Florence Restaurants Guide: Where To Eat in Florence Italy

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Florence

Restaurants

While Florence's nearby neighbors of Pisa and Bologna (among others) are renowned for dreaming up some of the worlds' most inventive meat dishes, chocolates, breads, and truffles, Florence's main culinary repertoire has something of a French flavor, thanks to its Bourbon and Napoleonic rulers. Indeed, don't come expecting stereotypical Italian dishes like pasta or pizza – it's Tuscan fare that rules the kitchens here, which means that, when pasta is involved, it's not likely to be prepared in a way you'd expect. As for pizza, Florentines don't order it, period.

Rather than have a second course of pasta, Florence's proximity to the Po Valley makes rice a major dish, and you should definitely sample local specialities like risi e bisi (rice and peas), ribolitto (a bread, vegetable, and bean soup), and, of course, risotto. Florence is also big on spinach – think eggs Florentine – but broccoli rapi, turnip greens, mustards, cabbage, arugula, (in fact most green vegetables) are also staples of city's restaurants. White beans also abound, and no Florentine will turn up her nose at cannellini laced with escarole or dandelion greens eaten with a thick slice of local bread.

Because of Florence's wealth, beef steaks, rolled beef (braciole), veal dishes, pork loins, and other prime cuts of meat are regularly listed on menus as well. Country dishes of polenta and pasta are often baked in casseroles or spun into frittatas. Rich egg breads, French inspired pastries, local berries, and thick egg desserts like zuppa Inglese are also local favorites. Wines, of course, are plentiful, coming from the adjoining Chianti region, and are as numerous and diverse as California reds.

Among the more expensive dining places in town, Enoteca Pinchiorri is a must (Via Ghibellina 87; +39 055 24 27 57 to reserve; www.enotecapinchiorri.com/) – it's one of most famous in Italy. Try pici con le briciole (home-made spaghetti with anchovies, bread crumbs, and pork skin in a white-bean soup) or, better yet, order from the menu di degustazione (tasting menu). Another Italian standard bearer is Cibrèo (Via Andrea del Verrocchio 8r; +39 055 234 11 00 to reserve), a must for authentic Tuscan fare that's simple but flavorful – at a price.

Restaurants on the moderate side include the Cantina Barbagianni (Via Sant'Egedio 13r; www.cantinabarbagianni.it/), an an intimate cellar with an innovative Tuscan cuisine and a biweekly menu featuring pheasant in white-wine sauce with pears; Il Latini (Via del Palchetti 6r), an always-packed spot with communal tables (great for meeting locals and fellow travelers), and set three-course dinners with unlimited wine refills; and the long-standing Ristorante Casa di Dante (Via Dante Alighieri 4r), the place to sample superb antipasti in 15th-century surroundings.

On the more budget end of things, some of our favorite eating places tend to be the viniaos and osterias found on streetcorners and piazzas. The former are little more than storefront wine shops, but they serve wines by the glass and tempting appetizers that are sufficient for a light lunch or late supper while osterias add tables, waiters, soups, meat and vegetable crostini, and amazing combo panini that go a long way to explaining the origin of Philly cheese steaks and New Orleans muffulettas. Viniaos come and go, but the ones around the Central Market tend to have the most interesting appetizers, usually based on what the proprietor picked up at the market that morning. Our favorite osteria is the Osteria Masticabrodo (Borgo Allegri 58), an early-19th-century local taverna where dishes are simple and traditional.

Other inexpensive places to eat are the local cafés and pasticcerias where you can down a perfect espresso or latte along with famous Italian sweets like naploleons, canoli, almond and hazelnut cookies, and leaf-shaped sfogliatelle. Some cafés also serve homemade ices, ice creams (gelati), and sorbets (sorbetti) – if you've had gelato in the United States, it's way better in Italy! For some truly original ice-cream flavors – like fennel, raisin, artichoke, or tomato – you can't beat the Sicilian-owned Carabe (Via Ricasoli 60r); it also serves coffee and other confections.