Florence is the heartland of Tuscan cooking — a cuisine built on superb ingredients kept gloriously simple. This is the home of the bistecca alla fiorentina, the enormous charcoal-grilled T-bone of Chianina beef, of ribollita and pappa al pomodoro, of wild-boar pastas and the city's legendary stuffed schiacciata panini. From boisterous lunch-only trattorias to a three-Michelin-star temple, here are the best places to eat, with areas, price levels and booking advice.
€€Trattoria Mario
Area
San Lorenzo
Type
Classic trattoria
“Lunch only and no bookings — join the queue by 11:50, share a table, and order the bistecca or ribollita.”
€€€Trattoria Sostanza
Area
Santa Maria Novella
Type
Florentine classic
“The butter chicken (petti di pollo al burro) and bistecca are legendary — book, and expect two sittings and shared tables.”
€€Il Latini
Area
Santa Maria Novella
Type
Tuscan classic
“Hams hang from the ceiling and it's a well-known tourist favourite — but the food is real; book or queue at 19:30.”
€La Casalinga
Area
Santo Spirito
Type
Family trattoria
“Home cooking, cheap and always packed — the pappardelle al cinghiale (wild boar) is the dish to order.”
€All'Antico Vinaio
Area
Santa Croce
Type
Panini / street food
“Florence's most famous sandwich — expect a queue, order 'La Favolosa', and eat it standing or in a nearby piazza.”
€€€Trattoria Cammillo
Area
Oltrarno
Type
Classic trattoria
“A refined Oltrarno classic since 1945 — no website, so book by phone a few days ahead; try the truffle pasta.”
€€€Cibrèo
Area
Sant'Ambrogio
Type
Tuscan slow food
“The famous no-pasta kitchen has a formal ristorante and a cheaper, no-bookings trattoria (Cibrèo Trattoria) side by side.”
€€€Buca Mario
Area
Santa Maria Novella
Type
Cellar trattoria
“An atmospheric vaulted cellar dining room from 1886 — book ahead and go for the pasta al ragù and bistecca.”
€€Konnubio
Area
Santa Maria Novella
Type
Modern Tuscan
“One of the better central options for vegetarians and all-day dining — book via TheFork and try the Chianti bistecca.”
€€€€Enoteca Pinchiorri
Area
Santa Croce
Type
3 Michelin stars
“One of Italy's temples of gastronomy with a legendary cellar — book months ahead, dress formally, and choose a tasting menu.”
€€Coquinarius
Area
Centro Storico
Type
Wine bar & bistro
“A relaxed all-day enoteca steps from the Duomo — good for pear-and-pecorino ravioli, cheese boards and 200+ wines by the glass.”
€€€Officina della Bistecca (Dario Cecchini)
Area
Panzano in Chianti
Type
Steak / butcher's table
“Celebrity butcher Dario Cecchini's set-menu meat feast in Chianti — book ahead, bring your own wine, and go hungry.”
Florence restaurants in detail
1.Trattoria Mario
Trattoria Mario is the archetype of the honest Florentine lunch spot and a genuine institution, run by the same family since 1953 in a single cramped, cheerful room beside the Mercato Centrale, where the cooks work an open kitchen in full view of the diners. It opens only for lunch, takes no reservations and seats strangers together at shared paper-covered tables, and the queue forms well before the noon opening, so the drill is to turn up by around 11:50, put your name down and wait. The reward is Tuscan home cooking of the most authentic kind, dictated by a short daily menu chalked up according to what the market had that morning: a thick ribollita or pasta e fagioli, hand-rolled pasta, tripe and boiled meats, and, on certain days, the mighty bistecca alla fiorentina — a thick T-bone of Chianina beef seared rare over coals and sold by weight — at a fraction of what smarter restaurants charge. Portions are generous, the house wine is cheap and poured into tumblers, and the whole experience is loud, fast and thoroughly local despite the trickle of clued-up visitors who have found it. Service is brisk because tables must turn, so this is a place for a quick, brilliant, no-ceremony feed rather than a lingering meal. Bring cash, come hungry and early, and accept that you may share your table and your elbow room — that is exactly the point, and it is one of the best-value proper meals in the centre.
Hours
Mon–Sat 12:00–15:30 (lunch only; closed Sun and August); cash preferred, no reservations
Price
Mains €8–20; bistecca by weight
Getting there
On Via Rosina by the Mercato Centrale in San Lorenzo, a 5-minute walk from the Duomo
Insider tip: Lunch only and no bookings — join the queue by 11:50, share a table, and order the bistecca or ribollita.
2.Trattoria Sostanza
Trattoria Sostanza has been feeding Florence since 1869, and stepping into its single narrow room of communal marble-topped tables and copper pans feels like entering a piece of the city's living history. Long known affectionately by locals as 'Il Troia', it began as a workers' eating house and has barely changed, still cooking a short menu of Florentine classics on a wood-fired stove with uncompromising simplicity and richness. Two dishes have made it internationally famous. The first is the petti di pollo al burro, a chicken breast cooked in a scandalous amount of foaming butter until meltingly tender and served swimming in it — absurd, indulgent and unforgettable. The second is the bistecca alla fiorentina, a colossal charred T-bone of Chianina beef that arrives rare and bloody and is meant to be shared. Alongside come artichoke tortino, a frittata-like dish, ribollita and other seasonal Tuscan staples, washed down with straightforward house wine. The room is tiny and demand is huge, so booking is essential and there are usually fixed sittings, with diners packed elbow to elbow at shared tables — part of the convivial, old-fashioned charm. Prices have risen with its fame and it is no longer a bargain, but the cooking remains genuine and the atmosphere irreplaceable. Come for a taste of nineteenth-century Florence that has resisted every trend, order the butter chicken to start and a bistecca to share, and settle in among the copper and the crowd.
Hours
Mon–Sat, two dinner sittings ~19:30 & 21:00 plus lunch (closed Sun; reservations essential)
Price
Mains €18–30; bistecca by weight
Getting there
On Via del Porcellana in Santa Maria Novella, a 10-minute walk west of the Duomo
Insider tip: The butter chicken (petti di pollo al burro) and bistecca are legendary — book, and expect two sittings and shared tables.
3.Il Latini
Il Latini is one of the best-known trattorias in Florence, a big, warm, theatrical place where whole prosciutto hams dangle from the wooden ceiling beams and long communal tables fill with a happy, noisy mix of Florentines, Italians and visitors. It is unapologetically a crowd-pleaser and has been on every guidebook's radar for years, yet the cooking remains rooted in genuine Tuscan tradition and the portions are famously generous. The experience is as much about the atmosphere as the food: you may be seated with strangers, the waiters are gruff and jovial, and the meal tends to roll on through course after course. Start with a board of the house-cured salumi and crostini, move on to ribollita, pappa al pomodoro or pasta with wild-boar ragù, and centre the meal on the grilled meats — the bistecca alla fiorentina, arista (roast pork) and mixed grills that the kitchen does so well — accompanied by carafes of the family's own Chianti, which keep appearing. Desserts like cantucci with vin santo round things off. It gets very busy and does not always honour the queue smoothly, so booking ahead is wise, or arrive right at opening; either way expect a wait and a squeeze. Prices are fair for the quantity and the fun. Purists may sniff at its popularity, but for a lively, abundant, distinctly Florentine feast with plenty of wine and good cheer — especially in a group — Il Latini delivers exactly what most people want from a Tuscan trattoria.
Hours
Tue–Sun ~12:30–14:30 & 19:30–22:30 (closed Mon)
Price
Mains €14–26; hearty multi-course meals
Getting there
On Via dei Palchetti near Palazzo Rucellai in Santa Maria Novella, a 10-minute walk from the Duomo
Insider tip: Hams hang from the ceiling and it's a well-known tourist favourite — but the food is real; book or queue at 19:30.
4.La Casalinga
La Casalinga — the name simply means 'the housewife' — is exactly what it promises: honest, home-style Tuscan cooking served cheaply and generously in a bustling, unpretentious room just off the lively Piazza Santo Spirito in the Oltrarno. Run by the same family for decades, it is a firm favourite of local Florentines, students and Oltrarno residents, which means it is almost always full and often has a queue, so arriving early or being ready to wait is part of the deal. The menu is a comforting parade of Tuscan and Florentine classics done well and without fuss: ribollita and pappa al pomodoro, handmade pastas including the signature pappardelle al cinghiale with rich wild-boar ragù, roast meats, boiled and braised dishes, tripe for the traditionalists, and simple grilled options, followed by homely desserts. The house wine is cheap and perfectly drinkable, and the bill at the end is refreshingly modest for the centre of a major tourist city — this is where you eat well without spending a fortune. Service is quick and no-nonsense, the atmosphere convivial and authentically local, and its position in the heart of the artisan Oltrarno makes it ideal to combine with a wander around the neighbourhood's workshops, the Pitti Palace and Santo Spirito's own church and evening bar scene. For a genuine, affordable taste of Florentine family cooking away from the tourist mark-ups of the centre, La Casalinga is one of the safest and most satisfying bets in the city.
Hours
Tue–Sat ~12:00–14:30 & 19:00–22:00 (closed Sun and Mon)
Price
Mains €8–16
Getting there
On Via dei Michelozzi off Piazza Santo Spirito in the Oltrarno, a 10-minute walk across Ponte Vecchio
Insider tip: Home cooking, cheap and always packed — the pappardelle al cinghiale (wild boar) is the dish to order.
5.All'Antico Vinaio
All'Antico Vinaio is the most famous sandwich shop in Florence and arguably in all Italy, a phenomenon that has grown from a humble wine-and-panini bar founded in 1991 on Via dei Neri into a global name with branches abroad, yet the original still draws snaking queues down the street all day long. The product that made its reputation is deceptively simple: a huge slab of freshly baked schiacciata — the soft, olive-oil-rich Tuscan flatbread — split and crammed to order with combinations of top-quality cured meats, pecorino and other cheeses, grilled and marinated vegetables, and the addictive truffle-cream and artichoke-cream spreads that give the sandwiches their cult following. The best-known combination, 'La Favolosa', layers spicy salami, pecorino, aubergine and artichoke cream, but you can point at the ingredients behind the counter and build your own. Portions are enormous and the price, at well under ten euros for a sandwich that easily feeds one hungry person or two lighter appetites, makes it one of the best-value lunches in a pricey city. The catch is the queue, which can be long, though it usually moves faster than it looks as the staff assemble sandwiches at speed; there are now several branches within a few doors of each other on the same street to spread the load. There is little seating, so most people eat standing or carry their sandwich to the steps of a nearby piazza or the riverbank. For a fast, cheap, delicious and quintessentially Florentine bite between sights, it is a rite of passage.
Hours
Daily ~10:00–22:00 (queues throughout the day)
Price
Sandwiches €8–12
Getting there
On Via dei Neri between the Uffizi and Santa Croce, a 5-minute walk from Piazza della Signoria
Insider tip: Florence's most famous sandwich — expect a queue, order 'La Favolosa', and eat it standing or in a nearby piazza.
6.Trattoria Cammillo
Trattoria Cammillo is a Florentine institution of a more refined and slightly worldly stripe, run by the same family since 1945 on the atmospheric Borgo San Jacopo just across the Ponte Vecchio in the Oltrarno, and long favoured by an in-the-know mix of local grandees, artists, dealers and returning visitors who treat it almost as a private club. The room is elegant but unstuffy, hung with pictures, and the service is professional and warm. The menu marries the expected Tuscan repertoire — ribollita, fried artichokes, superb pastas including a celebrated truffle pasta in season, bistecca and grilled and roasted meats — with a scattering of more unexpected, cosmopolitan dishes reflecting decades of well-travelled regulars, from curries to fried lemon chicken, which sit surprisingly happily alongside the classics. Ingredients are excellent, the cooking assured, and the whole experience pitched a notch above the rough-and-ready trattorias while staying rooted in tradition. It is pricier than the workaday spots but well short of fine-dining territory, and it feels like a special-occasion neighbourhood restaurant rather than a tourist showpiece. Note that it keeps its own rhythm — closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays, no website, reservations taken by telephone — so plan ahead and book a few days out, especially for dinner and for a table in the busier front room. For a more grown-up, characterful Oltrarno meal that combines genuine Florentine cooking with a dash of unexpected flair and a devoted local following, Cammillo is a memorable choice.
Hours
Thu–Mon ~12:30–14:30 & 19:30–22:30 (closed Tue and Wed; reservations by phone)
Price
Mains €18–34
Getting there
On Borgo San Jacopo in the Oltrarno near Ponte Vecchio, a 5-minute walk across the bridge
Insider tip: A refined Oltrarno classic since 1945 — no website, so book by phone a few days ahead; try the truffle pasta.
7.Cibrèo
Cibrèo is one of the most storied names in Florentine dining, the creation of the late chef Fabio Picchi, who built a small culinary empire around the Sant'Ambrogio market — an elegant formal restaurant, a more casual and cheaper trattoria (the Cibrèino), a café and a theatre-kitchen — all dedicated to a passionate, uncompromising vision of traditional Tuscan cooking. Its most famous quirk is that the kitchen serves no pasta at all, a deliberate rejection of the dish Picchi felt had come to dominate Italian menus, focusing instead on the deeper roots of Florentine cucina: rich soups and the signature yellow pepper soup, flans and sformati, offal dishes prepared with real artistry, slow-braised and roasted meats, and superb seasonal vegetables, all sourced largely from the market next door. There are no printed menus in the traditional sense either; a waiter recites the day's dishes and guides you through them, and meals unfold at an unhurried, ceremonious pace. The formal ristorante is a special-occasion experience with prices to match and is best booked ahead, while the adjoining trattoria offers many of the same flavours in a simpler, cheaper setting with shared tables and no reservations — an excellent way to sample the Cibrèo philosophy without the full outlay. Following Picchi's death the family has continued the tradition. For serious eaters who want to understand authentic Tuscan cooking beyond the tourist staples, and who don't mind a kitchen that does things emphatically its own way, Cibrèo is a landmark worth seeking out east of the centre.
Hours
Tue–Sat ~12:50–14:30 & 19:00–23:15 (closed Sun and Mon; ristorante bookings advised)
Price
Ristorante mains €30–45; Trattoria (Cibrèino) cheaper, no bookings
Getting there
On Via del Verrocchio by the Sant'Ambrogio market, a 12-minute walk east of the Duomo
Insider tip: The famous no-pasta kitchen has a formal ristorante and a cheaper, no-bookings trattoria (Cibrèo Trattoria) side by side.
8.Buca Mario
Buca Mario is one of Florence's classic 'buche' — cellar restaurants set in the vaulted underground rooms of old palazzi, whose name literally means 'hole' or 'burrow' — and it has been welcoming diners into its atmospheric brick-arched basement since 1886. The subterranean setting, all warm lighting, white tablecloths and stone vaults, is genuinely romantic and cocooning, a world away from the streets above, and makes it a popular choice for a special dinner in the centre. The cooking is firmly traditional Florentine, executed to a reliably high standard: start with crostini and cured meats or a ribollita, move through handmade pastas such as pappardelle with wild-boar or beef ragù and pici, and build the meal around the grilled meats for which Tuscany is famous — above all the bistecca alla fiorentina, the great charcoal-seared T-bone sold by weight and carved at the table, alongside roast and braised dishes. A well-chosen list of Tuscan wines, plenty of Chianti and Super Tuscans among them, accompanies the food, and desserts run to cantucci with vin santo and tiramisù. It sits at the upper end of trattoria pricing rather than in bargain territory, reflecting its central location, historic setting and steak, but it delivers a polished, satisfying and thoroughly Florentine experience. It is well known to visitors, so booking ahead is strongly advised, particularly for dinner and for a table in the most atmospheric vaulted rooms. For a memorable, characterful meal of Tuscan classics in an evocative historic cellar, Buca Mario is a dependable and enjoyable choice.
Hours
Daily ~19:00–22:30 plus weekend lunch (reservations recommended)
Price
Mains €18–32; bistecca by weight
Getting there
On Piazza degli Ottaviani near Santa Maria Novella, a 10-minute walk from the Duomo
Insider tip: An atmospheric vaulted cellar dining room from 1886 — book ahead and go for the pasta al ragù and bistecca.
9.Konnubio
Konnubio offers a more contemporary and flexible take on Florentine dining than the traditional trattorias, and it fills a useful niche in the centre for anyone wanting quality Tuscan cooking in a lighter, more modern setting or at unusual hours. Set in an airy, elegant space on Via dei Conti near the Medici Chapels, it is open more or less all day, from breakfast and brunch through lunch, afternoon and dinner, which makes it handy for travellers whose sightseeing doesn't fit conventional Italian meal times. The kitchen, which has had ambitions toward fine dining, marries classic Tuscan ingredients and dishes — a well-regarded bistecca from Chianti beef, fresh fish brought in from the coast at Viareggio, handmade pastas and seasonal produce — with more creative, refined plating and a notably strong range of vegetarian and vegan options, which are still relatively hard to find in meat-centric Florence. There is a good wine list and cocktails, and the smart, comfortable dining room suits everything from a solo lunch to a couples' dinner. Prices sit at a sensible mid-range level, more than a rough trattoria but fair for the quality, setting and service, and it is easy to book through the usual apps. While purists chasing the most rustic, old-school experience will head elsewhere, Konnubio is an excellent, dependable all-rounder — especially valuable for groups with mixed dietary needs, for a good meal outside standard hours, or for anyone who prefers a calmer, more contemporary environment while still eating genuinely Tuscan food.
Hours
Daily ~07:30–23:00 (breakfast through dinner)
Price
Mains €14–28; tasting options
Getting there
On Via dei Conti near the Medici Chapels, a 5-minute walk from the Duomo
Insider tip: One of the better central options for vegetarians and all-day dining — book via TheFork and try the Chianti bistecca.
10.Enoteca Pinchiorri
Enoteca Pinchiorri is the summit of fine dining in Florence and one of only a handful of restaurants in Italy to hold three Michelin stars, a distinction it has maintained for decades. Set in the frescoed rooms of a sixteenth-century palazzo on Via Ghibellina, with a romantic internal courtyard, it grew out of a wine bar founded by sommelier Giorgio Pinchiorri and chef Annie Féolde, whose partnership turned it into a temple of gastronomy. The restaurant is as celebrated for its cellar as its kitchen: an almost mythical collection running to many tens of thousands of bottles and vintages, regarded as among the finest wine lists on earth, and the pairings drawn from it are a large part of the experience. The cuisine is refined, French-influenced Italian of great technical precision, delivered through elaborate multi-course tasting menus built on luxurious seasonal ingredients and served with formal, polished ceremony in an intimate, hushed dining room. This is unequivocally a special-occasion, splurge destination: prices are among the highest in Italy, there is a dress code, and tables — of which there are few — are booked weeks or months in advance. It is not the place for a casual taste of Tuscany; rather, it is a milestone experience for serious gastronomes, wine lovers and those marking a major celebration. For anyone with the budget and the inclination, a dinner here, matched to legendary wines in a Renaissance palace, is an unforgettable and quintessentially Florentine grand occasion — just reserve far ahead and come prepared for a long, ceremonious evening.
Hours
Tue–Sat dinner (and some lunches) by reservation (closed Sun and Mon; jacket advised)
Price
Tasting menus ~€290–360; à la carte very high
Getting there
On Via Ghibellina in Santa Croce, a 10-minute walk east of Piazza della Signoria
Insider tip: One of Italy's temples of gastronomy with a legendary cellar — book months ahead, dress formally, and choose a tasting menu.
11.Coquinarius
Coquinarius is a charming and relaxed enoteca-bistro tucked down a side street just behind the Duomo, and it solves several common Florence problems at once: it is genuinely central yet not a tourist trap, it serves good food continuously through the afternoon when most kitchens close, and it offers a lighter, wine-focused alternative to a heavy trattoria blowout. The setting is cosy and rustic-chic — exposed brick, wooden tables and a convivial buzz — and the format is flexible, so you can drop in for a full meal, a plate of pasta, a glass of wine and a snack, or a grazing spread of Tuscan cheeses and cured meats. The kitchen is known for its creative stuffed pastas, most famously a pear-and-pecorino ravioli that has become something of a signature, alongside other handmade pastas, hearty salads, carpacci, big sharing boards of local salumi and cheese, and a short list of mains, all pitched at a fair mid-range price for such a central spot. Underpinning it all is a serious, well-curated wine list with a large selection available by the glass, making it an ideal place to explore Tuscan and Italian wines without committing to a whole bottle, guided by knowledgeable staff. Its all-day opening makes it especially useful for a late lunch after a morning at the Uffizi or Duomo, or for an early, informal dinner. For a comfortable, characterful and wine-led meal in the very heart of Florence that manages to please both casual grazers and more serious diners, Coquinarius is a reliable and enjoyable choice.
Hours
Daily ~12:00–22:30 (open between lunch and dinner)
Price
Mains €12–22; cheese and cured-meat boards
Getting there
On Via delle Oche just behind the Duomo, a 2-minute walk from the cathedral
Insider tip: A relaxed all-day enoteca steps from the Duomo — good for pear-and-pecorino ravioli, cheese boards and 200+ wines by the glass.
12.Officina della Bistecca (Dario Cecchini)
Officina della Bistecca is the most famous of the dining rooms run by Dario Cecchini, the flamboyant eighth-generation butcher of Panzano in Chianti who has become a global culinary celebrity through television, books and his poetry-reciting, Dante-quoting showmanship behind the counter. Set above his renowned butcher's shop in a village in the heart of the Chianti wine country, roughly forty minutes south of Florence, it is a destination in its own right and one of the best excursions from the city for serious meat lovers. The format is communal and festive: guests gather at long shared tables for a fixed-price, multi-course set menu that is an unabashed celebration of Tuscan beef, culminating in the legendary bistecca alla fiorentina, thick charcoal-grilled T-bones served rare and carved for the table, preceded and accompanied by a parade of other cuts, meatballs, cured meats, beef tartare, roasted vegetables, beans, bread and olive oil. The atmosphere is convivial and generous, with Cecchini himself often holding court, and the emphasis is on nose-to-tail respect for the animal and the conviviality of the shared table rather than fine-dining formality. Guests are typically encouraged to bring their own wine to accompany the feast. Because it is out in Chianti and runs to set sittings, you need to plan ahead: book in advance, arrange a car or join one of the many Chianti tours that include a meal here, and arrive very hungry. For a memorable, celebratory and quintessentially Tuscan carnivore's day trip that combines great food, wine country and genuine character, it is hard to beat.
Hours
Set sittings by reservation (check days); BYO wine welcomed
Price
Fixed menu ~€50 per person, multiple courses of meat
Getting there
In Panzano in Chianti, ~35 km south of Florence; reachable by car or on a Chianti day tour
Insider tip: Celebrity butcher Dario Cecchini's set-menu meat feast in Chianti — book ahead, bring your own wine, and go hungry.