The 21 best Florence restaurants

Two words: boar sauce. Old-school style in ambience and cooking techniques, Trattoria Marione is perennially filled with Italians on their lunch break or out to dinner with friends. Make sure to order the seasonal specials and ask for the waiter’s recommendations. Call in advance to secure a table, especially during the Italian holidays. And make sure you order the Florentine ribollita. 

If you're after traditional, authentic Florentine dishes, this tavern is a must. Osteria dell’Agnolo is the spot to satisfy your palate and fill your stomach after sightseeing, and prepare for a culinary throwback: it’s been open since 1580. Iconic local dishes are reminiscent of those cooked by rural housewives back in the day, from savory lampredotto (boiled cow stomach – don't knock it) to handmade pici short pasta, and ribollita (tuscan bread soup) made from veggies and black beans.

This little trattoria offers family-style seating (you can learn some Italian while here!) at low tables. Join usual diners in ordering carafes of red wine to go along with the rich Tuscan dishes. Trattoria Mario oozes pure Florentine cooking, serving traditional favourites that have been around for centuries. The menu changes daily, but make sure you get whatever’s got the ragù in or with it.

This place is not for tourists: the eclectic decor and tightly packed tables don’t call to mind the sort of ambience that many look for when visiting. Il Giova is a family-run local lunch spot perennially crowded with folks craving the daily changing menu, concocted by the owners each morning depending on what’s found fresh at the San Ambrosio market across the street. If you notice the fried porcini mushrooms on the menu, you have struck gold.

When you dine at Ristorante Buca San Giovanni, you're dining underground. Like stepping into a cave, the restaurant is found inside a beautiful 1300s church crypt decorated with ragged stone archways and religious imagery. ‘Buca’ in Italian today means ‘hole’, but originally it was a place where pilgrims and knights stopped to eat. It was also a hiding spot for members of secret societies, and we'd say there’s still a certain mysterious vibe to the place. The food served has evolved into fancy twists: expect dishes like risotto with celery mousse and marrons glacés (candied chestnuts).

Leaning towards the traditional side of things, Caffé Italiano is where locals go for pizza. This old-but-new joint still serves the pure Tuscan flavours that many people crave. There are only a few basic pizzas on the menu, but, trust us, they’re all you need to eat. On the move? The eatery offers takeout as well.

This osteria sits right at the corner of one of the friendliest piazzas in all of Florence and one that many tourists miss because they don’t venture far enough into the other side of the river. Osteria Santo Spirito is worth the walk, trust us: the portions are larger than most (half-portions are also available...why would you want that?), the ambience is purely magical, and, most importantly, the sizzling truffle and cheese gnocchi is to die for.

Florentines are meat lovers. How could they not be? In the fertile green plains of Tuscany graze premium Chianina cows that make unique, huge thick steaks, which Florentines love (usually opting for rare). The temple of Chianina is Antico Ristoro di Cambi, and a proper Florence experience, with fascinating vaulted ceilings, dangling pork legs and huge wine flasks. The T-bone steak is the centrepiece here: it overflows the plate, and definitely requires two people to finish it off. 

Family run and a local favourite, walking into Il Latini feels like walking into the family kitchen and, well, you sort of are. The traditional Tuscan restaurant tucked into the narrow streets by Piazza Repubblica boasts a full menu of Florentine favourites, from crostini appetizers to a mixed roast platter or Florentine steak. Locals tend to quickly fill up the tables, so it’s best to make a reservation in advance. Bonus points: dogs are treated even more generously than their human counterparts here.

As the name suggests, Golden View is the place to go for a beautiful view. Perched precariously over the side of the Arno river, guests gaze at the famous Ponte Vecchio from the dining room through the large glass windows. Eat everything from oysters to liver crostini in a modernly decorated space that feels like a Renaissance painting.