. Some dishes make surprising departures from the standard canons, like the tagliatelle con fiori di zucca, piccione e pomodorini (ribbon pasta with pumpkin flowers, grilled pigeon meat and cherry tomatoes).
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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 Beppa Fioraia
For some inventive Italian cooking, in what feels like the countryside, La Beppa Fioraia is worth going the extra mile. The homemade pasta dishes are all equally tempting, and the meat mains (sorry, no fish here) ooze flavour. Try the filetto di cinta senese con aceto balsamico (a thick, juicy pork fillet in a dark, tangy balsamic vinegar sauce, served with spinach). Before or after your meal, it's worth taking a stroll along this back lane through old olive groves and retiring villas.
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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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Le Volpi e l'Uva
'The Foxes and the Grape' is hidden away off the Oltrarno end of the Ponte Vecchio. Sample the cheese treasures, have a gourmet tramezzino (sandwich triangle) and try out new wines.
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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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Masa
About the most refined and well-prepared Japanese you will find in Florence. Head downstairs to the fussily efficient dining room - all hushed chat and serious concentration on good grub. You'll probably feel a little underdressed without a tie.
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Momoyama
Ambrosia for the jaded palate, this stylish and cosy place is one of the best restaurants in town and a magnet for well-heeled trendies. It specialises in exquisitely presented Japanese and 'inventive cuisine' - stick to the Japanese and you won't be disappointed.
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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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Oliviero
Red velvet banquettes, pink candles and salmon tablecloths lend this place a jaded dolce-vita air although there's nothing tired about the creative Italian fare and impeccable service. This is a great spot for indulgence or a kookily romantic cena a due .
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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 Santo Spirito
The crayoned, tatty menu at this popular place - outside which expectant diners and smoking kitchen staff mingle before it opens (not a second before time) - encompasses the best of Italian fare, prepared simply and delivered in huge portions on fabulous oversized, hand-painted plates.
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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.
