Restaurant Guides - Florence, Italy

Hello lover.


When people asked what I was most excited about for Italy, I would always respond "the food." You see, my husband was in charge of the sights, lodging, etc, and I was in charge of the food. I took my job very seriously and thanks to all of your recos and a TaskRabbit who spoke Italian (to make reservations), I put together an awesome dining plan for both Florence and Rome.


The pasta from our lunch at Verrazzano- not to be missed!


As expected, the food in Italy was amazing. Just super delicious, unpretentious, simple food. We had the best time checking out different places and trying different dishes. In the event that any of you are traveling to Florence and/or Rome soon, here are our favorites. This post will focus on the best Florentine restaurants and there will be another post on the best Roman restaurants.

Our first night in Florence - Gusta Pizza and wine make for a happy traveler.


Favorite Pizza Place 

Gusta Pizza  
  • This place was incredible. A fun little corner spot, we grabbed pizzas there a couple of times. They have a simple menu of only a few pizzas and each is divine. Do yourself a favor and grab a pizza here and some wine, take it to Pitti Palace and enjoy!

His and hers pizzas.

Palazzo Pitti for an al fresco lunch ;)

Favorite Dinner Spots 

Trattoria 13 Gobbi 
  • This place was so good we went there twice. It's causal, but nice, unpretentious, but has great service. All of the waiters speak really good English and are very helpful.
  • They make ordering easy for you by highlighting the restaurant's specialties on the menu. They did not steer me wrong because, both times, I ordered the rigatoni and was in heaven. My husband ordered the veal oscobucco and then the Florentine steak and was also very pleased.
  • I would recommend making a reservation for dinner.
Best rigatoni everrr.


Where's the bad part?


Trattoria 4 Leoni 
  • This place was a little fancier than 13 Gobbi. Not that you would wear sneakers to either but it's just a little more "fine dining" if you will, but still not "fancy." The ambiance is very cool- like rustic but polished.
  • I did my research and saw which menu items people were loving. My husband and I shared the pesto salad and a bottle of the house wine. I then had the truffle pasta (mind-blowing) and my husband had the steak. He actually said this steak was his favorite meal of the trip! We finished our meal with the cheesecake which is not to be missed (said by non-cheesecake people).
  • I would recommend making a reservation for dinner. You can do it online- super easy!
The house wine, a Chianti Classico, was fantastic.

No caption needed. You can see just from the photo how divine the pasta was!

TC's steak.


Of note, the thing about dinner service in Florence is that there are usually only two seatings - one at 7:30pm and one at 9:30pm. The 7:30pm seating is usually more touristy, although fine and the 9:30pm service is more locals. Depending on your schedule and what vibe you want, make reservations accordingly :)



Favorite Gelato 

Vivoli 
  • In each new European place I visit, I pick one food and attempt to find the best in the city. In Spain it was Patatas Bravas, in France it was macarons and then in Italy, it was gelato. After a city-wide search, and let me tell you, it was exhaustive, I found my favorite. A little off the beaten path, you def have to seek out Vivoli.
  • The gelato there was insane. So fresh and yummy. When I say fresh, I mean the tiramisu gelato actually have cake it in it! It was divine. Both times we went, I got the tiramisu + caffe combo (a real winner).

Makes me want a gelato reaaaaaaalll bad!

Please let me know if you have any questions at all about traveling to Italy! I'm not an expert but I'd be happy to help :)

Xo J

Comments

  1. Everything looks so delicious!
    ~Sophia
    http://plaidismyfavouritecolour.blogspot.com/

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  2. This looks amazing. I am heading to Florence in Sept and will totally reference this guide. Quick question. Your hair looks amazing in all the photos. With that said, what did you do about curling/flat irons and blow dryer? Thanks!

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    1. Oh good I'm glad it will be of use! So, for curling irons/blow-dryers, you need both an adapter AND a converter. We skipped the converter and while my curling iron was okay in the adapter, my hair dryer FRIED it. You can buy them online or probably at like radioshack before you leave. Have fun!!

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  3. What a wonderful trip! Will definitely reference this when we (someday...soon!!) head to Italy! I LOVE your eyeglasses...can you please share how I can find them? Thanks, Julia!!

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    1. Yes you have to visit! My eyeglasses are from Warby Parker- the Preston!

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