Florentine food is hearty Tuscan cooking: bread, beans, offal and the great chargrilled bistecca. Alongside the trattorie sit one of Italy's most storied three-star tables and a handful of inventive newcomers.
Florence at a glance
What to eat
Bistecca alla fiorentina; Lampredotto and trippa; Ribollita; Pappa al pomodoro and panzanella; Crostini di fegatini.
When to go
Best: April–May and September–October. Also good: March and November. Hardest: July–August and December.
Top tables
Enoteca Pinchiorri, Michelin 3★ (2026); Santa Elisabetta, Michelin 2★ (2026). This guide lists 7 award-winning restaurants in all.
Where locals eat
Local favorites off the prestige lists include Da Nerbone, I Fratellini, Trattoria Da Burde and Trattoria Sabatino.
Markets
Mercato Centrale San Lorenzo and Mercato di Sant'Ambrogio.
13 award-winning6 critic-reviewed5 local favorites4 hot right now2 markets6 walking tour stops10 chef's picks5 sandwich shops10 romantic dinners5 breakfast spots10 new openings13 dish spots33 more in our database
Food walking tour: San Lorenzo to Santa Croce: a Florentine weekday lunch walk5.5 hours on foot, 6 stops, in eating order. Add the whole tour to your trip, then give it a day.
One three-star palazzo, then the steak, tripe and ribollita places Florentines actually use, from a market stall to a 1911 trattoria. The discoveries are family trattorias and a 1875 wine-and-panini counter, several of them lunch-only or weekday-only.
The well-known five
Enoteca Pinchiorri
Centro (Via Ghibellina)
Michelin 3★ (2026)Italian fine dining$$$$
Order: Tasting menu with the wine list (no individual dishes confirmed).
Florence's only three-star, in a 17th-century palazzo. Founded in 1972 as a wine bar, with desserts by Francesco Federici.
Best for: celebration dinner · Reserve: book well ahead
Via Ghibellina, Florence (street number not confirmed)
Order: The chicken cooked in butter over coals and served in its steel pan; Florentine steak with sage and tomato-stewed beans; meringue cake with cream, dark chocolate and wild strawberries.
The butter chicken is the dish people cross town for. The Infatuation says it is open weekdays only and advises booking, ideally for lunch.
Best for: classic Florentine lunch · Reserve: book ahead (055 212691), ideally lunch · Hours: Weekdays only per The Infatuation
Via del Porcellana 25, 50123 Florence
Worth confirming: hours and that it is still open.
Order: Pappa al pomodoro and the bistecca fiorentina.
Founded in 1911 as a fiaschetteria and still known for pappa al pomodoro and Florentine steak. Michelin Guide listed it in a September 2026 trattoria roundup.
Best for: big shared Tuscan dinner · Reserve: book ahead
Via dei Palchetti 6 r, 50123 Florence
Worth confirming: hours and that it is still open.
Order: Crostini di fegatini (chicken-liver pâté), ribollita, pappa al pomodoro, pici with aglione sauce, bistecca.
A rustic Santa Croce trattoria in the lowest Michelin price tier. Closed weekends.
Best for: weekday lunch or dinner in Santa Croce · Reserve: book by phone (+39 055 244285) · Hours: Mon-Fri 12:30-14:30 and 19:30-22:30; closed Sat-Sun
Corso dei Tintori 47 r, 50122 Florence
Worth confirming: hours and that it is still open.
Order: Prepared panini (prosciutto and truffle, bresaola, mozzarella and tomato) with a glass of wine, eaten in the street.
A shop open since 1875, around the corner from Piazza della Repubblica and constantly packed with locals. Wine comes by the glass from bottle-lined walls.
Best for: standing wine-and-panino stop · Reserve: walk-in
Via dei Cimatori, Florence (street number not confirmed)
Worth confirming: hours and that it is still open.
New places change fast. “Provisional” means a guide or directory lists it as new but we have not confirmed the opening date. Check hours and book ahead before you go.
Memorable breakfasts in Florence
The top pick here; the rest are on their own page.
Gilli
Piazza della Repubblica
Order: Cappuccino and cornetto
An elegant historic café on one of Florence's great squares.
San Lorenzo to Santa Croce: a Florentine weekday lunch walk
Lampredotto at the market, two famous sandwich counters, a morning market and ribollita before gelato.
Start 9:00 at Mercato Centrale, Piazza del Mercato CentraleTime 5.5 hoursDistance about 2.8 kmBest days Mon-Fri. Da Nerbone is closed Sunday and Del Fagioli is closed Saturday and Sunday.
Start at the market counter where Florentines eat lampredotto, cross the centre to two sandwich shops that locals queue at, then finish at a Santa Croce trattoria for ribollita and a gelato around the corner. The route stays on the flat streets between the Duomo and Santa Croce.
↓ 14 min · 1100 m on foot (approx.): Walk south from the market toward the Duomo, then continue down Via dei Calzaiuoli and turn onto Via dei Cimatori.
2
I Fratellini
Street food Centro (Via dei Cimatori)
Order: One small panino, such as prosciutto and truffle, with a glass of wine, eaten in the street.
A shop open since 1875 around the corner from Piazza della Repubblica and packed with locals. Wine comes by the glass at the door.
Around 10:30 · 25 min
Via dei Cimatori, Florence (street number not confirmed)
Pacing: Order half a sandwich at each of stops 2 and 3, and treat Sant'Ambrogio as a look, not a meal, so you arrive hungry for ribollita.
Plan B: If it rains, stay in Mercato Centrale (the upper floor is an indoor food hall) and replace Sant'Ambrogio with Trattoria Mario near the market for ribollita at lunch (closed Sundays and holidays).
Bring: Small cash for the market counters and standing sandwich shops. Share every sandwich; there are three sandwich stops and a sit-down lunch.
Skip it if: You can only go on a weekend; Del Fagioli is closed and Nerbone closes Sunday. Also not for anyone who dislikes tripe and cannot split sandwiches.
Ends at: Gelateria dei Neri, Via dei Neri 9r, near Santa Croce.
Walking times and distances are approximate, and opening hours change: confirm before you go.
Guided food tours
Take a guided food tour in Florence
7 small-group tours led by local guides, run by Eating Europe. Prefer to go on your own? The self-guided route is above.
Florence Sunset® Food & Wine Tour
From €1193.5 hoursUp to 13 guestsWalking tour
Sunset evening of Tuscan specialties, wine windows, a Negroni demo and pasta tastings.
You will taste: Parmigiano, prosciutto and salami, wild boar stew, Pienza pecorino, gnudi, pappa al pomodoro or ribollita.
Guided tours are run by Eating Europe, a small-group food tour company in 23 European cities. Chef Amazing earns a commission on bookings made through this page, at no extra cost to you. Prices are per person, from the operator, and can change: we confirm the date, price and availability with you before you pay.
Crazes move fast. “Just spotted” means one report so far, and most entries rest on a single source: confirm hours and expect a wait.
The Florence food map
Every place in this guide, pinned. Tap a pin to see what to order, then add it to your trip.
Open the full Florence food map: every place on our lists too (pizza, ice cream, romantic, where locals and the famous eat, cooking classes), searchable by dish.
· Pins are placed by address or name and can be a little off; always confirm in your maps app.
Plan my days in Florence
Tell us what you like and we will line up the places on this page into a day-by-day plan. Only places from this guide, never anything else.
What to eat in Florence, and where
Each dish comes with the places that do it best. Tap Add to my trip on the ones you want, or find them on the map above.
Bistecca alla fiorentina
thick chargrilled T-bone, served rare
The 5 best places to eat it in Florence
1
Trattoria Sostanza il Troia
Centro · $$$
Order: Bistecca (and the butter chicken)
A crowded 1869 trattoria whose steak is held up as the benchmark.
Seen in romeing.it · worth confirming hours before you go
2
Regina Bistecca
Duomo · $$$
Order: Bistecca, with a choice of beef origin
Steak specialist that shows you the raw cut and sears it precisely.
The top 7 restaurants in Florence, per Michelin Italia 2026 (list via Wikipedia); Gambero Rosso 2026. All 13 award winners we track are in the full list below.
Three Michelin stars
Enoteca Pinchiorri
Florence · Contemporary Italian · Chef Riccardo Monco · $$$$
Michelin 3★ (2026)Gambero Rosso Tre Forchette, 93/100 (2026)
Florence's grand three-star house, famed for opulent multi-course tasting menus and one of the world's great wine lists.
Two Michelin stars
Santa Elisabetta
Torre della Pagliazza, Centro Storico · Mediterranean seafood · Chef Rocco De Santis · $$$$
Michelin 2★ (2026)
Tiny dining room inside a medieval tower, focused on fish and seafood; book ahead.
More award winners
Gucci Osteria da Massimo Bottura
Near Gucci Garden · Contemporary / world · Chef Karime Lopez and Takahiko Kondo · $$$
Michelin 1★ (2026)
Playful tasting menus mixing global dishes with Modenese roots, in the same building as the Gucci Garden museum.
Atto di Vito Mollica
Behind the Duomo (Palazzo Portinari) · Seafood-led contemporary · Chef Vito Mollica · $$$
Michelin 1★ (2026)
Frescoed dining room by the cathedral with unusual seafood pairings.
Borgo San Jacopo
Oltrarno (Hotel Lungarno) · Contemporary Italian · Chef Claudio Mengoni · $$$
Michelin 1★ (2026)
Riverside room over the Arno with a deep wine list.
Il Palagio
Palazzo della Gherardesca · Tuscan · Chef Paolo Lavezzini · $$$
Michelin 1★ (2026)
Evening-only dining in a garden-ringed palazzo, Tuscan tradition with a Brazilian accent.
Saporium Firenze
Lungarno · Fermentation-led contemporary · Chef Ariel Hagen · $$$
Michelin 1★ (2026)
Small, personal restaurant that leans on fermented ingredients.
Peak Apr–May, Sep–OctShoulder Mar, NovHard Jul–Aug, Dec
Why these months
Florence Tourism Guide (independent site, modified 2026-09): best late Sept to mid-Oct (alternative mid-April to mid-May); shoulder mid-March to mid-May and mid-Sept to mid-Nov; July-August regularly over 35 C, museums sell out ~2 months ahead, many local businesses close at Ferragosto; Christmas week (23 Dec-6 Jan) and Easter weekend crowded and expensive; cheapest Nov, Feb, late Jan.
In season
Spring produce (fava beans with pecorino, asparagus, peas, strawberries)Mar–May
Summer tomatoes: panzanella, pappa al pomodoroJun–AugSummer dishes (Michelin, visittuscany); months mapped from 'summer'
Schiacciata con l'uva (grape flatbread)Sep–Nov
Porcini and truffleSep–Nov
Olio nuovo (new olive oil)Oct–NovSagre usually start in October (Michelin); Fierucolina dell'olio novo 15 Nov 2026
Ribollita with cavolo neroJan–Feb, Nov–DecColder months; cavolo nero best after first frost (visittuscany); month numbers mapped
Artichokes (carciofi ritti / Empoli artichoke)
Schiacciata alla fiorentinaFeb–MarCarnival sweet cake; Carnival dates vary (Feb/Mar) - not stated on source
Food events
Pitti TasteFeb
Firenze Gelato WeekAprExpected 14-19 Apr 2027; ticketed tasting trail
Festa di San LorenzoAug10 Aug; free feast from 21:00 in Piazza San Lorenzo with ragu pasta and watermelon
Carro Matto (Bacco Artigiano)Sep
Fierucola di Santo SpiritoOrganic farmers' market, third Sunday monthly except August
Closures to plan around
Around Ferragosto (15 Aug), roughly two weeks: family-run shops, butchers, bakers and neighbourhood trattorias close; big hotels, major museums and chains stay open (Florence Tourism Guide, independent)
Italofile (2023): restaurants may be 'chiuso per ferie' in August; no list of dates
Meal costs and tipping (EUR)
Casual: sit-down pizza 7-16 (Italy-wide range)
Mid-range: trattoria 22-35 per person; mid-range ristorante 40-65 (Italy-wide; the source calls Florence one of Italy's most expensive cities for visitor food in June-September but gives no Florence figures)
Tasting menus from: one Michelin star tasting 80-150 (Italy-wide)
Tipping: Italy-wide: tipping voluntary; coperto typically 1.50-4 per person, mandatory once seated and listed on the menu; servizio 10-15% if applied
From published guides and tourism boards. Months are our mapping of how guides describe the seasons; 2027 event dates are expected, not confirmed. Prices come from single sources of varying age, so treat them as a rough guide. Compare cities by month
What the critics said (last 24 months)
Recent reviews from Florence. The summaries are ours, in our own words; follow the link for the critic's full take.
Akira Back Firenze
New
Piazza dell'Unità, W Florence hotel
The Florentine, Helen Farrell · Jan 2026
Bold contemporary Japanese, Akira Back's first in Italy; reviewer plans to return
Lunch-only, family-style seating at shared tables with carafes of red; menu changes daily, and phones are answered only 7-11am. Single source (Time Out) so confidence is medium.
Seen in timeout.com · worth confirming hours before you go
Awards come from the guides named on each listing (Michelin Italia 2026 (list via Wikipedia); Gambero Rosso 2026). Researched October 25, 2026. Restaurants change; confirm hours, reservations and current stars before you go. Some addresses, phone numbers and websites come from OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), so call ahead to confirm. Local favorites are editorial picks, not rankings.
