Cheap but tasty eateries in Rome and Florence?

I really enjoy the wonderful little sandwiches at il fratelli in Florence. I think Il Pirata was suggested in his book also which I thought was great. The self service cafe Leonardo was pretty good... owner is a character but I preferred the other two places.

In Rome, we did like Miscellanea (sp?) by the Pantheon but had salad from the grocery in Termini with bread and wine most nights for uber cheap dinners.

In Florence: Leonardo's, Via Pecori 11.
Buy the Wine by the bottle. Its near the same cost as in the Supermarkets.
Closed on Saturdays. Its cafeteria style.

Page 238 in Florence Tuscany 2009.

We ate there three times.

Leonardo's by the Duomo is spot on, great food at great prices. We ate there 3 times.
We splurged in Rome, but we did venture into a market for lunch items.

The Leonardo cafeteria is good as mentioned - sometimes we have Sunday lunches there with the family - 4 of us can eat for less than 30 euro. But - it is a cafeteria - some of the food can be hit or miss, a bit cold, etc. (not that I don't like this place - I do - a lot - it just isn't fancy at all).

With the "crisis" (that is what the Italians call it!) there are many more bargains popping up in town.

For instance, at Caffe Italiano, you can get a first course, bottled water, wine, bread and coffee for euro 5.70 - this is an excellent lunch deal. Add a secondo and the price is 9 something I think. http://www.caffeitaliano.it/inglese/locali_caffe_italiano/osteria_caffe_italiano.asp

Also in the heart of town in Piazza Repubblica, at the Cafe Paszkowski, you can eat self serve for 5 euro (pastas) and 6 euro (seconds and salads). http://www.paszkowski.it/

There are more deals similar to this all over town. There isn't any reason you can't eat a good lunch for two for 20 euro or less.

Leonardo's is definitely the bargain. We ate there(lunch) for 11 euros for the two of us and it was good. Very clean place. In Rome try Alla Rampa by the Spanish Steps--antipasti plate for 10 euros--small plate but you can pile on alot of items. There is a deli place called Volpetti (at least two locations) and you can get takeaway that is delicious. Also in Rome you can try Baffeto's for pizza.

During our stay in Florence, we enjoyed the meals we had at Nerone's. The food and wine were delicious, great variety and the prices were very reasonable. I think we ate there 3-4 times. If we are ever fortunate to return to Florence, we definitely will enjoy more dining experiences at Nerone's. By the way, they are open on Sunday nights, which we found some eateries were closed. Glad to hear you are still planning your trip even though you have been laid off. Enjoy.

Try Sabatino's in Florence. A family-run place with lots of locals and Rick Steves readers. Alarmingly cheap with very good--if plain and simple--food. Try the Panzanella salad if they have it--the best I've ever had! (They also have the nicest bathroom in Florence!)

So sorry to hear about your being laid off. That really sucks. Another resource is the front desk at the hotels/B&Bs where you'll be staying. They'll know cheap decent places to eat, and can show you how to get there on a map.

Best of luck.