What to Eat in Florence (and where)

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Wonder what to eat in Florence? We noticed that Tuscan cuisine differs from any other Italian regional cuisine. It relies mostly on meat and vegetables, so meat lovers will love it most. 

Once here you should try Florentine steak, one of hearty stews, and salami and other cured meats. When in Florence, we love to eat around and taste everything on offer. Enjoying the food is one of the top activities on a rainy day in Florence.

We love to stop by "forno", which is Italian word for bakery to grab a slice of schiacciata, some panini or a couple of coccoli. Also we love to have a lunch or dinner at trattoria and have a pappardelle pasta with wild boar sauce, a hearty beef stew or a platter of salumi and cheeses. Our favourite sweet delights are gelato and cantucci cookies and you'll find one of the best in Italy here in Florence.

Read on to find out what to eat in Florence as well as great places serving authentic Tuscan cuisine (you'll be back for more).

Wonder what to eat in Florence? We noticed that Tuscan cuisine completely differs from any other Italian regional cuisine. It relies mostly on meat and vegetables, so meat lovers will especially enjoy it.

While here, you should try Florentine steak, one of the hearty stews, and various salami and other cured meats. When in Florence, we love to explore and taste everything on offer.

We love to stop by a "forno" (the Italian word for bakery) to grab a slice of schiacciata, some panini, or a couple of coccoli. We also enjoy having lunch or dinner at a trattoria to taste pappardelle pasta with wild boar sauce, a hearty beef stew, or a platter of salumi and cheeses. Our favourite sweet delights are gelato and cantucci cookies, and you'll find some of the best in Italy right here in Florence.

Read on to find out what to eat in Florence and discover great places serving authentic Tuscan cuisine (you'll definitely be back for more).

Read also: Best Food Tours in Florence

Coccoli (soft fried dough balls)

Coccoli stole our heart from the first time we ate them. These soft fried dough balls (literally translates as "cuddles") are ideal for snacking on every occasion. You can eat them with anything you want. The way the Florentines enjoy them is with prosciutto and stracchino, creamy cheese.

When we visited Florence's Mercato Centrale, we stumbled upon a small bakery Forno Canapa (Via dell'Ariento 21R), selling freshly made coccoli; they offer plain ones and ones with prosciutto. We usually grab a bunch of them for snacking throughout the day. We love to eat them even with a dash of pesto! These coccoli are something special, combining sweet and salty flavors at once (they're sprinkled with coarse salt).

When in Florence, look for friggitorie (fried food stores), and you'll find freshly fried coccoli for you to enjoy. Or join a morning food tour of the Santa Croce neighborhood to eat more appetizing coccoli balls!

Schiacciata (Tuscan-style focaccia) sandwich

Even a sandwich can be an amazing experience if it's well-made, and schiacciata sandwich is proof of that. Schiacciata is a Florentine version of focaccia, but chewier, and olive oil in the dough gives it a rich and fruity aroma and slightly crisp texture.

You'll find places selling schiacciata sandwiches everywhere in Florence, as this is the most popular street food among locals and tourists. These sandwiches make a great snack or on-the-go lunch.

Schiacciata sandwiches come with various stuffings, including prosciutto, Tuscan salami, cooked ham, mortadella, ricotta, mozzarella, pecorino, porchetta, grilled zucchini, dried tomatoes and any combo of these.

Our favourite place for schiacciata sandwich is I' Girone de' Ghiotti (Via de Cimatori, 23R), close to Piazza della Signoria. Most of the time there is a line in front of it, but it moves quickly, as the staff is fast in making sandwiches.

They make sandwiches in front of you, and you can choose from a variety of stuffings. Their schiacciata sandwiches are generous, crunchy and delicious and affordable (starts from €6). We're always back here!

Lampredotto sandwich

To be honest, we haven't tried lampredotto so far. It's a unique food you can't find anywhere else in Italy. Literally, it's cow's fourth stomach, cooked for hours with onion, parsley, tomato, and celery until tender. Once cooked, it's cut in small strips and used as stuffing for a panini, usually with green sauce.

This special Florentine treat is typical street food, usually sold from "trippai" or "lampredottai" food vans, you'll find all over the city. The most famous ones are those at Piazza Beccaria, Piazza Sant'Ambrogio, Porta Romana, and Mercato del Porcellino.

We plan to take Eating Europe's food tour in Oltrarno, to reveal the secret of lampredotto and finally eat it!

Read also: What to Buy in Italy

Bistecca alla Fiorentina (The Florentine steak)

Meat lovers should definitely try Florentine steak, which is a thick-cut T-bone steak, from the Chianina breed of cattle, grilled to the perfection. The steak is grilled for about 3-5 minutes on each side, almost charred, and the inside should be very rare and only warm. It's seasoned with pepper and salt and some olive oil. If you are not happy with a very rare steak, it’s probably best not to order a 'bistecca alla Fiorentina'. 

If you want just to taste Florentine steak to see if you like it, join this 3-hour evening food tour in Oltrarno with Carpe Diem Tours! 

Go to Antica Trattoria da Tito (Via S. Gallo 112R) to try authentic Florentine steak.

Il peposo (Tuscan beef stew)

"Il Peposo" is a hearty Tuscan beef stew, seasoned with garlic, salt, and a generous amount of black pepper, then simmered in red wine. It's best accompanied by creamy polenta or crusty bread for soaking up the delicious sauce.

This stew is so rich in flavour with a delicious spicy kick from the black pepper (peposo means peppery). Head to a local trattoria to eat this amazing Tuscan meat dish (we recommend Vini e Vecchi Sapori and I'Brindellone).

Join a morning Florence food tour with Secret Food Tours to find out where to eat authentic peposo.

If you want to make Il Peposo by yourself, you'll need: beef chuck cut into cubes, a bottle of red wine (Chianti or Sangiovese if possible), garlic cloves, black peppercorns, salt, and olive oil. In the past, this stew was prepared in terracotta bowls and was cooked very slowly.

Pappardelle al cinghiale (pasta with wild boar sauce)

This dish features wide flat pappardelle pasta topped with a rich wild boar ragù. The meat is marinated overnight in red wine, herbs, and vegetables before being slow-cooked with onions, garlic, carrots, celery, tomatoes, and an array of herbs and spices.

Finocchiona (salami with fennel)

Finocchiona is the queen of Tuscan cured meats, and it stands out for its flavour, thanks to the aroma of fennel seeds used in it. This fragrant cured port salami is best enjoyed thinly slices alongside other cured meats. We adore schiacciata sandwich with finocchiona! You'll love finocchiona for its sweet and hearby flavour.

If you want to eat authentic finocchiona, join a 3.5-hour food tour in Santa Croce with Walking Palates. Or buy sliced finocchiona from Mercato Centrale or Mercato Sant'Ambrogio (500g costs around €25) and eat together with some schiacciata (ideal brunch).

Crostini con fegatini (chicken liver crostini)

Crispy toasted bread topped with a rich and salty chicken liver pâté, making it a perfect appetizer for your afternoon or evening aperitivo. These are also called crostini neri, literally the black crostini, a name given after the brownish colour of the chicken liver spread.

To find the best version of these tasty appetizer, join this morning food tour in Florence.

Ribollita soup (soup with beans and vegetables plus bread)

A traditional Tuscan soup featuring kale, cannellini beans, carrots, celery, potatoes, onions, tomatoes, herbs, and garlic, all thickened with chunks of stale bread.

Pappa al pomodoro (rustic tomato soup)

A rustic tomato soup that uses fresh tomatoes, bread, olive oil, garlic, and basil among other ingredients. Often made with leftover bread, it can be served hot, at room temperature, or chilled for a refreshing dish.

The preparation involves simmering tomatoes into a thick, aromatic sauce, infused with garlic and basil's sweet hearby notes. Stale bread is then torn into this bubbling mixture, giving the soup its unique, porridge-like texture. Il Cernacchio (Via della Condotta 38R) is a cute eatery where you can try pappa al pomodoro, made from the best ingredients.

Read also: What to Eat in Rome

Trippa alla Fiorentina

Trippa refers to tripe, the edible lining of a cow's stomach. Trippa alla Fiorentina is a traditional Tuscan dish and a street food staple in Florence. The dish is made with strips of tripe that are simmered with onions, carrots, celery, hot peppers, and tomatoes. Once fully cooked and tender, it is served drizzled with Tuscan olive oil and sprinkled with grated Parmiggiano cheese.

The dish is commonly flavored with bay leaves, but sweet basil leaves are also often added, especially during the summer. It's recommended to accompany trippa alla Fiorentina with a few slices of Tuscan bread. One of the best places to eat trippa alla Fiorentina is Trattoria Sergio Gozzi.

Cantucci (crunchy dry cookies)

Cantucci, also known as biscotti di Prato, are dry almond cookies obtained by cutting a loaf of dough while it's still hot and baking it again for a second time. The classic version of cantucci contains almonds, but you can also find varieties with hazelnuts, pistachios, chocolate chunks, candied orange peel, dried figs, and more.

We love to dip them in a cup of tea, but cantucci also go well with coffee or Vin Santo (Italians love this). When in Florence, we pop into Leonardo Firenze (Via Porta Rossa 14R / Via dei Macci 65R) for our dose of cantucci cookies. Their cantucci are always freshly baked - just one bite and you'll taste the difference! They sell them by weight, and 100g costs around €5-6. Our top choice is cantucci with dark chocolate pieces! A pack of cantucci makes a perfect gift for loved ones back home!

Your can as well order cantucci cookies from Leonardo Firenze online! For more cantucci brands, visit Eataly Online Store (they send worldwide).

Creamy artisanal gelato (Florence's sweet frozen treat)

Eating gelato is one of the most delightful experiences you can have while visiting Florence. We love sampling different flavours, from classic options like chocolate and stracciatella to unique combinations such as lavender-honey or rosemary-olive oil. However, not all gelaterias offer the same quality, and you should know which ones are worth trying.

Be wary of shops displaying towering mounds of artificially bright-coloured gelato, typically found along the main tourist streets.

Here are our favourite spots for exceptional gelato in Florence:

• Venchi - Not exclusively from Florence, this gelato is creamy and super rich (we love their pistachio flavour). At Venchi you can also buy a delicious chocolates (sold by weight and bars) 
  
• Strega Nocciola Gelateria - delicious artisanal gelato (find them on several locations such as near the Duomo or Ponte Vecchio) and friendly staff; they keep gelato in stainless steel containers (pozzetti), which is a good sign that gelato is excellent
• Gelateria La Carraia (cross the Ponte alla Carraia to reach Piazza Nazario Sauro 25R), a great little gem offering smooth and silky gelato. We adore their 'cioccolato all’arancia' - so delicious! There is an outdoor seating where you can sit down and enjoy your gelato!
• Sbrino - Gelatificio Contadino - an amazing gelateria in Santo Spirito. We am sure you won't regret any flavour you get, as they all taste magical. The price is amazing - we got 3 big scoops of gelato in a cone for 5€.
  
  

Castagnacio (chestnut flour treat)

Castagnaccio, the part of "Cucina povera" tradition, and it's originally made of chestnut flour, water and rosemary, while nowadays you can find variations with pine nuts and raisins. This autumn pastry eaten in Tuscany is dense is so flavourful - you'll become addicted. 

Authentic castagnaccio can be found at Chicco di Grano inside Mercato Sant'Ambrogio, Forno La Pagnotta (Borgo la Croce 109), Antico Forno Giglio (Via Vincenzo Gioberti, 151R), Forno Becagli (Borgo Ognissanti 92R) and Forno Palatresi (Borgo Ognissanti, 102R.

More great places to eat in Florence:

Ciro and Sons Restaurant Pizzeria is great food venue close to Basilica di San Lorenzo and a short walk from Florence Cathedral. Their pizzas are amazingly delicious and richly-topped. Try also their pastas!

Da Garibardi is a small local trattoria serving tasty traditional Tuscan cuisine. This is where you should get the wild boar ragu! There’s also a great wine list and plenty of gluten free options to pick from. Location is convenient close to Mercato Centrale!

More to Discover in Italy

Naples Street Food Tours

What to See in Florence

Best Rome Food Tours

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