Places to eat in Florence

Get the Eat Italy app and buy the Eat Florence add on.

Great recommendations from a well known food writer who lives in Rome. I believe the add on costs $2.99 (at least on Apple's App store). Not much money for 138 places with price ranking, descriptions, and pictures and each one recommended by someone who knows good food!

http://www.elizabethminchilli.com/apps-rome-venice-florence/

If you find 1 great place to eat it's more than worth $3!

Thank you!

I love Osteria Santo Spirito, not only because the food is tasty, but also because you can get half-portions--and try more than one dish! Be sure to make reservations.

We were just in Florence last week and ate both nights at:

It was recommended by several people who live in Florence. The risotto with funghi was awesome. Pasta with scallops was also good.

Trattoria Osteria Da qui’ ganzi

Ciro & Sons on via Giglio. Tagliatelle alla Napolitana is fantastic.

For local, wonderful, comfort food, deli style, La Ghiotta is wonderful. It is where the locals go for lunches. Eggplant is fabulous, and the house wine is good.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g187895-d1380833-Reviews-La_Ghiotta-Florence_Tuscany.html

Last June we took my friend for his birthday to Trattoria Pandemonio: http://www.trattoriapandemonio.it a family owned restaurant specializing in Tuscan cooking. The highlight of the meal was the Florentine steak and the risotto. My niece who hates risotto had my leftovers for breakfast the next day. The staff is wonderful, warm and friendly. The entire restaurant sang happy birthday to my friend when the owners delivered a slice of cake.

We enjoyed a delicious lunchtime meal of the day and a few days later an evening dinner at Osteria dei Centopoveri. Lunch and dinner both were packed with locals. I remember that the daily special had choices with multiple courses, all reasonable in price as well as the dinner and pizza options. Not many tourists, not fancy and we did not have reservations. Staff spoke several languages including English. It is near the Piazza di Santa Maria Novella on Via Palazzuolo, directly on a corner. They have a website in Italian and English. You can see their regular menu and prices there, but take advantage of the lunch specials. Our hotel was nearby and we saw it's excellent rating on Trip Advisor so we decided to try it.

I go to Osteria il Gatto e la Volpe. Food is good, nothing pretentious, staff is friendly and patient. It is located a block from the Bargello. Plenty of Italians eat there but they are equally welcoming to tourists and the prices are not inflated for tourism.

Echoing Jay for Ciro & Sons. Also Francesco Vini;

https://www.francescovini.com/english-eskrd

I can’t recommend “The Golden View” restaurant enough. You will need reservations unless you plan on eating around 6:00 pm. They are open for lunch as well. The view of the Ponte Vecchio Bridge is amazing. The food was equally as good and the prices were very reasonable. They have a website if you want more information.

Trattoria Il Giova and what I always do before I travel is to research food blogs.

I like Girl in Florence. American writer who has called Florence her home for 11 years.

Ciao!

YES! Claudia - yes. Trattoria Il Giova. I was in Florence last week with my family and we LOVED that place. Six of use ate appetizers, mains, and shared a couple of desserts - and had wine - for 132 Euro. Very few dishes over 10 Euro. We were the only tourists there, the owners and wait staff are lovely. Can't say enough good things. In face, I wrote a review on this very site! :-)

"Nothing Fancy" go to the Leonardo Self service Cafeteria. maybe a strange quirk of fate but both times we were there, in different years, we met someone that we knew from the US and had lunch together. :)

Giglio Rosso. Best gnocchi ever.

http://www.ristorantegigliorosso.com/en/

Yes, Leonardo's Self Service is a favorite -- except for one time when we walked in behind a tour group, it's calm and relaxing in a home-town cafeteria way. And you can get ice water!

For one of the BEST sandwiches you will ever have, visit All'antico Vinaio (http://www.allanticovinaio.com/it/) It's true Italian street food. Yummy!
Some of the best Gelato in Italy we had was in Florence. It can be found at Perche No (https://www.facebook.com/GelateriaPercheNo/) but it's not open all the time and there's usually a line--worth the wait.
In Santo Spirito neighborhood there is Toscanella Osteria for a really wonderful Florentine Steak (and really anything they make.) Just look for the larger than life Pinocchio outside their shop.

Happy eating!