Restaurants in Florence

Foodies may find that the city's large tourism industry has been a bane on the quality of restaurants in Florence, and it’s true that a lot of Florence eateries are betting they won’t ever have to serve the same customer twice.

But there are also plenty of lovely little Italian diners and cool cafés to be had, and even if the meal is subpar, at least a bottle of brilliant Chianti wine is never hard to find.

The trendy neighborhood trattorias get busy around 1pm for lunch and 8pm for dinner, with everyone piling in along communal tables to feast on paninis, talk, and have fun with a little too much wine.

Like most restaurants in Italy, visitors can expect the majority of Florence’s to be quite small, so reservations when possible are always a good idea. Tripe sandwiches – available at casual stands all over town – are a favorite quick hunger fix for locals, as are stalwart city staples like fegatini (chicken-liver spread) and ribollita (minestrone).

The best bet for authentic restaurants is to head away from the Duomo and over to Santa Croce or Oltrarno. Keep in mind, however, practically every restaurant tends to change its menu frequently, so dropping in on the same place twice may yield a very different dining experience...read less