What to Eat in Florence

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Curious about dining in Florence? Rest assured, you won't go hungry in this city. Florence and the surrounding Tuscany region boast a tempting selection of dishes that are sure to delight your taste buds.

Every corner holds interesting eateries, restaurants, pastry shops, and gelaterias, offering a wide variety of food options.

For a quick lunch, a schiacciata sandwich with Tuscan salami or a lampredotto panini makes an excellent choice. Or, stop by a "forno" to savour a slice of freshly baked pizza or soft coccoli balls.

If you prefer a sit-down meal, visit a local trattoria to enjoy dishes like pappa al pomodoro (a hearty tomato soup), pappardelle pasta with wild boar sauce, or the famous Florentine steak, served with baked potatoes.

Those with a sweet tooth should not miss out on gelato or cantucci cookies.

For a taste of everything, consider joining a walking food tour with a local foodie guide.

Below are some of the most authentic dishes you can savour in Florence.

👉 Read also: Best cities for food in Italy

Coccoli (fried dough balls)

Coccoli are little fried bread dough fritters, eaten with ham and creamy stracchino cheese. These yeast-filled treats are perfect as an antipasto or to enjoy during aperitivo. 

In the street leading to Mercato Centrale, you'll find 'Forno Canapa' (Via dell'Ariento 21R), a small bakery selling amazingly soft and delicious coccoli. Choose from coccoli with prosciutto and cheese, or the plain one - which are great for nibbling throughout the day.

Taste appetizing coccoli (and other tasty meals) on this morning food tour of Santa Croce neighbourhood!

Lampredotto

Lampredotto is a local favourite made from the cow's fourth stomach. It's slow-cooked for hours with onion, parsley, tomato, and celery until tender.

Once cooked, it can be enjoyed as a normal boiled meat, seasoned with salsa verde or cut into small pieces used as the filling of sandwich, accompanied by your choice of green or spicy sauce. Ready to sample lampredotto? Join this fantastic food tour in Oltrarno!

Panini con lampredotto, the quintessential Florentine street food, sell from trippai or lampredottai food vans all over the city: piazza Beccaria, piazza Sant’Ambrogio, Porta Romana and Mercato del Porcellino, among others.

Looking for the best lampredotto in Florence? This food tour of Oltrarno, will reveal the secret of finding it!

Schiacciata (Tuscan-style focaccia)

Schiacciata is a bread similar to focaccia, but chewier, making it perfect for snacking throughout the day. The olive oil in the dough and top gives it a rich and fruity aroma and slightly crisp texture.

Schiacciata is ideal for making tasty sandwiches, which are very popular among visitors of Florence (they make a cheap and quick meal).

Schiacciata sandwiches come with various stuffings, including prosciutto, Tuscan salami, cooked ham, mortadella, ricotta, mozzarella, pecorino, grilled zucchini, porchetta, pecorino...).

You'll find places selling schiacciata sandwiches on every corner of the city, but not all of them are good.

We can recommend 'I' Girone De' Ghiotti' (Via de Cimatori, 23R) as one of the best schiacciata sandwiches in the city. This cute place, not far from Piazza della Signoria), offers a wide choice sandwich fillings (you can always make your own if you don't like those on the menu) at affordable prices. The sandwiches are crunchy and richly stuffed and so delicious, that you'll be back for sure.

Bistecca alla Fiorentina (The Florentine steak)

This iconic thick-cut T-bone steak, sourced from the Chianina breed of cattle, is grilled to perfection with just olive oil, salt, and pepper, and served rare. If you want to taste this deliciously prepared meat, join this guided food tour!

The steak is cooked at high temperature, for just 3-5 minutes on each side, turning it once, with no condiments. The outside of the steak should be almost charred, with distinct grill lines from having been over live charcoal coals and the inside will be very rare and only warm. Just a light shower of salt before serving is perfect.

If you are not happy with a very rare steak, it’s probably best not to order a 'bistecca alla Fiorentina'.

Finocchiona (salami with fennel)

A fragrant cured pork salami infused with fennel, best enjoyed thinly sliced alongside other cured meats on an antipasto platter. You'll love it because its sweet and hearby flavour.

Taste 'finocchiona' on this fabulous walking food tour in Santa Croce (choose from lunch-time and dinner tour).

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.

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.

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 polenta or bread for soaking up the delicious sauce. This amazing dish is usually on the menu of the local trattorias in Florence.

You don't know where to try this fabulous meat dish? Then join this guided food walk in Florence and find out one of the best places to eat 'Il peposo'.

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.

Cantucci (crisp dry cookies)

Cantucci, knows also as biscotti di Prato, are dry cookies ideal for dipping into a coffee or enjoying along Vin Santo. The classic cantucci are with almonds, while you'll find them also packed with dark chocolate, candied orange peel, hazelnuts, dried figs...

Visit 'Leonardo Firenze' (Via Porta Rossa 14R / Via dei Macci 65R) to buy authentic cantucci - just one bite and you'll taste the difference! A package of 125g (you can combine different flavours) costs around €5-6. Our favourite ones are those with extra large pieces of chocolate! A pack of cantucci makes a perfect gift to the dear ones back at home!

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.

Gelato (And lots of it!)

Eating gelato is one of the best things you can do when in Florence. All around the city, you'll find 'gelaterias' you can pop in and have a cup or cone filled with this delicious Italian treat. Not all of them are good, and you deserve to know which one are worth tasting.

One of our favourite ones is Venchi gelato, which is creamy and super rich (we love their pistachio flavour). At Venchi you can also buy a sachet of delicious chocolates (sold by weight).

Another good option is Strega Nocciola Gelateria, with their fabulous gelato offers (find them on several locations such as near the Duomo or Ponte Vecchio) and friendly staff.

Don't skip also 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!

Planning Your Travel to Italy

Naples Street Food Tours

What to See in Florence

Best Rome Food Tours

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