24 Best Restaurants in Florence, Italy

This upscale trattoria serves sumptuous options like the creamy crostini di fegatini (with a savory chicken-liver spread) and melt-in-your-mouth desserts. Many Florentines hail this as the city's best restaurant, and justifiably so—chef-owner Fabio Picchi knows Tuscan food better than anyone, and it shows.

This tavola calda (cafeteria) in the middle of the covered Mercato Centrale has been serving Florentines since 1872. Tasty primi and secondi are always available, as are bollitos (boiled beef sandwiches), but the cognoscenti come for the panino con il lampredotto (tripe sandwich)—best when it's prepared bagnato (with the bread quickly dipped in the tripe cooking liquid) and served slathered with the green and/or spicier red sauce.

This restaurant just across the way from the Basilica of San Lorenzo and run by the Gozzi family since 1915 serves food that's as delicious as it is affordable. The menu short menu changes daily, though the lombatina alla griglia (grilled veal T-bone steak) is almost always available, and meat eaters should not miss it. Pastas are equally terrific. Dessert, in true Florentine fashion, is usually limited to biscotti with vin santo. Reservations are absolutely essential—even in low season.

Florentines and other lovers of good food flock to "The Holy Drinker" for tasty, well-priced dishes. Unpretentious white walls, dark wood furniture, and paper place mats provide the simple decor; start with the exceptional verdure sott'olio (vegetables in oil) or the terrina di fegatini (a creamy chicken-liver spread) before sampling any of the divine pastas. Count yourself lucky if the extraordinary potato gratin, served in compact triangular wedges, is on the menu. The extensive wine list is well priced.

Casalinga means "housewife," and this place, which has been around since 1963, has the nostalgic charm of a midcentury kitchen with Tuscan comfort food to match. If you eat ribollita anywhere in Florence, eat it here—it couldn't be more authentic. Paintings clutter the semi-paneled walls, tables are set close together, and the place is usually jammed. The menu is long, portions are plentiful, and service is prompt and friendly. For dessert, the lemon sorbet perfectly caps off the meal.

Since opening its doors in 1869, this trattoria has been serving top-notch, unpretentious food to Florentines who like their bistecca very large and, of course, very rare, as that's the only way to eat it. The tartino di carciofi (artichoke tart) and the pollo al burro (chicken with butter) are signature dishes.

On a romantic medieval side street in the heart of the centro storico, this small restaurant serves Tuscan classics that reflect both the whims of the chef and what's in season. The menu features creative salads and pasta, meat, and truffle dishes, as well as taglieri (mixed meat and cheese plates) that are often served with jams made from Chianti, vin santo, or balsamic vinegar. The long wine list has many offerings by the glass, and the bread and desserts are made in house. This is also a great place to drop in for a glass of wine and perch on the steps to watch the world go by.

Florentines flock to this narrow, family-run trattoria near San Lorenzo to feast on Tuscan favorites served at simple tables under a wooden ceiling dating from 1536. A distinct cafeteria feel and genuine Florentine hospitality prevail: you'll be seated wherever there's room, which often means with strangers. Yes, there's a bit of extra oil in most dishes, which imparts calories as well as taste, but aren't you on vacation in Italy? Worth the caloric splurge is riso al ragù (rice with ground beef and tomatoes).

Located in the former studio of Santi di Tito, a student of Bronzino's, Taverna has a simple, formal decor, with white tablecloths and place settings. The classic, elegantly presented Tuscan food is superb, and the solid, affordable wine list rounds out the menu—especially because Stefano, the sommelier, really knows his stuff. Desserts shine at this place, so remember to save room, and conclude with a limoncello or mirtillo postprandial drink. Both are made in-house, and provide a perfect conclusion to the meal. Outstanding service makes a meal here heavenly. Reservations are advised, especially for eating at the wine cellar's only table.

Since opening its doors in 1869, this trattoria has been serving top-notch, unpretentious food to Florentines who like their bistecca fiorentina very large and very rare. Along with fine Tuscan classics, they have two signature dishes: the tortino di carciofi (artichoke tart) and the pollo al burro (chicken with butter). Leave room for dessert, as their torta alla Meringa (a semi-frozen dessert flecked with chocolate and topped with meringue) is scrumptious. Reservations are absolutely essential.

The name doesn't exactly mean "old dive," but it comes pretty close. The recipes here come from "wise grandmothers" and celebrate Tuscan food in its glorious simplicity—prosciutto is sliced with a knife, grilled meats are tender, service is friendly, and the wine list is well priced and good. This lively trattoria has been around only since 1979, but it feels as if it's been much longer.

The Antinori family started selling wine from their palace's basement in the 15th century and 600 years later, this buca (hole) is a lively, subterranean restaurant filled with Florentine aristocrats chowing down on what might be the best (and most expensive) bistecca fiorentina in town. The classical Tuscan menu has the usual suspects: crostino di cavolo nero (black cabbage on toasted garlic bread), along with ribollita and pappa al pomodoro. You might want to cut directly to the chase, however, and order the bistecca, an immense slab of Chianina beef impeccably grilled on the outside, just barely warmed on the inside. (If you're not into rare meat, order something else from the grill.) Roast potatoes and cannellini beans make perfect accompaniments.

After a morning of shopping on Via Tornabuoni, stop for lunch in this 15th-century palazzo, a place to see and be seen as well as to dine. The panache of the clientele is matched by that of the food, with dishes such as tramezzino con pane di campagna al tartufo (bread served with country pâté and truffles) and insalata di gamberoni e gamberetti con carciofi freschi (crayfish and prawn salad with shaved raw artichokes).

This intimate trattoria, known to locals as Cibreino, shares its name and its kitchen with the famed Florentine restaurant but has a shorter, less-expensive menu. Save room for dessert, as the pastry chef has a deft hand with chocolate tarts. To avoid sometimes agonizingly long waits, come early (7 pm) or late (after 9:30).

At one of Florence's biggest markets, you can grab lunch to go, or you can cram into one of the booths and pour from the straw-cloaked flask (wine here is da consumo, which means they charge you for how much you drink). Food is abundant, Tuscan, and fast; locals pack in. The ample menu changes daily (nine secondi are the norm), and the prices are great.

This innovative, charming place serves up remarkable food. Anyone looking for sublime bistecca fiorentina should stop here: it serves the cut from different places on the planet, so you can sample and decide. The wine list, as befits the love child of a fine enoteca, is divine.

Come early (or late) to grab a seat at this tiny spot frequented by Florentine university students and businesspeople, who come to enjoy the day's primi (the lasagna is terrific), perhaps followed by the polpettone (meat loaf) and tomato sauce. Though seats are cramped, and the wine is no great shakes, the service is friendly, and the food hits the spot.

Come to this tiny, cramped, and boisterous place for hearty, stick-to-your-ribs Florentine dishes such as ribollita (Tuscan bread soup). Seating is communal, with diners sharing big, straw-covered flasks of wine; service is prompt and efficient; and two nimble cooks with impeccable timing staff the small kitchen.

Always crowded—but always good and inexpensive—this osteria is next to the church of San Niccolò, and, if you sit in the lower part, you'll be in what was once a chapel dating from the 11th century. The subtle but dramatic background nicely complements the food, which is simple Tuscan at its best. The pollo con limone is tasty pieces of chicken in a lemon-scented broth. In winter, try the spezzatino di cinghiale con aromi (wild boar stew with herbs). Reservations are advised.

Down the street from the church of Santa Maria Novella, this gaily decorated spot, always festooned with some sort of creative decoration (ropes of garlic and other vegetables have figured in the past) has an ever-changing menu and stellar service. The list of Tuscan standards is shaken up with alternatives such as sedani con bacon, verza, e uova (thick noodles sauced with bacon, cabbage, and egg); when avocados are ripe, they're on the menu, too, either with cold boiled shrimp or expertly grilled chicken breast. If you want to eat alfresco, request a table outside when booking—and remember to save room for dessert.

If you're making the trip to Settignano, get off Bus 10 at the stop called Ponte a Mensola for a meal at this small, unassuming, family-run trattoria situated along a street and a tiny stream. The food is terrific, and though it is described as cucina casalinga (home cooking), only the portions are home style. If you sit outside (there are no views, alas), you might hear the trickle of the stream.

The Frescobaldi family has run a vineyard for more than 700 years, and this swanky establishment offers tasty and sumptuous fare to accompany some seriously fine wines. The menu is typically Tuscan, but turned up a notch or two: the faraona in umido con l'uva (stewed guinea fowl with grapes) comes with a side of feather-light mashed potatoes. Save room for dessert, as well as one of the dessert wines.

The only kosher–vegetarian restaurant in Tuscany is Ruth's, adjacent to Florence's synagogue. On the menu: inexpensive vegetarian and Mediterranean dishes and a large selection of kosher wines. It's closed for Friday dinner and Saturday lunch.

"Zeb" stands for zuppa e bollito (soup and boiled things), but you can't go wrong with anything at this small alimentari (delicatessen). It's home-style Tuscan cuisine at its very best, served in unpretentious, intimate surroundings: there's room for only about 15 guests. Giuseppina and her son, Alberto, insist on cooking what's best that day, reflecting the season's best offerings.