From hearty stews to rich pastas and legendary street food, Florence is the kind of city best explored with a fork in hand. Here’s your guide to the must-try Florentine dishes—and exactly where to find them.
Florence isn’t just a city of art and architecture—it’s a city of appetite.
Here, every street corner, market, and back-alley trattoria offers a taste of Tuscany’s bold, rustic, and soulful culinary heritage. To truly understand Florence, you need to do more than admire its cathedrals—you need to eat like a local.
From hearty stews to rich pastas and legendary street food, Florence is the kind of city best explored with a fork in hand. With MyGuideGuru’s food-focused walking tours, you can seamlessly explore its flavourful history as you wander from piazza to piazza.
Here’s your guide to the must-try Florentine dishes—and exactly where to find them.
This dish is not just a meal—it’s a ritual. A thick-cutT-bone steak, grilled rare over hot coals and seasoned only with olive oil,salt, and pepper. It’s big, bold, and best shared.
Where to try it:
Trattoria Mario (Via Rosina, near Mercato Centrale):Family-run, no-frills, and famous for doing steak the right way.
Ristorante Enoteca Strozzi (Via Monalda): Great quality, warm service, and consistent local praise.
Florence’s most iconic street food. Made from the fourth stomach of the cow, slow-cooked in broth and served in a bun, usually topped with salsa verde and spicy sauce. A local favourite for centuries.
Where to try it:
Da Nerbone (Inside Mercato Centrale): The real deal. Eat it standing up with locals on their lunch break.
Lampredotto e Trippa i’Trippaio di San Frediano (Oltrarno): Another beloved stand, away from tourist crowds.
A thick, comforting Tuscan soup made from leftover bread, cannellini beans, kale, and seasonal vegetables. The name means “reboiled,” as it’s traditionally reheated and even better the second time around.
Where to try it:
Trattoria da Rocco (Sant’Ambrogio Market): Homestyle cooking at its best.
Trattoria Cammillo (Borgo San Jacopo): A more refined take, perfect for a slow lunch.
Pappardelle are wide ribbons of fresh pasta, and cinghiale (wild boar) is simmered into a rich, gamey ragu. Earthy, robust, and deeplyTuscan.
Where to try it:
Osteria del Cinghiale Bianco (Borgo San Jacopo): As the name suggests, this is their specialty.
Trattoria La Casalinga (Via dei Michelozzi):Unpretentious and full of flavour.
Florence’s answer to fast food—but better. Schiacciata is a crisp, olive oil-drizzled flatbread often filled with prosciutto, pecorino, truffle cream, or roasted vegetables.
Where to try it:
All’Antico Vinaio (Via dei Neri): World-famous for a reason. Expect a queue, but it moves quickly.
Schiacciamatta (Borgo la Croce): A less touristy spotwith equally delicious options.
The classic Tuscan dessert duo. Cantucci are crunchy almond biscuits, traditionally dipped into Vin Santo, a sweet dessert wine. A perfect end to your meal—or your walk.
Where to try it:
Pasticceria Nencioni (Via Pietrapiana): Old-schooland excellent.
Caffè Gilli (Piazza della Repubblica): Historic,elegant, and ideal for people-watching.
One of the best ways to understand Florence’s layered history is through its food. Each dish tells a story—of peasant ingenuity, Renaissance abundance, or centuries-old tradition passed down through generations.
With MyGuideGuru, you can build a self-guided walking tour that weaves together the culinary gems and the history behind it. You choose the pace. We guide the path.
Eat smarter. Explore deeper. Walk with purpose (and anappetite). Download the app and start your food-focused Florence adventure today.
