Aperitivo

A Tavola!

In Florence, food isn’t just fuel. It’s the rhythm of the whole day. Coffee standing at the bar, a long lunch, a slow evening stroll that ends in an aperitivo, a late dinner, and gelato on the walk home. Here’s how Florentines eat, and the places we love most.

This list is a work in progress! I’ll keep adding to it as more favorites come to me, so check back.

Eat Like a Florentine

Aperitivo

The Italian happy hour, usually from about 6:00 to 8:00 PM. Order a spritz, a Negroni (invented right here in Florence!), or a glass of Chianti, and it often comes with snacks like olives, chips, crostini, or little bites of focaccia. It’s meant to open your appetite, not replace dinner, so pace yourself.

Coffee

Cappuccino is a morning-only drink. After about 11:00 AM, order un caffè (an espresso). Locals drink it standing at the bar in about two minutes, and it costs less than sitting at a table. Pay first at the register, then hand your receipt to the barista.

Coperto & Tipping

Most restaurants add a coperto, a small per-person cover charge of a few euros for bread and table service. It’s normal, not a scam. Tipping isn’t expected the way it is at home. Rounding up or leaving a few euros for great service is plenty.

Gelato

A daily requirement. Look for gelato kept in covered metal tins rather than piled high in bright colors, and natural colors (pistachio should be a dull khaki green, never neon). Good shops change flavors with the seasons. Ask for un assaggio if you want a little taste first.

Meal Times

Florentines eat later than we do. Lunch runs from about 12:30 to 2:30 PM, and many kitchens close in the afternoon. Dinner usually starts around 7:30 or 8:00 PM, and restaurants fill up closer to 9:00.

Passeggiata

The evening stroll, and one of the loveliest Italian traditions. Around 6:00 PM, Florentines put on something nice and wander arm in arm, along the Arno, down Via de’ Tornabuoni, or through the piazzas, to see and be seen. The passeggiata naturally ends at a café table for aperitivo, which is exactly how we plan to do it.

Florentine Bites

Bistecca alla Fiorentina

Florence’s famous T-bone, thick-cut, grilled over coals, and served rare. It’s sold by weight, usually about a kilo or more, so it’s meant to be shared. Don’t ask for it well done!

Coccoli

Our favorite Florentine snack: warm, puffy fried dough balls served with salty prosciutto crudo and soft, creamy stracchino cheese. Tear one open, stuff it, and eat it hot. Look for them on antipasto menus.

Lampredotto

For the adventurous. A Florentine street food sandwich made from slow-cooked tripe, topped with green sauce and a little spicy oil, sold from carts all over the city. Locals swear by it.

Ribollita

A hearty Tuscan soup of bread, beans, and greens. The name means “reboiled,” because it was traditionally made from leftovers and tastes even better the next day.

Schiacciata

Florence’s flatbread, salty, oily, and crisp on top, split and stuffed with salami, cheese, and spreads into giant sandwiches. Perfect for a quick lunch on the go.

Our Favorite Trattorias & Pizza

Da Ruggero

A family-run trattoria just outside the old city walls at Porta Romana, where Florentines have been gathering since the 1980s. Wood-paneled walls, white tablecloths, and old-school Tuscan cooking that changes with the seasons. Order the spaghetti alla carrettiera (spicy tomato pasta), the chicken liver crostini, or the arista, slow-roasted pork loin.

Practical Tip: Via Senese 89r, about a 15 minute walk from Palazzo Pitti, or a short taxi. Closed Tuesdays. Reservations are a must, so call ahead. A great pick for our Monday farewell dinner after sunset at San Miniato.

I’ Brindellone

A cozy, no-frills San Frediano trattoria loved by locals, with checkered tablecloths and house wine poured from the straw-wrapped fiasco. Come hungry for bistecca alla fiorentina, handmade pasta, or peposo, a peppery beef stew slow-cooked in Chianti.

Practical Tip: Piazza Piattellina 10r, in the Oltrarno. Closed Mondays, so Thursday’s dinner is the night for it. Call ahead to reserve.

Il Giova

A tiny, friendly trattoria in the Sant’Ambrogio neighborhood with a loyal local crowd. Try the filet with green peppercorn sauce, the crostini, or the fritto misto.

Practical Tip: Borgo la Croce 73r. Closed Sundays. The room is small, so call ahead to reserve. A great pick for our Thursday or Monday dinner.

Il Pizzaiuolo

Real Neapolitan pizza, with a soft, puffy, charred crust, in the middle of Tuscany. A fun break from pasta and steak, and always packed with Florentines.

Practical Tip: Via de’ Macci 113r, near Sant’Ambrogio. Closed Sundays, so if we swap Saturday and Sunday, we’ll need to move this dinner. Book ahead.

La Ghiotta

A casual, no-fuss neighborhood spot for Tuscan dishes, seafood pasta, and thin, crispy pizza, at prices that make it easy to love.

Practical Tip: Via Pietrapiana 7r, near Santa Croce and Sant’Ambrogio. One of our Saturday lunch options.

Trattoria Sabatino

The Buccioni family has been serving simple Florentine home cooking here since 1956, right under the old city gate of Porta San Frediano. The handwritten menu changes daily, the prices are wonderfully low, and the dining room is full of locals. It’s exactly what a Florentine trattoria should be.

Practical Tip: Via Pisana 2r. Open weekdays only. We’ll be in line by 11:45 AM Monday, before it opens at noon.

Trattoria Sostanza

Open since 1869, and still one of the most beloved trattorias in Florence. You come for two things: pollo al burro, chicken cooked in a sizzling pan of butter, and the tortino di carciofi, a fluffy artichoke omelet. Shared tables, white tiles, and a lot of history.

Practical Tip: Via del Porcellana 25r, near Santa Maria Novella. Closed Saturdays and Sundays. Our Friday dinner, with a 7:30 or 9:00 PM seating. Bring cash just in case.

Street Food & Sandwiches

SchiacciaMatta

A local favorite for stuffed schiacciata, popular with students and neighbors. The classic Tuscan combos are the way to go, like prosciutto and stracchino with arugula, or finocchiona (fennel salami).

Practical Tip: Borgo la Croce 68r, near the Sant’Ambrogio market. Lunch only, closed Sundays. Grab a glass of wine at the little wine bar across the street while you wait.

Gelato

Gelateria dei Neri

Big, generous scoops and lots of creative flavors, steps from Santa Croce. A great stop after lunch.

Practical Tip: Via dei Neri, near Santa Croce. Easy to fit into Saturday.

Vivoli

Florence’s oldest gelateria, run by the same family since the 1930s. They only serve cups, never cones, because the founder believed cones got in the way of the flavor. Try the rice gelato or the affogato, a scoop of crema “drowned” in a shot of hot espresso.

Practical Tip: Via dell’Isola delle Stinche 7r, a tiny lane near Santa Croce. Closed Mondays.

Pasticcerie

Pasticceria Buonamici

Bruno Buonamici opened this little pastry shop in San Frediano in 1949, and his family still runs it today. It’s one of Florence’s officially recognized historic shops, and the place to go for a real Italian breakfast: a cappuccino and a warm cornetto, filled croissants, maritozzi, schiacciata, and seasonal cakes, all baked on site.

Practical Tip: Via dell’Orto 27r, just around the corner from Sabatino. Open early every day, but only until 2:00 PM on Mondays, so make it breakfast or a mid-morning stop before our Monday wander through San Frediano.

Pasticceria Nencioni

A neighborhood bakery opened in 1950 by Maria Luisa and Vinicio Nencioni that grew into one of the city’s beloved pastry shops. Famous for its millefoglie, Sacher torte, rice pastries (budini di riso), and tiny mini pastries. Locals know to come around 4:00 PM, when things come warm out of the oven.