Florence Restaurants

Perhaps my favorite on my last trip was Il Pirata. It was low key and not fine dining but a wonderful and dirt cheap meal. Nice folks there too!

We like ZaZa for good meals and a fun atmosphere. Tables are set with attractive linens, umbrellas, etc and strolling musicians will entertain you. I have to add that lunch at Leonardo's was good[INVALID]and cheap[INVALID]about 11 euros for two of us.

We really enjoyed this one, Birreria Centrale. Unique decor, delicious food, very friendly wait staff. Try the bistecca with cannellini beans and also the ribollita, a thick Tuscan vegetable soup. Excellent. Make a reservation. http://www.birreriacentrale.com/ Try nearby Perche No? for the best gelato and watermelon ice.

I feel like this is becoming such a loaded question - people's expectations of what is good Italian food or not is very hard to judge, as well as what they expect to pay. Also, I never seem to know any of the restaurants mentioned here, and I have been living here for 5 years! I will leave you with one of my favorites - Il Giova near the mercato Sant'Ambrogio. Not "expensive" and fancy, but a cozy, small, trattoria type place with real food. I would say it is good to great on the food, without being pretentious at all. For some reason, I just love this place - lunch or dinner - but reserve if you can because they do fill up. http://www.florence-journal.com/florence/2006/12/trattoria_il_gi.html

My favorite place was Il Latini as recommended to me by Ron in Rome. You had to call for reservations (we sat at the 730pm reservation since we had to catch the train) and you get there and it is packed! The food was so fantastic and there was so much of it, we had to tell the waiter to stop bringing it :) It was a little pricey but it was so worth it. We went there in 2007 and we still talk about how great that meal was.

Trattoria dei 13 Gobbi was my favorite. I could be wrong, but this is my impression of what is high quality Tuscan cooking. I had no idea what we were ordering as the server didn't speak any English. I ordered by randomly pointing to four different items on the menu. Also we sat near the front so had fun watching the locals come in through the front door as the night went on.

La Grotta Guelfa restaurant in the central part of Florence is my favorite and it is very reasonable. It is located one street off from the main street in front of the Ponte Vecchio between the bridge and the shopping market where there are alot of leather goods and it has a pig or boar statue in front of it called Il Porcellino at the Loggia del Mercato Nuovo or the new Mercato. The restaurant itself is located in a little piazza behind the leather good market. Here is the address of the restaurant. La Grotta Guelfa - via Pellicceria, 5R - Firenze - Tel. 055210042 . It has typical Tuscan Food and it is open everyday. I loved it..

Here is another vote for La Gueflo, I was there last month, and ate there almost every day for a week, they came to know me, and my favorite foods. My fav was risotto gorgonzolo, delicious! Give it a try, you won't be disappointed, and there is everything. Even great salads.

Best beef I've ever had in my life! Trattoria Angiolino via s. spirito 36/R This would be a splurge meal, but worth it! Great lunch only place very, very informal (you sit at picnic tables -both lawyers and laborers come in: Salumeria Vini & Trattoria I fratellini via ghibellina 27 They serve panini and home made hot foods that are delicious and big. After eating there [INVALID] before 2pm [INVALID] you will want to walk it off and have a small pizza for dinner! The Salumeria is close to Santa Croce church! Mangia!

If you want to get out of Florence for a short jaunt, try "Trattoria Le Cave Di Maiano" in Fiesole. It is a 5 km ride on Bus #7 from Central Florence to Fiesole. They have wonderful food ($$$), and a view from the hills above Florence. Take the bus to the town of Fiesole and then a taxi to the restaurant. You could opt for just a taxi instead. Beware, there is another restaurant along the way with a deceptively similar name. http://www.trattoriacavedimaiano.it/

Try the rooftop restaurant on top of the Grand Hotel Baglioni in Florence. It's outdoor dining under the stars and a wine trellis. We were greeted with glasses of champagne as if we were long lost friends. I mentioned to our maitre'd that he resembled a friend of mine in the US and he stated, "I can be your friend. I will be your best friend." From that point on, we had an amazing evening. Did I mention the piano player that played the entire time? We definitely plan on returning.

Three Florence restuarants I keep going back to again and again are Trattoria Mario (lunch only), Trattoria Casalinga (in Oltrano) and Osteria Belle Donne (nice outdoor seating). Have eaten more than 5 times at each and never had a disappointing meal. All are in Rick's quidebook. Note that the Latini family has sold Il Latini since Tracey was there, and IMHO it's not what it once was.