Florence offers plenty of opportunities to enjoy excellent authentic cuisine – with local ingredients taking the spotlight. The Florentines’ love for their terroir is beautifully demonstrated at markets such as the lively Mercato di Sant’Ambrogio or the rehabilitated Mercato Centrale – the beating hearts of the city. Of course, local wine is also considered a serious affair; we recommend ordering a glass of chianti over a Milanese negroni or a Venetian spritz to blend in with the locals.
As the birthplace of Renaissance, Florence’ cuisine is refreshingly rustic and simple with most of the city’s specialities inherited from the mediaeval habit of not letting anything go to waste. Thanks to our specialists on the ground who personally dine at the places we recommend and keep us up to date on any culinary developments, we’re able to cut through the gongs and awards to find places that genuinely serve excellent food.
Fine Dining Restaurants
Enoteca Pinchiorri
Via Ghibellina, 87, 50122 Florence
One of the world’s most legendary wine cellars.
Housed in a Renaissance palazzo, the city’s only three-Michelin-starred restaurant features a legendary collection of wines curated by co-owner Giorgio Pinchiorri. While many of his most precious bottles were auctioned off in 2020, it’s still worth asking for a tour of the wine cellar for a chance to admire rare vintages. Helmed by chef Riccardo Monco, the kitchen team revisits local rustic ingredients such as roasted pigeon and guinea fowl, to plate up creative dishes.
Perfect for: a memorable pour of wine, paired with an outstanding dining experience.
Borgo San Jacopo
Hotel Lungarno, Borgo San Jacopo, 62/R, 50125 Florence
Romantic Ponte Vecchio views.
A two-minute walk from the Ponte Vecchio is Hotel Lngarno’s Michelin-starred Italian restaurant. Chef Claudio Mengoni pays homage to authentic Italian cuisine by elegantly elevating carefully chosen local ingredients, creating both meat-based and vegetarian tasting menus. Let us know in advance if you’re travelling to Florence and we can help you try and book one of the few coveted tables on the tiny terrace for panoramic views of the Ponte Vecchio.
Perfect for: a romantic dinner.
Gucci Osteria da Massimo Bottura
Piazza della Signoria, 10, 50122 Florence
Legendary chef Massimo Bottra’s address in Florence.
History, haute couture, and haute cuisine coalesce at Gucci Garden, where exhibition rooms and a Gucci store share the floors of 14th-century Palazzo della Mercanzia with this Michelin-starred restaurant. In true Gucci style, the dining room is a sight to behold, richly decorated in shades of green with velvet furnishings, gilded chandeliers and custom-made porcelain. Co-executive chefs Karime López and Takahiko Kondo are in charge, infusing chef Bottra’s classics with flavours from Central and South America. Highlights include the duck broth, as well as the tortellini stuffed with veal, pork, and cream.
Perfect for: a dining experience that is as delectable as it is fashionable.
Regina Bistecca
Via Ricasoli, 14r, 50122 Florence
Where Florence’s signature dish gets reverential treatment.
As suggested by its name, this popular dining spot, which opened in 2018, specialises in one of the city’s signature dishes: bistecca alla fiorentina. Here, a few minutes’ walk from the Duomo, under the vaulted ceiling of what was once the shop of famous antiquarian bookshop Gonnelli, carnivores are in for a treat in an upbeat atmosphere. Your meat of choice – from a selection including rare Tuscan Chianina – is first presented raw at your table, then grilled and served rare. We recommend saving some space for the old-school dessert trolley featuring homemade treats.
Perfect for: a vibrant and elevated take on a classic Florentine steak experience.
Classic Restaurants
Osteria Vini e Vecchi Sapori
Via dei Magazzini, 3/r, 50122 Florence
Authentic Tuscan food, hidden away in the city’s most touristy area.
A short walk from the Uffizi Gallery, in a small side street off the bustle of the Piazza della Signoria – and its accompanying crush of tourists – this family-run restaurant serves a daily changing menu of authentic Tuscan recipes that have been passed down from generation to generation. The handwritten menu mentions you won’t find any pizza, cappuccino or spritz at this soulful venue, frequented by regulars who enjoy signatures such as fettucine al ragu and trippa alla fiorentina. Reservation is a must, whether you want to catch the action from the inside or are willing to bag one of the handful of outside tables.
Perfect for: authentic bites just off the Palazzo Vecchio.
Trattoria Cibrèo
Via dei Macci, 122r, 50122 Florence
The Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand-recognised sister restaurant of Fabio Picchi’s famous gourmet temple.
Just next door to late chef Fabio Picchi’s Cibrèo Ristorante, a local institution renowned for its modern rendition of traditional Tuscan dishes, is this small and more relaxed dining room. Il Cibreino – little Cibrèo, as it’s known by locals – offers a more rustic and affordable homage to local cuisine than its sister restaurant, but with the same focus on seasonality and richness of flavours with which chef Picchi had always infused his cuisine. Cue Tuscan bread and vegetable soup, Florentine- style veal tripe salad, and Cibrèo’s signature flourless chocolate cake.
Perfect for: a lively dinner with a few foodie friends.
For a more explorative experience across the globe, discover Northern India’s Golden Triangle.
