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Florence's popularity with tourists means that, unfortunately, there's a higher percentage of mediocre restaurants here than you'll find in most Italian towns (Venice, perhaps, might win the prize). Some restaurant owners cut corners and let standards slip, knowing that a customer today is unlikely to return tomorrow, regardless of the quality of the meal. So, if you're looking to eat well, it pays to do some research, starting with the recommendations here. Dining hours start at around 1 for lunch and 8 for dinner. Many of Florence's restaurants are small, so reservations are a must. You can sample such specialties as creamy fegatini (a chicken-liver spread) and ribollita (minestrone thickened with bread and beans and swirled with extra-virgin olive oil) in a bustling, convivial trattoria, where you share long wooden tables set with paper place mats, or in an upscale ristorante with linen tablecloths and napkins.
Those with a sense of culinary adventure should not miss the tripe sandwich, served from stands throughout town. This Florentine favorite comes with a fragrant salsa verde (green sauce) or a piquant red hot sauce—or both. Follow the Florentines' lead and take a break at an enoteca (wine bar) during the day and discover some excellent Chiantis and Super Tuscans from small producers who rarely export.
International cuisine in Florence is a hit-or-miss affair. Although numerous Asian restaurants have sprung up since the 1990s, only a select few are worth a visit. Still, if you need a break from Italian, some relief is available.
Pizzas in Florence can't compete with their counterparts in Rome or Naples, but you can sample a few good approximations.
Cafés in Italy serve not only coffee concoctions and pastries but also sweets, drinks, and panini, and some have hot pasta and lunch dishes. They usually open from early in the morning to late at night, and are often closed Sunday.
Come here for creative panini, such as sgrombri e carciofini sott'olio (mackerel and marinated baby artichokes), and an ever-changing list of significant wines by the glass. It also has a good selection of bottles to go.
What is, perhaps, the oldest and best wine bar in Florence serves cured meats and cheeses, as well as daily specials. Crostini and crostoni—grilled breads topped with a mélange of cheeses and meats—are the house specialty, but the verdure sott'olio are divine, too. The lengthy wine list offers great options by the glass and terrific bottles from all over Italy and beyond. All this can be enjoyed at rustic wooden tables and seated outdoors when weather allows.
A hop, skip, and a jump from Orsanmichele in the centro storico and in existence since 1875, I Fratellini sells wines by the glass and has a lengthy list of panini, including pecorino with sundried tomatoes and spicy wild-boar salami with goat cheese. There are no tables: this is strictly a sandwich counter.
Though it has only four tables and four small stools at an equally small bar, Il Santino is blessed with a big wine list and superior cheeses, cured meats, and other delicacies. It's the perfect place to have a snack or a light lunch.
An oenophile's dream, this spot—whose name translates as "the foxes and the grape" and is based on one of Aesop's fables—is off Piazza Santa Felicita. Here, affable, knowledgeable "volpi" (foxes), pour wines by the glass and serve equally impressive cheeses and bite-size sandwiches.
Although there are some serious wine offerings at this spot in the heart of the centro storico, it's also a good place for tasty breakfast baked treats and light lunches.
At Pitti Gola you can order tasty tidbits to accompany your choices from the extensive and impressive wine list. The outdoor seats have a view of Palazzo Pitti.
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