favorite restaurants in Florence?

"Buca Lapi", a good place for old Tuscan cuisine. It is located a short distance from the Piazza Duomo. You will need reservations.

http://www.bucalapi.com/home-eng.htm

My favorite is located just outside of Florence in the town of Fiesole, "Trattoria Le Cave Di Maiano". Take the #7 bus to Fiesole and then a taxi to the restaurant. Beware that there is another restaurant along the way that has a deceptively similar name. You will need reservations.

http://www.trattoriacavedimaiano.it/

Mary:

Two of our favorites are:

Cibreo - A Michelin starred restaurant. Perfect for that special evening. Expensive but worth it.

Il Latini - casual, wonderful fun. You will never see a menu and the food just keeps coming. It has just as many locals as tourists. Plan on a long easy going meal. In our several visits there we have come to the conclusion that the more fun we have the cheaper the meal seems to be - honest. It is hilarious. On our last trip we commented that we really enjoyed their wine (they place a large jug on the the table when you are seated) and they gave us a full jug to take with us! Just one more tip - after the pasta course they offer a platter of roasted meats - they are fine. But I recommend up-grading to a Bistecca Fiorentina (the monster Porterhouse for two) it is melt in your mouth fantastic.

Both restaurants have websites. Have fun.

Trattoria la Burrasca was fantastic (October 2009) A fantastic family run place not far from the mercato. Very reasonably priced, great food and atmosphere. Friendly staff that appreciated our attempts to order in Italian! I believe this is an RS recommended place.

Not a fancy place but Za Za is a fun restaurant with good food. Outdoor dining is the best with strolling musicians and charming atmosphere--of course this will depend on when you visit Florence--we were there in May so outside was an option.

Three of Rick's recommended restaurants that I keep going back to are Trattoria Mario (lunch only - near Mercato Centrale), Osteria Belle Donne (between Piazza della Rebublica and the train station) and Trattoria Casalinga (in Oltrarno). I've eaten at these places more times than I can count and have never had a disappointing meal.

I like Self Service Ristorante Leonardo for a inexpensive meal.Located 1 block from Duomo For a great meal try Trattoria Sabatino which is across the river away from the tourist crowds.

Mary,

I really enjoyed a small restaurant called Il Grillo Parlante. It was recommended by the owner of the Hotel and I dined there several nights during my visit (it was great!). It appears to still be there - have a look at Their Website for the details (sorry, it only appears to be in Italian).

I was so pleased with the food that the Cooks wanted to have a photo taken with me (unfortunately I don't think photos are allowed here anymore or I could post). The owners were a father and daughter and they were great!

I haven't been there recently, but hopefully the same people are operating the restaurant, and presumably the quality is still as good.

Buon Appetito!

Our favorite restaurant in Florence was Nerone's. In fact, we ate there 4 times during our stay. The atmosphere is great, wine is very, very good (as one would expect) and the food was delicious!!! It was very inexpensive and we just loved going there. We still talk about our dinners there and we recommend it whenever we can. It is also open on Sunday evenings which is nice. If we are ever fortunate enough to return to Florence, I'm sure we will enjoy dinner there again. Enjoy your trip.

"Bistecca Fiorentina (the monster Porterhouse for two) it is melt in your mouth fantastic".

OK - I have a silly question. If you order a steak like this and cannot eat it all yourself, is it in poor taste (in Italy) to ask to take the leftovers with you?

A good place to get a bite in Florence is a small place called The Oil Shoppe. Their sandwiches are great, and they'll make any kind you want. Tell them what you're in the mood for, and they'll suggest something. They have a very small number of seats, so it's a better idea to grab some sandwiches and take them elsewhere. I believe my wife found out about them on Facebook. A link to their website is below.

http://oilshoppe.blogspot.com/

I must agree with the poster who suggested Ristorante Leonardo near the Duomo. It is a real bargain for lunch--we spent 11 euros for two of us and it was quite good. It is a great place when you get tired of spending too much for lunch.

I agree, the Oil Shoppe was a great sandwich place. It is very popular with the students from USA who are studying abroad in Florence. It was my daughters favorite place for sandwiches. You must also go to Grom to get gelato. It is the "real" stuff and absolutely delicious. Sandwich from The Oil Shoppe, then gelato from Grom. Enjoy!!