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Flexible TravelThe birthplace of the Renaissance is world-famous for its culture, but the food in Florence deserves UNESCO status of its own. TasteAtlas has ranked Florence the world's best food destination on account of its abundant meaty dishes, thick, heavy pasta recipes, and rich truffle and cheese sauces. But what lies at the essence of Florentine cuisine? And what is food in Florence best known for?
Florence’s cuisine is characterised by hearty, meaty, protein-heavy dishes. Rare beef steaks served with sage and olive-oil-soaked white beans; flat pappardelle pasta coated with wild boar ragù; and tripe are some of its best-known dishes. The Tuscan capital has become more vegetarian and vegan-friendly in recent years, especially with the influx of tourism. But this is not its speciality.
Here are our top recommended Tuscan dishes you have to try in Florence.
There’s an old Tuscan proverb, chi non carneggia, non festeggia — “those who don’t eat meat don’t know how to celebrate.” Controversial though it is in an age of ascendant vegetarianism, the saying speaks volumes of Florence’s brazenly carnivore-centric culinary culture. And nothing encapsulates meat-eating in Florence more than the bistecca alla fiorentina.
Bistecca alla fiorentina – must-try food in Florence for meat-eaters
Put simply, the Florentine steak is the world’s finest beef fillet. It comes from a large breed called the Chianina, which may well be the most revered cow outside India, and it is served up in one way: rare and bloody. Asking for it well done is guaranteed to upset your waiter, and may induce the operatic sound of Italian swearing. That’s because overcooking the bistecca alla fiorentina ruins the meat, making it tough as leather, a sin in Italy.
You typically order your steak by the kilogram, which costs anywhere from €35 – 50. Don’t ask for sauce. Don’t even think about it. A sprinkle of salt and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil is all you’ll get—and all you need. Finally, keep your side dishes simple: roast potatoes (or chips if you’re feeling sinful), sautéed spinach, or white cannellini beans are the perfect accompaniment to a sinfully delicious bistecca.
Enjoy traditional Florentine steak and more on our Florence Food Tour!
Trattoria Mario is a must. Situated next to Central Market, this small, family-run restaurant is only open for lunch and is always popular among locals and tourists. Mario doesn’t take bookings, and you can expect to sit packed in next to others as you chomp through your bistecca, but it’s absolutely worth it.
For dinner, try Osteria Da Que Ganzi or Perseus, a little further out near Piazza Libertà.
Not many people know that gelato was invented in Florence. The creamy stuff of dreams was dreamt up by one Bernardo Buontalenti, a 16th-century Renaissance man whose sheer range of talents would have rendered his LinkedIn profile impenetrable.
Fior di latte and cioccolato fondendentegelato
Buontalenti was an architect, artist, theatrical and stage designer, horticulturist, military engineer, party planner and—one presumes during his downtime—inventor of Italian ice cream. As well as lending his presumably precious time to the invention of gelato, he also lent his name to a quintessential Florentine flavour ‘Il Buontalenti’, which is made from nothing more than fresh cream, sugar and egg yolks.
The best buontalenti you’ll find is at Gelateria Badiani on the outskirts of the city. Is it worth the trek? Absolutely. Pilgrimages undertaken in the pursuit of gelato are profane but they are pure, and you shall be rewarded.
You can’t go wrong with Gelateria Santa Trinità and Gelateria dei Neri, both of which are situated in the centre, not far from the River Arno. Gelateria della Passera is another favourite, albeit with a smaller menu and more fruity focus.
Santa Trinità’s speciality is sesamo nero (black sesame), which looks like concrete but tastes like heaven. If aesthetics aren’t important and you’re happy to munch on a mass of grey and brown, pair your sesamo nero with cioccolato fondente (dark chocolate). You can thank us later.
Lampredotto is not for the faint-hearted. It’s the name given to the fourth and final layer of a cow’s stomach, the abomasum, which the Florentines boil and serve up in a greasy sandwich. And it’s absolutely delicious, despite how it sounds, and despite its name, which might sound sexy in Italian but which actually translates as ‘lamprey eels’. Which it resembles. Nice.
Panino al lampredotto - this food in Florence is not for the faint-hearted, but it's oh-so worth it.
Lampredotto is best eaten for lunch with a small glass of red wine just to bring out the flavour, When you order it you’ll be asked the question lo vuoi con tutto? — do you want it with everything? — to which the only answer is yes. Lampredotto con tutto will deliver you a traditional Tuscan tripe sandwich with salsa verde (green sauce) and salsa piccante (hot sauce). This isn’t actually all that hot, but it adds a nice kick to this popular street food in Florence.
The best places for lampredotto in Florence are the street food vans dotted around the city centre. You’ll find one on Piazza de Cimatori, just a couple of minutes walk from Palazzo Vecchio and another just outside the Church of Sant’Ambrogio on Via de Macci (it’s called Il Lampredotto so you can’t miss it).
Everybody loves focaccia. After all, what’s not to love about slightly spongy, salty and oily bread, munched on under the Mediterranean sun. But if one criticism can be levelled against the humble focaccia, it’s that it can be a little too soft and spongy. Step forward the schiacciata.
Schiacciata is essentially extra-crispy oven-baked focaccia with one major difference. Before placing it in the oven, the baker pushes little holes in the dough with their finger—hence the name schiacciata which literally means ‘pressed’. This creates little air pockets in the bread which gives it that special crunch. Simple!
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Schiacciata in a Florence bakery. Simple but delicious street food in Florence
Schiacciata usually comes with no more than a drizzle of oil and salt, but you can also find schiacciata unta, which is greased with lard, or schiacciata con l’uva (sweet schiacciata with grapes).
You can’t go wrong as long as you source your schiacciata freshly baked from a bakery (forno). Our favourite centrally-situated bakery is Forno Ghibellina on the Via Ghibellina, but as long as it’s fresh you can guarantee it’ll be good. Don’t bother buying it from the bakery counters in the supermarkets though; it’s never quite as crunchy and therefore isn't worth it.
As of 2020, the region of Tuscany was home to an estimated 450,000 wild boar, and talking to the average Tuscan you’d be forgiven for thinking there was a similar number of hunters. Hunting is one of central Italy’s favourite pastimes (along with looking fashionable and drinking wine) and their penchant for this pastime is reflected in Florence's food.
The Florentines accompany their wild boar sauce with a wide, thick fresh pasta called pappardelle. Deriving from the Tuscan word pappare (to greedily gobble up), pappardelle resemble flattened fettuccine and are extra effective at absorbing the sauce.
TasteAtlas recommends Osteria del Cinghiale Bianco and Antica Trattoria da Tito as the best places to try pappardelle al cinghiale. To this we would add Alla Vecchia Bettola, a little-known trattoria just outside Oltrarno, a 20-minute walk south of the river.
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