11 Amazing Restaurants to Visit in Florence, Italy

Oh, man. If there’s any city in the world I’ve visited that’s a foodie’s dream, it’s Florence, Italy. While it may seem like there’s only pizza, pasta, and gelato here, and while that’s pretty much all I ate during my stay, there’s such a huge variety in the Italian food you can find in this city.

Being the capital of Tuscany, the cuisine in Florence is rooted in traditional Tuscan dishes and ingredients, like Bistecca alla Fiorentina (Florentine steak), crostini Toscani, trippa (cow stomach), wild boar, and truffles (my absolute favorite). But while you’ll see many of these traditional dishes at pretty much any trattoria in the city, you can also find a huge array of pizzas and pastas in the same spots for the more casual diner.

I ate more Italian food than I ever have in my life during this month-long trip, and it was only our first stop in Italy. Naturally, I’ve gathered my photos and memories of some of my favorite restaurants to share here; some of the absolute best meals I’ve ever eaten are on this list, and if you ever find yourself in Florence, you can’t go wrong with any options you see here!

1. ditta Artigianale

ditta Artigianale quickly became my favorite coffee shop in Florence to grab breakfast and get work done. It has a really cool industrial vibe, but is still really vibrant and welcoming. Plus, they always played classic rock whenever I was in there, so I didn’t even have to use headphones and listen to my own playlists.

Their menu is really unique for a cafe in Italy, taking influences from tons of different cuisines. They have “American pancakes” on the menu in between a Croque Monsieur, gazpacho and baba ganoush toast (their French fries were to die for, too). If you’re a fan of cold soups (or even if you aren’t and you just want to branch out), the gazpacho is the dish for you! Crispy croutons, tomatoes, thinly sliced cucumber, toasted almonds and a big ball of burrata all sit in a bowl of gazpacho blended with watermelon; veggie soup with watermelon sounds a bit odd, but the flavor was so fresh and unique, I downed the entire bowl in record time!

Their menu changes seasonally too, so flavors and dishes will rotate every few months. It’s definitely a great spot for a heartier breakfast and lunch with tons of space to bring a laptop, books, etc. and get into a work zone for a few hours. Once I found my spot here, it was hard to choose anywhere else!

Abby’s Recommendation:

• Baba ganoush toast with burrata
• Avocado toast
• Cocomero gazpacho
• Iced cherry pie latte

2. Trattoria Napoleone

We went to Trattoria Napoleone on our second and last nights in Florence, which was a nice little full-circle moment–and unsurprisingly, both meals I had there were stellar. My first-ever plate of pasta in Italy was this gnocchi with Gorgonzola and truffles, and it was mind-blowing to say the least. If you’ve never had fresh truffles in Tuscany, I can only describe the experience as surreal. I’m also a sucker for a good plate of pasta (who isn’t?), and you can’t get much better than freshly made pasta in Florence.

For my last meal in the city, I had to get Florentine steak. It’s definitely an experience; the steak is brought to you on a large serving plate still on the bone, and typically your server will slice it up for you right at the table. Then it’s up to you to transfer it to your plate and cut it up the rest of the way. One thing to note: Florentine steak is RARE, and that’s the only way it’s served. A lot of restaurants will give you a hot plate if you ask for it, but don’t ask for the steak to be cooked longer–it’s an iconic dish for a reason, and lots of chefs will actually refuse. Plus, all you need is salt, pepper, and a little olive oil for it to be seasoned just right.

I tried to branch out with my wine choices here too, and wanted to make a point to order red wine more often. Steak obviously goes best with red wine, so I bit the bullet and asked the waitress what she’d recommend. The Bolgheri was exceptionally good (especially paired with the steak), and I remember it now as one of my favorite red wines I’ve had in Italy!

Abby’s Recommendation:

• Gnocchi with truffled Gorgonzola cheese sauce
• Florentine steak
• Bolgheri wine

3. Tameró

Tameró was our first ever meal in Florence, and after a less-than-ideal journey into the city, it was just the pickup we needed. It’s located right in the Piazza Santo Spirito, which is a super lively little area south of the Arno River (“our side of the river”, as we ended up referring to it). After two days of catching up on sleep and work, we headed out through unfamiliar neighborhoods, down new streets until we found this spot crowded with young people drinking, talking and laughing up a storm. It’s a great area for late night cocktails!

We luckily were sat down outside within 10 minutes of getting there, and within the next 20, we were pushing our table together with the people next to us, chatting like we were old friends while happily making new ones. If the memories alone didn’t sell this place for me, their ‘Nduja and burrata pizza did–holy sh*t, was it good. Pro tip: all pizzas in Italy are personal pizzas, and none come pre-cut. It’s all forks and knives over here, people.

Abby’s Recommendation:

• ‘Nduja & burrata pizza

4. La Bistecca - Osteria Fiorentina

We tried not to eat at the same restaurants more than once so we could try as many different spots as possible during our trip, but when some family friends came to visit me for a day, I ended up suggesting this one again. Definitely not mad about the repeat restaurant, because both pasta dishes I got here were absolutely fantastic! La Bistecca is in a little bit of a touristy area–not as packed as the spots near the Duomo, but definitely not off the beaten path by any means. Regardless, the food was exceptionally good, and not too expensive either.

First up was the ravioli: a typical cheese and herb filling, smothered in a cheesy truffle sauce. Just spectacular, and way more filling than expected. The portions may look small, but those three ravioli were huge (biggest I’ve ever seen) and absolutely packed with filling. The picture doesn’t do the size justice–they were enormous.

Next up was the carbonara, and boy am I glad I went back so I could try this dish. Such a simple recipe done well can be so flavorful, and carbonara in Italy is extremely hard to get wrong. Fresh ingredients, cooked to perfection, simple seasonings–it was a pretty perfect plate of pasta.

Abby’s Recommendation:

• Fresh ravioli with truffle sauce
• Pici alla carbonara

5. La Bussola

La Bussola was one of the fancier dinners we had in Florence, but the price tag wouldn’t give that away. We didn’t expect it to feel so formal when we walked inside, so we felt lucky that we both wore dresses that night. The service was exceptional (probably the best we had in Florence) and the ambiance was really nice. We sat right by the window and got to see more people dining, drinking and walking around outside without really hearing the noise–but unfortunately, we were sat in a room with only other Americans who were extremely loud and disruptive the whole night (like, playing Uno at the table with screaming children running around, disruptive). But that annoyance aside, the food was lovely!

It was my first time trying spaghetti alla carbonara del Chianti, which is just carbonara with red wine mixed into the sauce. Super unique flavor that I’d definitely recommend trying if you have the chance! We shared a bottle of Pinot Grigio (which, in hindsight, probably didn’t pair best with a red wine pasta dish) and got a traditional dessert of cantucci (hard, sliced cookies, almost like a biscotti) with dessert wine to dip them in. Our waiter also brought us what we thought was limoncello, and when we thanked him, he said “oh, that was lemon sorbet and vodka!” So that was a highlight of the night. All in all, it was probably one of my favorite dinner experiences in Florence!

Abby’s Recommendation:

• Spaghetti alla carbonara del Chianti
• Cantucci

6. Casa del Vin Santo

This spot was a total whim of a choice on our part after walking around the city doing some shopping all morning. I ended up loving that feeling of walking around a new city and just stumbling upon restaurants we’d never heard of or seen before just because the food smelled amazing or the menu looked really interesting. Here, I saw the wild boar tagliatelle on the menu outside and immediately wanted to go in. We ended up having a great chat with our waiter who commended our patchy attempts at Italian, practiced his English on us, and even gave us a discount to come back.

We sat down around lunch time (I think somewhere between 1-3pm), when most restaurants are closed, but this spot wasn’t too busy when we were there. The pasta dish I ordered was just as good as it sounded, and the wine was lovely (probably a Pinot but I honestly have no memory of what we chose). Burrata is my ultimate weakness, and being in Italy, seeing burrata on the menu anywhere is enough to make me order something. Whether it’s pizza, pasta, panini, bruschetta, or literally just a ball of burrata, I will order it, hands down. And it’s always been fantastic, so my system works!

Abby’s Recommendation:

• Tagliatelle ragù di cinta senese e burrata (wild boar ragù with burrata)

7. Trattoria Zà Zà

Trattoria Zà Zà was recommended to us by multiple people, and I’d seen it all over social media with great reviews, so we made our way over on one of our last days in Florence. We were seated pretty far away from the main outdoor seating area, which in hindsight was probably worse off than just sitting inside. We were right up against a glass enclosure in a super tightly packed area, facing those makeshift booths in the street that sell the same exact bags and dresses you see throughout the entire city. However, despite the somewhat lame seating area, the pasta was phenomenal!

We started with wine and two appetizers: pecorino cheese with tangerine jam, and Tuscan-style Fettunta, which is white bean bruschetta seasoned with olive oil. The cheese and jam were awesome, but we were expecting the Fettunta to be a bit more uniquely prepared than just throwing beans on bread. With more oil, salt, and pepper, it was pretty decent–but it was exactly how you’d imagine eating cold beans on hard bread would be. Next, I got the ravioli in truffle sauce, which was fantastic, and Amanda got the pesto tagliatelle which was just as yummy. To top it off, we got affogato (my first in Italy, which surprises me as much as it probably surprises you) and it was definitely unique. The ice cream was super fluffy, more like whipped ice cream, topped with crushed nuts and obviously drowned in espresso. There was even some powdered sugar on top - can’t go wrong with an affogato.

Abby’s Recommendation:

• Ravioli in a creamy truffle sauce
• Affogato

8. Trattoria 4 Leoni

I saw 4 Leoni recommended by a content creator I follow (s/o Kacie Rose Travels), so when we realized it was so close to our Airbnb and where we shopped around a lot, we decided to stop by for lunch one day. I think this was one of the first restaurants we visited that had an exclusively Italian menu (which are more common the farther you get from the touristy areas, of course), so we did a lot of Google translating the menu to figure out what we wanted. I ended up going with the most basic dish ever, ironically, but it turned out to be one of my favorite plates of pasta I’ve ever had.

Rigatoni al pomodoro is an absolute staple in Italian cuisine: pasta, tomatoes, olive oil, and fresh herbs. As simple as it gets, so how amazing can it be, right? Guys, this was the freshest pasta I’ve ever tasted–I might as well have been biting into a tomato. So bright, so flavorful, and perfectly balanced with the fresh basil and other herbs. That’s all you need sometimes–simple, fresh flavors done well. This picture isn’t even edited–it was just that bright and appetizing just sitting on my plate.

Abby’s Recommendation:

• Rigatoni al pomodoro

9. Red Garter

Man, I wish we’d gone to Red Garter more than once during our trip here. My stepdad had gone there all the time when he was in the Air Force stationed in Italy, so we knew we were going to stop by at least once before we left Florence, but I wish we hadn’t waited until a couple days before leaving. Typically we’d try to avoid American-themed restaurants or tourist trap restaurants, but the vibes in here were so fun–it helped that they’re known for karaoke every night and weekly trivia, which we happened to be there for. It was just so funny to walk into a bar covered in American football mascots, basketball jerseys, NFL games playing on the TV’s and Chuck Norris posters covering the walls–in the Italian city where the literal Renaissance was born.

Onto the food: I got the Las Vegas Chipotle Ranch burger, which after a month of eating strictly pasta and pizza was honestly super delicious. Sometimes you just need a big, juicy burger, even in Italy. The fries were outstanding (and I am a French fry connoisseur), and paired with a rum and coke AND a milkshake, it was just the American comfort meal I didn’t know I needed. We stayed until happy hour for the frozen margarita pitcher, too, and by that time trivia had started and we ended up getting roped into playing by the start of the second round. Great vibes if you’re looking for a good burger, lively karaoke, or just feel a little homesick for the US!

Abby’s Recommendation:

• Las Vegas Chipotle Ranch Burger
• Strawberry milkshake
• Frozen strawberry margaritas

10. Pino's Sandwiches

Panini are some of the most common foods you’ll find in much of Italy–the art of a well-made sandwich is incredibly easy to come by in a place where the ingredients are so fresh and the culture values simple, delicious meals. And coming from personal experience, there’s not much better than getting a freshly made panino from a local shop and walking around the city devouring it. Enjoying fresh mozzarella, just-sliced prosciutto, juicy tomatoes, and bright, crisp greens nestled in between salty, fluffy focaccia while strolling the streets of a beautiful Italian city is a pleasure I hope you all get to experience at some point in your lives.

Pino’s in particular has become a viral sandwich shop due to TikTok and the huge number of study abroad students in Florence; you can’t tell in the photos, but the wall behind the counter is lined with university flags from students who bring them in from their college towns. Pino hangs them all up in between making insanely good sandwiches for everyone who comes in–that’s him in the white shirt to the right! One of my favorite content creators (Kacie Rose, who I’ve mentioned before in this guide), actually has a sandwich named after her at Pino’s, so I ended up getting it. Girl’s got good taste!

Abby’s Recommendation:

• Kacie Rose special (burrata, sun-dried tomatoes, prosciutto, salad, truffle sauce)

11. Babae

You’re not gonna get a bad glass of wine in Florence if you know what kind of wine you enjoy–and even if you don’t, it’s pretty easy to find one you do like. Stop into any restaurant for aperitivo or dinner and you’ll have a gorgeous glass of wine in your hand in minutes (usually for around €5, too). But this experience is one-of-a-kind, so it obviously had to make the list–after all, it made Stanley Tucci’s!

Babae is a restaurant that’s home to one of Florence’s only remaining wine windows, or “buchette del vino”. In the 17th century, shop owners used these windows to serve wine during the Plague without having direct contact with customers. Only four are in use today in Florence, and Tuscany is the only region in all of Italy that uses them at all! You go up to the window (when it’s open), ring the bell, order your wine and pay, and your glass is served to you, all through the window. Then, you either grab an open table outside, stand outside the restaurant, or walk down the street a bit to enjoy your wine–just remember to bring the glass back! We had a lot of fun sipping our wine across the street and watching the long line of people order their own.

Abby’s Recommendation:

• Orange wine