The best restaurants in Florence: where you really have to eat
The capital of Tuscany, Florence, Italy (duh) + (all day long) food: a golden combination. From old-fashioned trattorias where grandmas still cook to hip spots where young chefs do Italian classics just a little bit differently – you can really let loose here. And yes, there are eleven Michelin star restaurants, but honestly? A juicy Florentine steak in a cozy osteria can be just as good. And we often find it much cozier.
With all those millions of tourists per year, it can sometimes be a bit of a search for places where you won't be fobbed off with a bland pasta and an overpriced wine. Luckily, Florence is nice and compact, so you can discover everything on foot. The perfect excuse to wander around by feeling, plopping down at a charming wine bar and spontaneously walking into a place where it smells good.
And believe us: the city is buzzing like never before. New restaurants, cool cocktail bars, refreshed museums – Florence is in a top phase.
So, where should you really eat in Florence? These are our favorite and best restaurants.
Okay, a little Italian doesn't eat breakfast. He stands with a cup of coffee, possibly with a cornet with it – a kind of croissant with cream filling. If you want a slightly firmer base, this is the perfect start of the day:
- All Way – A bookstore. A coffee shop. A natural wine shop. Why not all at once? Drop in for a coffee in the morning and grab a bottle of wine for later in the day.
- Coffee Mantra – You have probably already seen the facade online, but before you know it, you will walk right past it. Specialty coffee, nothing more, nothing less.
- S.forno – One place, three shops – choose what you come for. The bakery with coffee, a bistro for dinner or the simple snack café. All three equally nice and tasty – perfect for any time of the day.
- Ditta Artigianale, Via dello Sprone – Specialty Coffee – A micro-roastery that now supplies coffee to several cities in Italy. This is the original location, where you are the first to enjoy the freshly ground beans – in the form of a very good cup of coffee.
- Wild Buns Bakery (Scandinavian bakery) – Yes, even in Italy you sometimes long for a cinnamon of cardamom bun. Then you need to be here. This Scandinavian bakery provides the necessary refreshments (or lunch) while you enjoy your freshly brewed cappuccino.
- Melaleuca Firenze | Bakery Bistrot | Brunch & Specialty Coffee – Looking for an extensive brunch? Then Melaleuca is the place for you.
- Vivoli Gilberto Di Vivoli Giulio - The famous drown from Florence comes from here. Not only a TikTok hit because it's so esthetic looks, but also really the tastiest drown you've ever tasted.
- The Schiacciata – If you thought Zero Zero was the focaccia sandwich game If you play well, you haven't visited Florence yet. The focaccia sandwiches are flying around your ears here - and this is one of the places to go for a really good sandwich.
Right in the historical centre of Florence, a stone’s throw from Santa Croce – but far enough away from the tourist flow – you’ll find Fermino. A bistro & cocktail bar with a nice casual vibe, a touch of the 90s in the interior and just the right mix of locals and connoisseurs of good food/life who know their way here.
Here you can drink strong cocktails and taste the ferm – Fermino's version of toast – with the absolute favorite being the one with split pea pate and cheese. Sounds exciting, tastes fantastic.
The wine list is excellent, and some evenings there is an event that will make you spontaneously change your plans.
A true Florentine neighbourhood favourite, Rifrullo is a bistro & cocktail bar for a good morning coffee, a relaxed brunch or a drink that slowly turns into dinner. Located in the San Niccolò neighbourhood, it features a spacious terrace, large French doors and a beautiful courtyard overlooking the old city wall.
Inside it is dark and atmospheric. On Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings DJs play vinyl with sounds from all over the world, giving the bar a relaxed, international vibe.
Not just any pizzeria, but a place where cocktails and pizzas together tell a story. Elements is the result of a group of young, passionate Tuscan hospitality professionals who combined their love for the bar world with the art of pizza baking.
It started four years ago in Barberino del Mugello and can now also be found in Prato – both just outside Florence, so ideal as a stopover on a road trip through Tuscany.
Here you eat pizzas that taste fantastic and are light and easy to digest (so you can eat pizza the other days too!). Think: crispy bases, top quality ingredients and flavor combinations that you won't find anywhere else. The Spilsby pizza is a must-try, as are their surprising pizza desserts.
And then the cocktails – not an afterthought, but a full-fledged taste partner. The Fuji is Wack is a favorite. And trust us: you want to try it.
Pizza, but make it hip. What started as a dream of two Calabrian brothers in Bologna has grown into one of the most beloved pizza shops in Italy (and now in London). Matteo and Salvatore didn't just want to make pizza, they wanted to make pizza with love - a dish that is both streetfood as culinary art could be.
So they delved deep into the world of fermentation, traveled the country in search of the best ingredients and opened their first store in Castel Maggiore in 2010.
Fast forward to now: twenty locations in Italy, three in London, a team of over 300 people and still the same passion for pizza. Here you don't get a standard slice, but a perfectly baked base, top quality toppings and a selection of fine (natural) wines.
Wine bar meets traditional Tuscan food. This wine bar & bistro has been here since 1999. And boy, is it good.
Expect a huge wine list with natural and special wines from small Italian winemakers – each with their own story. And that dinner menu… we want everything from the Tuscan kitchen, with recipes from Chianti, Casentino, Maremma and the Etruscan coast.
The staff is warm and welcoming, takes the time to guide you through the wine list, and the price-quality? That's still as it should be. Reservations are smart.
In a quiet street in Oltrarno, Florence, you will find Dalla Lola – a no nonsense trattoria where traditional Tuscan dishes are revived. No tourist classics here, but surprising dishes such as fried frog legs, chicken hearts, false tripe and other forgotten recipes from the poor kitchen.
Behind Dalla Lola are four friends with a shared passion for honest, tasty dishes and a relaxed atmosphere. Founder Matilde Pettini, who comes from a family of restaurateurs, wanted to create a place where locals and curious eaters come together for good food without fuss.
The dishes are simple but thoughtful, with attention to local ingredients and seasonal flavours. The atmosphere is warm and homely, and the prices surprisingly accessible.
A plate of pasta for 8 euros, a good glass of natural wine with it – pure flavours and convivial dining, just as it should be in Tuscany.
Inside it's all a bit too classic, but outside on the terrace in the alley you can sit perfectly.
And the food? That's certainly not the problem. Delicious pastas – think ragout, risotto and an extensive wine list.
Create a no nonsense Italian restaurant where you can still eat fantastic food for a good price.
More wine bar than restaurant, but with enough tasty bites to get you through the evening. Few Wines and Other Necessitiesin Florence is the place to be for wine lovers – with at least 30% natural wines and a carefully selected range of organic and biodynamic wines.
Here you drink among the locals.
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