Outside the historic center, Da Burde is one of the city’s finest family-run institutions for traditional Florentine food. The trattoria has an atmosphere that’s both old-world wine bar and homey banquet, where sincere family recipes are earnestly prepared from scratch. The trek to Da Burde is worth it for diners in search for true Florentine relics, passed-down specialties like minestrone, meatballs, chickpea farinata, and grilled meats, all with incredible wines to match.

The Florentine culinary repertoire historically excludes pizza, but the city is still a magnet for exceptional pizza-makers. If you’re craving a well-crafted pie, look no further than Santarpia, which combines new-wave creativity with traditional heart. Pizza chef Giovanni Santarpia hails from Campania and has spent years earning feathers as one of the best pizzaioli in the country. He’s obsessed with dough and ingredient quality, fermentation, and warm hospitality. The craft beer selection is top-notch as well. Santarpia is outside the historic center of town, but worth the detour.

Cucina is the work of two architects turned cooks (Simonetta Fiamminghi and Giuseppe Bartolini) who teamed up with two bookshop owners (Maddalena Fossombroni and Pietro Torrigiani) to serve vibrant, seasonal takes on traditional dishes sprinkled with global flavors. The cozy dining space with a Scandinavian sense of design is tucked away in a tree-lined residential enclave just beyond Piazza Tasso, far from the chaos of the city center. Cucina impresses with fresh seafood from Sardinia and the Tuscan coast, baked Tuscan cabbage spiced with cumin and glazed with chestnut honey, lasagna with duck and apricots, paprika-sprinkled butcher sausages with sweet and sour peppered figs piled on sourdough slices, almondy cheesecake with bitter Sicilian orange, and a concise list of natural wines.

You could throw a rock in any direction and hit a good restaurant in Florence, but it’s a little harder to hit a place with remarkable wine offerings too. Il Guscio has been around since 1986 and has a menu that takes homestyle Tuscan and Italian classics to gourmet status: gnudi dumplings made with scamorza and spinach pesto, Maldon-salted sliced sirloin with julienned vegetables, paccheri pasta with spicy Calabrian ’nduja and burrata, beet risotto. The wine list is rife with boutique, biodynamic, and terroir-centered producers, heavy on Tuscan wines balanced with an ample selection of crucial bottles from around the country, selections from France, and plenty of sparkling. Portions are hearty, so make sure you order to share, and save room for dessert, which is very much on point.

Ruggero is described by locals as a tuffo nel passato (blast from the past). The time capsule trattoria hasn’t updated its decor since the ’70s, but the affordable local fare has held up. Come for quality options such as pici pasta, roast pork, tender filetto (tenderloin), and seasonal sides (porcini, zucchini flowers, artichokes). The calling card primo dish is spaghetti alla carrettiera, a dense red sauce preparation with a kick of chile, anchovies, breadcrumbs, and herbs. Ruggero isn’t quite in the historic center, but it’s worth the walk past the Porta Romana.

Florence isn’t the ideal destination for seafood lovers, but this is a gem worth seeking out — if only for a break from meat-centric Tuscan cuisine. There isn’t one thing this seafood eatery doesn’t do well: risotto, luscious Sicilian gambero rosso shrimp pastas, tender grilled octopus, and seasonal catches of the day sourced locally and from regional Italian seafood bastions such as Sardinia. Service is hit-or-miss and the space could use more natural light, but the quality of dishes and location, hidden from tourist droves, more than make up for it. The wine selection is decent too.

Head to Piazza Tasso, comfortably away from the throngs of tourists, for a slow-food approach to Mediterranean flavored dishes. This little neighborhood bistro, decorated with pieces by local artists, is hell-bent on sourcing from local producers who respect organic and traditional artisan practices. It’s easy to find something to like on the menu, especially for gluten-free and vegetarian diners; options include creative dishes made with meticulously sourced ingredients: pork confit with heritage varieties of sweet onion, julienned veg plates with Calabrian chile, ricotta-stuffed zucchini flowers, tortelli filled with burrata in saffron cream, grilled octopus with potatoes accented by herbs foraged from Chianti, spicy vegetable tagines, Tuscan cured meat and cheese boards, and rich desserts like wine-soaked biscotti tiramisu.

Located in Piazza del Cestello, Essenziale challenges Florence’s otherwise sluggish experimental dining scene. As the name suggests, the restaurant focuses on the essential aspects of modernist dining, with a minimalist atmosphere that keeps attention on the plate. Chef Simone Cipriani is known for deftly diverging from the heavily regimented repertoire of Florentine cuisine and revisiting classic dishes, like turning pappa al pomodoro into a savory doughnut. Expect unusual shake-ups to Italian foundations with tacos slathered with ’nduja mayo, banana gnocchi, squab yakitori, riffs on panna cotta with almond and Sichuan pepper, and offal spins on classic pastas. The rotating themed tasting menu is exciting at various price points, starting from 65 euros.

Note: Essenziale is planning to move to a new location this year. Check with the restaurant directly for updates.

This natural wine bar and bistro opened with a built-in following; brother-and-sister duo sommelier Nicola and talented chef-baker Irene Schirru had already gained the city’s respect after years of pouring and cooking at Coquinarius near the Duomo. In this space of their own in the Oltrarno, they showcase artisanal wines (French and Italian) paired with cheeses and cured meats from Slow Food presidias, baccalà mantecato (whipped salt cod) with caramelized onions on toasted brioche, game meat ragu in fresh tagliatelle, hand-folded agnolotti stuffed with francesina (Tuscan beef slow cooked in red wine and onion), and flakey quiche baked with seasonal vegetables such as asparagus or beet greens. Stick around for Nicola’s stories about the producers of the unique wines he’s spent years selecting.

This enoteca (Italian for wine bar) is hidden in one of the most charming but often overlooked corners of Florence, but once you find it you’ll have a hard time leaving. The humble snack and wine bar is run by the owners’ daughter Camilla, who has an uncanny ability to match wines to your personal tastes. Don’t skip one of the tasty meat and cheese plates, a warm cheese crostini, and something bubbly from the Champagne fridge. The anchovy toasts are some of the best you’ll find — Camilla makes hers with hand-filleted anchovies from the Mediterranean cured in high-quality olive oil, topped with a curl of lemon zest. Like most boutique wine bars in Florence, this venue is best for small groups looking for light bites and drinks, not full dinner.

Adventurous eaters, Il Magazzino is your jam. Sample gourmet versions of Florence’s street food lampredotto in a sit-down osteria setting: fried meatballs of the gutsy stuff, lampredotto-filled ravioli topped with Tropea onion sauce, and even tempura-fried lampredotto sushi, which nods to chef Luca Cai’s stint in Japan. Everything on the menu is pretty stellar, except the steak. Stick to the pastas and organ meats, and you’ll land a one-of-a-kind meal. (Dining with a squirmy eater or vegetarian? Have no fear — non-offal options are also available.)

Tucked away off the Ponte Vecchio is one of the most revered wine bars in the country. Part shop, part bar and local hangout, Le Volpi pours and sells bottles that uniquely represent the Italian wine landscape, highlighting passionate producers. A crack team of winemakers, sommeliers, and wine educators staff the bar, and if they hook you up with a wine you love, you can join the wine club or ship bottles abroad. The bar serves choice meat and cheese plates and warm crostini toasts to accompany tastings. If you see wild boar fennel salami, snag a plate. And you can’t leave without having the crostino with melted lardo and asiago, or the finger panini with cured duck breast and butter.

A stone’s throw from the Duomo, Nuvoli is one of Florence’s remaining vinaino, wine sellers who also serve simple snacks. Housed inside a 200-year-old palazzo (including a basement level that dates back to the 1100s), the business has been run by the Nuvoli family since 1986 and has become a popular hangout for locals. Lunch service includes boar pappardelle, ribollita, slow-cooked stews, and charcuterie boards, but the real culinary gems are the crostini, housed in a case on ground level. Smeared with chicken liver, truffle, artichokes, raw sausage, and other options, the toasts make optimal aperitivo snacks.

If the chaotic, crowded local trattorias aren’t your thing, head to 150-plus-year-old Sergio Gozzi for a similar slice of ambiance and culinary history — but with more space and less waiting. A true Florentine trattoria, Sergio Gozzi changes up its renowned fried offerings based on the seasons: fried zucchini flowers in the summer and artichokes in the winter. Also keep an eye out for porchetta, peposo (beef stew slow-cooked in wine and whole peppercorns), and one of the best pappa al pomodoro soups in town. Only open for lunch, Gozzi offers traditional homestyle food at reasonable prices.

Trattoria Mario in San Lorenzo, near Mercato Centrale, is equally liked by guidebook-clutching travelers and locals. It’s one of the few trattorias left in the historic center that delivers on budget, soul, and unfussy rib-sticking Tuscan fare. Order anything fried, Tuscan bean- or bread-based peasant soups, la bistecca alla fiorentina (T-bone), gamey ragu-coated pastas, or juicy arista (roasted pork loin). The vegetables are predictably overcooked, but you’re not here for vitamins. Arrive as early as possible, as the best menu items sell out quickly.

Veteran gelato makers, who have been crafting exceptional scoops for decades, have sustained Florence’s gelato cred in the face of an onslaught of tourist traps serving mountains of artificially produced gelato. But, one of the newer gelato shops is a noteworthy example of the younger generation bravely carrying the torch in the city considered to be the birthplace of gelato. Run by a husband-wife duo, My Sugar meticulously churns out classic flavors like bittersweet chocolate and Bronte pistachio, seasonal fruit like kid-approved strawberry and watermelon, and more worldly flavors including black sesame, green tea, pure peanut, and dark chocolate spiked with local chianti. Tip: Gelato should never be scooped from a mound, but instead from pans where it lays flat or ribboned. It can also be served from carapine, covered metal cylinders that sit under the counter.

A short walk from the Uffizi Gallery, this tiny eatery makes its intentions clear on the handwritten menu outside: no pizza, no ice, no cappuccino, and no spritz. This osteria serves traditional Tuscan food, and is known for its pappardelle in duck ragu, ribollita soup, fragrant saffron pasta tossed with zucchini flowers and a touch of cream, and mains like tomato-stewed cod, fried chicken and zucchini flowers, peppery peposo (beef stew dating back to the Renaissance, served with seasonal beans), and a few grilled red meat options.

Mexico meets Japan in Florence at Massimo Bottura’s one-Michelin-starred outpost at Gucci in the city’s historic political center, Piazza della Signoria. It’s helmed by Mexican chef Karime Lopez with Japanese husband Takahiko Kondo (Bottura’s long-time right hand at Modena’s Osteria Francescana), who channel their respective home countries and their impressive experience in renowned kitchens around the world. The kitchen utilizes seasonal Tuscan ingredients, prized Italian produce like Sicilian citrus, and obscure finds such as Umbrian purple corn in ceviche tostadas. A meal here is definitely a splurge (as one might expect from the names Bottura and Gucci), but you won’t leave hungry or underwhelmed thanks to a thoughtfully crafted menu that isn’t overly esoteric. A la carte and tasting options are available for lunch and dinner. Book well in advance.

Tucked off a hidden street in the Santa Croce zone, Libreria Brac is equal parts cafe, restaurant, and modern art gallery with an eclectic library of books, vintage magazines, and choice music. The vegetarian menu shows influences from the chef’s travels around the world (he’s especially fond of cities like San Francisco); expect microgreen salads with avocado and almond lemon dressing, and tangy tomato and buffalo mozzarella-layered casseroles topped with crispy pane carasau, a traditional wafer-thin flatbread from Sardinia. Locals go for the mixed platters, which include a pasta — such as the ginger- and potato-filled tortelli with arugula pesto or radicchio risotto — a salad, and a slice of savory pane carasau, all for less than 25 euros. Brac is also a coveted spot for weekend brunches of pancakes and scrambles. Tables are few and it’s considered the tastiest vegetarian restaurant in town, so advance bookings are a must.

Savvy Sicilian chef Carmelo Pannocchietti is a fixture in Florence. His Sicilian street food outposts can satisfy a cannoli craving, but Arà also makes notably generous ragu-filled arancini, slabs of Sicilian pizza, granitas, and arguably the best Bronte pistachio gelato in town. Pannocchietti has expanded his venture into a bit of an empire, with pop-up stands along the river in the summer, an outpost on the top floor of the Mercato Centrale food hall, and a sit-down fast-casual deli (similar to a tavola calda). Don’t sleep on the natural wine list, which has some mind-boggling delicious options sourced from the eponymous island.

Located in a Renaissance-era palace once owned by the Medici family, Locale is fine dining for craft-cocktail enthusiasts, delivering stellar service under original frescos. The avant-garde cocktail lounge (which won a spot on the World’s 50 Best Bars list in 2022) boasts towering shelves of specialty spirits and an undercurrent of experimental flair. Along with the drinks, emerging young chef Simone Caponnetto prepares an inventive modernist tasting menu with hedonistic tendencies, such as pork liver crepinette (sausage), stuffed squid in Champagne, and parcels of pine nut milk burrata. There are also exquisite bar bites like skirt steak with salsa verde, sweet Tuscan friggitelli peppers, or goat cheese truffle fondue croquettes. Below the main space, there’s an underground science lab, where bartenders concoct artichoke-infused sodas and redistilled gins for herbaceous Americanos and Negronis, house-made kombucha with locally grown saffron, and CBD-vaporized cocktails.

In the heart of San Niccolo, just below the steps leading up to the panoramic Piazza Michelangelo square, is one of tastiest carb bars on the planet. Fresh cappellaci is the specialty at this mother-and-son operation, where it’s offered with a myriad of stuffings, like winter squash and ricotta, and toppings, like green kale pesto sauce or freshly shaved truffles, when in season. You’ll also find tavola calda-type offerings, like sliced roasted meats and caramelized vegetables, all with a unique Champagne and natural wine selection.

Among Florence’s Michelin-starred darlings, Saporium is worth celebrating. The restaurant, which also has a green Michelin clover, looks like a mix between a Renaissance palace and an arboretum, while the food consists of various memorable tasting menus by chef Ariel Hagen. Combining the chef’s passions for fermentation and Italian biodiversity, dishes include taglioni dressed with sambuca flowers and fermented koji crema, risotto with sheep milk kefir and preserved lemon, and squab-filled agnolotti in eel broth. It’s all made with organic ingredients and wild botanicals sourced from Borgo San Pietro’s flagship resort in Chiusdino, a once abandoned Medieval family estate turned luxury villa on several acres of converted farmland. Start with a craft cocktail accented with smoked juniper, nepitella (calamint), or fermented orange at the vintage speakeasy-style lounge next door, along with a fun snack like saffron bone marrow arancini, local river trout hot dogs, or cockscomb (cibreo) bao bites.

The same team behind Enoteca Pitti Gola e Cantina has branched out since opening the stalwart wine bar in 2008, first with elevated steakhouse Osteria dell’Enoteca in 2017 and now with de’Giusti. Located in the calm Florentine Sant’Ambrogio district next to the Four Seasons, the sleek wine bar and bistro is ideal for grabbing some small plates while crushing a bottle or two with friends, impressing colleagues from the office, or cozying up on a date night. The wine selection is heavy on Piedmont and Tuscany, so expect a paradise of red wines made for accolades not trends. You can also count on antipasti snacks, like an intentional array of charcuterie, chicken liver pate with vin santo reduction, ricotta flan sformatino, tartare, and carpaccio, as well as refined classic mains like eggplant parmigiana with anchovies or Tuscany’s pancake-like pasta testaroli triangles tossed with Ligurian-style pesto.

While Florentines debate about the best lampredotto stand, family-run Pollini is the most iconic option. Not to be conflated with tripe, lampredotto is cow stomach classically cooked in a savory broth and served chopped, stuffed in bread, and topped with a green herb and chile sauce. Across from the ancient Sant’Ambrogio church and in view of the stunning Synagogue of Florence, Tripperia Pollini (aka “Da i’ babbo e figliolo” or “by pop and son”) prepares the dish in a notable range of sauces — tomato with artichoke, beef cheek guanciale, chard, porcini in season — plus classic tripe in tomato sauce. All are best washed down with a goblet of wine or a beer on the corner, while the proprietor hollers out orders into the hustle and bustle.

For the best sandwich in the world, according to obviously biased owner Marco Paparozzi, head to his tiny panino stall perched on the curb of the Sant'Ambrogio market. Fillings here break the usual meat-and-cheese mold, drawing from Tuscan-inspired flavors and dishes: Think stewed donkey, pear, pecorino, and truffle; wild boar sausage and broccoli rabe; and, at times, carb-on-carb taglierini pasta panino. Select your filling from the rotating chalkboard menu and Paparozzi or his nephew will promptly whip up a flavorful panino and insist it be washed down with a small glass of wine.

Located in what historically was a walled garden plot belonging to the nuns of Santa Verdiana, this contemporary neighborhood trattoria on the doorstep of the Sant’Ambrogio market has a little something for everyone. For vegetarians, there’s the pane carasau (Sardinian flatbread) layered like millefoglie with smoked eggplant and whipped burrata, while omnivores can enjoy grilled meat with buttery roast potatoes, amberjack-stuffed pasta with crispy squash blossoms and salmon roe, butter and anchovy Tuscan pici (udon-like pasta), and squab glazed with pomegranate reduction. Ingredients are sourced from the market butchers and produce vendors, along with local cheeses from artisans in the Chianti countryside.

On the lip of Sant’Ambrogio in Piazza Beccaria, you’ll find the fanciest pastry spot in the historic center. The decor is like being in a ballroom, colored old-school with teal and featuring classic ceramics and glassware. This spot is beloved for its dedication to artisanal raw ingredients, such as Valrhona cacao for its flourless chocolate cake and cherry-picked figs and forest fragoline (wild strawberries) from the local markets for its mini seasonal fruit tartlets. The cafe also procures Florentine classics like puff pastry sfoglia and budino di riso (rice pudding in shortbread crust). It’s tiny inside, with a few tables on the curb, but it’s worth it to squeeze in. It also has an espresso machine in what appears to be a closet, but within is specialty coffee from Cafe Piansa, an institutional craft roaster. This is the ideal place for Italian breakfast, and if you insist on having a cornetto and cappuccino, this spot does them properly.