What are the best must-try restaurants in Florence? In this article, we’ve selected 8 that you absolutely must try during your trip to Florence to savor Italian cuisine.

You can’t leave Florence without admiring its immense beauty and tasting the best of its traditional dishes. Art, culture, history and breathtaking scenery characterize the magnificent Tuscan capital. But to experience the city to the full, you also need to discover its gastronomic and winemaking traditions.

Florentine cuisine is made up of recipes that are the fruit of a popular culture handed down for centuries, generally based on poor ingredients that give rise to dishes with simple yet extremely tasty flavors. Florentine dishes tell the story of a glorious past, when delicious peasant cuisine was also served on the tables of the city’s lords. There’s no shortage of typical products and fine wines.

The city is dotted with ancient trattorias, restaurants and osterias: a stroll through its streets is already a journey to the heart of its flavors. With pride and impeccable professionalism, Florence’s historic inns serve traditional dishes that have become an integral part of the city’s identity. Some even try their hand at exquisite reinterpretations, while remaining true to their pact with customers to serve only the finest quality products.

Firenze restaurants: the best places to eat in Florence

Here, we’ve put together the 8 best Florentine restaurants not to be missed. So let’s take a look at each of the good addresses in this article (all of which are well worth a try on your visit to Florence).

1. Florence restaurants: Buca Niccolini

In Florence, art, history and good food are always linked by an indissoluble thread. Buca Niccolini, just a stone’s throw from the theater of the same name, is a perfect example. This popular little restaurant, named after a famous playwright, combines Florence’s centuries-old passion for good food and exceptional local wines, with a taste for innovative recipes and new flavors. If you want to enjoy Florence in the vibrant atmosphere typical of the post-theater period, you can’t miss it. You’re dreaming of bistecca alla fiorentina, of ravioli. Here, you’ll be in heaven, because every dish is prepared with love. The atmosphere is warm and inviting, and you can eat on the go or take your time!

2. Trattoria Zà Zà (Tuscan specialities)

Trattoria Zà Zà overlooks the Piazza del Mercato Centrale, immersed in the city’s lively context. It houses a number of rooms in which the combination of different architectural styles and furnishings offers a plunge into the past, in Tuscan, exotic, colonial and bohemian atmospheres. The menu features classic Tuscan dishes. However, it doesn’t shy away from creativity, leaving room for culinary fantasy with national and international influences. It’s no coincidence that trattoria Zà Zà is frequented by Florentines, Tuscans, tourists and celebrities alike.

3. Restaurant La Spada

Just a stone’s throw from Santa Maria Novella is the historic Florentine restaurant La Spada. Founded over a hundred years ago. Today, La Spada has perfected a formula that has ensured its success over the years: a simple atmosphere, authentic cuisine and excellent value for money. The restaurant is particularly renowned for its rotisseries: delicious and precious meats cooked on the spit or barbecue are its pride and joy. Florentine steak, cooked exclusively over oak and hornbeam embers, is one of the restaurant’s star products. Can’t you already smell the delicious aroma of grilled meat in your nostrils?

4. Trattoria Pandemonio di Casa Brogi: for lovers of family-style culinary specialities

Trattoria Pandemonio, located in the San Ferdinando district, is the ideal place to enjoy family cuisine. In the kitchen, Cecco and his team ensure that the recipes of grandmother Fidelma and mother Giovanna are faithfully executed. The entire menu is accompanied by a wide selection of the finest Tuscan wines from the family estate. Papa Rolando will guide you through their little wine world, while Mama Giovanna will welcome you into the restaurant with a warm welcome. Visit the ancient heart of Florence, where the Brogi family awaits you.

5. Bisteccheria di Santa Croce

Strolling through the streets of Florence, opposite the beautiful Piazza Santa Croce dominated by the basilica of the same name, you’ll find the Bisteccheria Santa Croce. Traditional Tuscan cuisine is at the heart of this restaurant’s menu. Guests particularly enjoy sampling local cured meats and cheeses, accompanied by jams and marmalades and a glass of excellent local wine. Whether it’s a sunny day or a gloomy one, a stop at Bisteccheria Santa Croce is always a good idea.

6. Trattoria dall’Oste, a must in Florence (if you love meat)

Trattoria dall’Oste is a meat paradise. Born of a passion for Florentine steak, this trattoria is now a landmark in the city’s gastronomic landscape. It stands out for its selection and exclusive use of certified prime meats, thanks to collaborations with international suppliers and partnerships with local breeders. Thanks to this great passion and dedication, the restaurant has achieved astonishing results, including consecration as the best Italian steakhouse and 27th place in the ranking of the 101 best steak restaurants in the world in 2022. The meat culture is also reflected in the design of the five Trattoria establishments in Florence’s historic center. Each is characterized by a minimalist décor, reminiscent of the old butcher shops of the past, where the display of meat puts the customer in direct contact with the raw material, the real protagonist of the place.

7. Osteria del Fiore, typical Florentine restaurant, a stone’s throw from Piazza del Duomo

The Osteria del Fiore offers a unique experience: enjoy the best traditional Tuscan dishes just a stone’s throw from the gigantic Duomo! The fantastic location of this osteria and the excellent quality of the raw materials, a varied menu and reasonable value for money are the perfect accompaniment to the splendid view of the cathedral. To dine at Osteria del Fiore is to experience the beauty of Florence twice over, with the opportunity to sample the finest local specialties in a splendid historical, artistic and cultural setting, of which the Duomo is the emblem.

8. Enjoy Florentine culinary specialties at the Museo della Bistecca

The Museo della Bistecca is a restaurant that offers its customers a unique experience, combining a Florentine passion for meat with the artistic atmosphere of a museum. It’s located in the center of Florence, less than five minutes’ walk from the Piazza della Signoria, a lively place for art, tourism and good food. The perfect combination to experience a true journey of discovery through Florence and enjoy the flavors of the best meats from around the world: Italian buffalo Tomahawk, Australian Waygu, Irish Angus, Finnish Sashi and, of course, the classic and unalterable Fiorentina.