A Guide to the Best Italian Food in Florence
Words and photos by Maddie Firmin who studied abroad in Florence during spring semester 2022.
While living and studying abroad in Florence, you are going to be surrounded by some of the best food in the world. Here is my list of a few restaurants and cafès you can’t miss while you’re there, the places I’ve found with the best pizza, pasta, and paninos!!
Sandwiches
Panini Toscani is one of my favorite places to grab a sandwich between classes. It’s conveniently located in the Piazza del Duomo with outdoor seating to enjoy a view of the Duomo. The staff are extremely friendly and provide you with a free tasting of their meat and cheese options upon your first visit. Next, you get to select your bread and three-four vegetables before your sandwich is toasted to perfection. My go-to option consists of aged pecorino cheese, focaccia bread, peppers in vinegar, arugula, and their signature hot pepper sauce.
Pino’s Sandwich undoubtedly serves some of the best sandwiches in Florence. They have a large selection of sandwiches and each one is only around €4.50-6.00. The workers are friendly and provide great service. I order their vegetarian option with spinach, peppers, eggplant, pesto, and spicy sauce, but they have delicious meat options and tasty side dishes as well.
Pizza
Ristorante Mastro Ciliegia is in the heart of Florence not far from the Duomo. This is our go-to pizzeria and is a friendly, comfortable environment with delicious food. My favorite is Sfizosa: a white pizza with spicy salami, bell peppers, and onions.
Gusta Pizza is one of the most popular pizzerias for good reason. It is located close to the Ponte Vecchio and Palazzo Pitti. Here, you can find friendly staff, and freshly-made inexpensive pizzas. I recommend taking the pizza to go and enjoy it by the river or in the lively Piazza Santo Spirito since it can get busy inside. They will even cook your pizza in a heart shape if desired!
Pasta
Osteria Palazza is a beautiful, oriental restaurant with the best dish I have had in Florence: tagliatelle made in a Grana Padano cheese wheel with fresh truffle. It is a must-try while studying or visiting here. While more expensive than others, the home-made pasta did not disappoint. From the window, you can see the pasta being made fresh to order. This meal was a whole experience in itself. It includes a free welcome drink and fried bread. They make the pasta in the cheese wheel right in front of you by lighting it on fire and melting the cheese. They mix in the pasta and add truffle oil, completing it by shaving fresh truffle on top. It was rich, creamy, and delicious. It doesn’t have a strong truffle flavor, so it is sure to be a favorite even among non-truffle-lovers.
Trattoria Zaza is our other favorite restaurant. The menu goes on for pages and pages and has every type of dish you could want. This restaurant is known for their truffle specialties with their signature truffle cream sauce. Therefore, I recommend their creamy and rich pasta with truffle sauce. They have a wide range of antipasti and sides. My favorites are the fried zucchini flowers, truffle fries, and bruschetta. Their pizza and meat dishes are just as delicious, and this restaurant is worth a few visits to try them all.
Cafès
Melaleuca will become your favorite brunch and coffee place in Florence. Located right along the Arno River, you can take your coffee and a pastry to go to enjoy it along the river on a nice day. Iced coffee and lattes can be difficult to find in Italy, so I was excited to discover that Melaleuca offers delicious iced coffees reminiscent of the ones back home. Their fluffy and sweet cinnamon buns and freshly made bagels are another taste of back home that are made to perfection. Craving avocado toast or a breakfast sandwich? Look no further than Melaleuca.
Ditta Artigianale is known for brewing some of the best coffee in Florence. Enjoy world-renowned coffee along with a wide variety of brunch favorites in a bright and modern atmosphere. They offer bagels, eggs, pancakes, French toast, and more!
Gelato
When choosing a gelateria, avoid the ones with stacked gelato with extravagant displays. These are often tourist traps. Gelateria dei Neri is arguably one of the best places for authentic gelato. They offer all the staple flavors and more! The caramel flavors have gotten great reviews. I enjoy the cookies and cream and coffee flavors.
Gelateria Chocolat has one of my favorite flavors of gelato I’ve tried: biscotto (cookie).
Thanks Maddie!
Hungry now? Want to spend a semester or academic year eating authentic Italian food?