Would love to hear from everyone on recent great restaurant experiences. We are traveling next month and seek recommendations on great good and friendly atmosphere, with primarily Tuscan traditional offerings, possibly places where locals and tourists might likely dine. Thanks!
Posted by
Land of La
9261 posts
Trattoria Mario or II Latini.
Posted by
9 posts
After leaving the Uffizi around noontime, we stumbled upon a neighborhood where folks were lined up on the sidewalks on both sides of the street. They were eating incredible looking sandwiches from a place called All' Antico Vinaio. We decided to give a try and will never forget it. The best sandwiches ever on fresh focaccia bread and beautiful sliced meats. It was well worth the wait. Just make sure you know what you want to order by the time you get to the front of the line. Seinfeld watchers can relate.
A Boston Italian restaurant owner friend of ours also recommended that we get a Florentine steak while we were in Florence. He highly recommended Buca Lapi. We are not big meat lovers but this was well worth the splurge. First time I ever hugged chef.
Posted by
Wilmington, DE, USA
1065 posts
I really enjoy meandering through the second floor of the Mercato Centrale. The variety of dishes and the central seating means everyone in your party can get what they want from where they want and still eat together. When I am alone I will sit as close to the kitchen as possible so I can watch (ok, drool) the preparation, the cooking, the presentation. Favorite place? I'm still deciding - oh what a wonderful dilemma!
Posted by
Atlanta
5235 posts
Our two favorites in Florence are:
For excellent food, good ambiance, and fine wine, it's Olio & Convivium Gastronomia Restaurant. It's on the Pitti Palace side of the river on Via di Santo Spirito. The web site is (or was) https://oliorestaurant.it/. A bit pricey at lunch and more so at dinner. But the overall experience was worth it. Will definitely eat there again.
Giglio Rosso located at 35 via Panzani. Been in business for almost 100 years. Their web site is https://www.ristorantegigliorosso.com/en/about/.
You can check then out ahead of time and see what you think
Posted by
Chicago
2100 posts
Ciro & Sons on via Giglio is my go-to place in Florence. Many southern Italian specialties in addition to the Florentine requisites.
Posted by
Southeast of Seattle
732 posts
Trattoria Alfredo on Via dei Leoni. Definitely locals eating there with some tourists too. Unpretentious, good service. Definitely not a fancy place. We ate there 3 times-2 dinners, one lunch. Nine weeks in Italy and my husband said it was the best osso bucco of the trip. Lovely Gorgonzola risotto too.
Posted by
Sioux Falls, SD, USA
3102 posts
We enjoyed Restaurant ZEB. Very small, but excellent. Listed in the Guide Michelin
Posted by
New York, NY
70 posts
Adding a 2nd vote for Zeb!