(Updated in May 2021, due to a literal global pandemic bear in mind to check/call in advance, don’t rely totally on google listings as spots here listed are usually managed independently/don’t update google as frequently/plus restrictions change on a dime. Bookmark as more updates are coming. Opinionated spirals were written pre-pandemic. Please support pretty much anything. Except bad aperitivo buffets)
One of my least favorite questions to get from people, whether friends or strangers, are “can you recommend a restaurant in Florence dove si mangia bene ma per poco. (where you eat well but paying little)” Even worse, is when someone asks “where is a good place for aperitivo in Florence that has loads of food and doesn’t cost a lot.”
Or even better “where can I eat well, with a view, in the center, eat well and pay little.” I decided to respond to my least favorite question with a curated, quality round-up of frill-free eats & budget restaurants in Florence. Continue Reading →
Sant’Ambrogio to me is the city’s culinary landmark. It has the daily food market and some of the best restaurants in the city. Personally, this is where the heart of Florence’s food culture beats and where I learned the bulk of how to cook Tuscan food, gleaning secrets from fellow shoppers and my favored purveyors. In Sant’Ambrogio, you find the institutions boasting Florence’s gastronomic specialties like cafe & bakery Nencioni, the pop & son run street cart of Via de’ Macci who does lampredotto & tripe, a couple wine treasure chests like Sosta de’ Papi and Enoteca Sant’Ambrogio, Gilda’s vintage accoutered sweet & soulful Tuscan restaurant, Marco’s Semel and his signature panini and of course Fabio Picchi’s Cibreo empire.