Almost everywhere in central Florence is walking distance from the Duomo. Sorry I don't have my Florence list in front of me but here are couple of suggestions - Il Ritrovo is near the Duomo (ask your hotel for directions); Osteria dei Benci is near Santa Croce; Beccofino in the Oltrarno; Trattoria Cibreo; Osteria Cipolla Rosso.

Not sure what kine of restaurants you are looking for but these are some that come to mind. Mostly smallish and medium priced.

Ristorante Paoli on Via dei Tavolini is one of my favourites and is very close to the duomo. I like their Pappa al Pomodoro. Also, on the same street, the Cantinetta dei Verrazzano for lunch and snacks. Good foccacias, and at this time of year they make a lovely wine grape tart.

You could try www.viamichelin.com

We enjoyed Ristorante Il Paiolo last year. It's due south of the Duomo, on Via Corso between Via del Proconsolo and Via dei Calzaiuoli. Even if you don't eat there, look for the church (Santa Maria del Ricci) just a few store fronts closer to Proconsolo on Via Corso. Evening concerts are offered most nights at very reasonable prices.

http://www.ristoranteilpaiolo.it/

http://www.frommers.com/destinations/florence/0051010030.html

Hi "Sosh" and hello to mate "J"...hope things are going well for you and son. Write me. Near the Duomo is a plain no-star trattoria called "Guelfi"(or Guelphi)..nice inside eating room, but also a pleasant outside dining area. Tagliatelle with Gorgonzola melted cheese and sage..superb. Aslo Tagiatelle with salmon is delcious. It's at the end of the arcade walk, on Porto Rossa

Across the Arno, near Boboli Gardens and Ponte Vecchio on Borgo Jacopo (first street in your right when crossing the Ponte Vecchio), is our favorite from a few trips back..also gave it another shot on last trip..Cinghale Bianco (White Boar)...excellent. Hearty and delicious pasta dishes at readonably fair prices. Za-Za at the Mercato Centrale is sort of funky with varied menu items..all walkable from Duomo area. On last trip we stayed on Tournaboni at Hotel Residenza.

Best regards and enjoy,
Stu Tower

Thanks to everyone for all the wonderful recommendations. We tried to find Il Retrovo with no luck last night. We ended up in the place on the Plaza Republica, that while touristy turned out to be perfectly okay.

Much better luck tonight, we went to the place that Stu recommended above and we had a really delicious dinner for a very reasonable price. Tomorrow we will try scouting out some of the other places that have been recommended here. I really appreciate all the good advice.

Stu recommended several. Sorry I did not specify which. Blame the jet lag....

We went to the Guelpha. Really pleasant and very good!

I posted on your other one, but wanted to add Casalinga, also in the Oltrarno. We just found it last night, our last night, walking down a side street about two blocks off Via Guiarducci. It was recommended by Rick Steve's, and altho some people sneer at him, this restaurant is the real deal local Florentine kind. I had the roast pork, which was delicious, along with sautéed green vegs. Their dolce were not so great, but everything else was. And not so expensive.

Thanks, charnees! Safe travels home or to the next part of your trip!!

You might want to try some from the tourist board list that are designated as serving typical Florence cuisine. They should have the symbol (shown on this link).
http://www.firenzeturismo.it/en/ristorante-tipico-cucina-fiorentina/

Well, Stu is 2 for 2!!

We went to Osteria del Cinghale and it was superb! DH had the special of the day which was suckling pig. We shared a charcuterie plate to start that had Wildboar salamis and ham. These are items unavailable to us in Boston and food that DH has a special interest in! The great bottle of key auntie Classico made it a really wonderful dinner, not to mention the most lovely Panne Cotta for dessert!

We continue to research all of the suggestions that have been made and we are so appreciative of the help!

That would be Chianti, above.

Siri has a mind of her own!!!

sosh and "J"..happy the 2 for 2 turned out so well...couldn't happen for two nicer people. Socialworker ("sosh" as a term of endearment) and husband "J" and I had a mini-GTG in Los Angeles, earlier this year. They are a delightful and most interesting couple, and we thoroughly enjoyed lunching at Century City's "Rock Sugar" Asian fare...superb. Happy travels for you both.

Stu Tower

A quick follow up...we had lunch at Casalinga. We liked it very much. Great atmosphere and prices. We did not test their cooking as we only had salads and a cheese plate. However two good-sized meal type salads, house wine, a large beer and a really good cheese plate and a bottle of mineral water all came in at 37.50! We paid 30 at a café in the Duomo for just wine, beer and water--no food! Of course there we were paying for the spectacular view.