cchottel

Can you recommend a favorite restaurant in Florence of dinners? Looking for good food and relaxed atmosphere. Somewhere I will not only enjoy the food, but enjoy lingering to finish my wine. Prefer friendly staff but English isn't a pre-requisite. I'll figure it out. Thanks,

bookchick

There are a lot of places you'd enjoy in Florence. My favorite is a place called "Il Cavallino" on via delle Farine r. (It's kind of a small street, but if you have a "Streetwise" map of Florence, you should be able to find it.) Most, if not all of the waiters are fluent in English, and it's a nice atmosphere with good food.

Buon Viaggio E Buon Appetito,
BC

BATUFFOLINA

I warmly recommend this restaurant-trattoria in Florence: AI 5 AMICI, which is in a side lane to the main street (i guess that by asking around the locals will know where it is). The food is excellent, affordable menus, the waiters speak english and can advice which is the best dish to get. I am italian and I have been there last Nov with my husband, and we found it really really great!

grandmere

Recommend Osteria Cinghale Bianco for good food, charming ambience; it's on the "other side" of the Ponte Vecchio. Cross the river, make first right onto Borgo Jacopo. OCB is couple blocks down the street on the left. Probably necessary to make reservations; in May we stopped by at lunch time to reserve for that evening.

Ryan

Two favorites were La Girostra which had great food, a very casual atmosphere, and reasonable prices (dinner for 2 with a decent bottle of Barolo was 102 Euros.) I highly recommend that you try a few Tuscan specialities such as Wild Boar Ragu with Tagliatelle.

We really enjoyed the Beefsteak Florentine at Restaurant La Poste, just next to the Piazza Republica.

For very casual communal dining, La Moussache, near the Doumo, is really good for hearty local dishes. You'll likely be next to a few tourists or the local bus drivers.

Lesli

Trattoria Antellesi, Via Faenza, 9R Tel: 055-216-990: Delicious crespelle and an unusual chestnut "flan" that I love for dessert. Good English spoken.

Il Cantinone, Via San Spirito, 6R
Tel:055-225-955: In the Oltrarno, downstairs from the street. Fun atmosphere in a wine cave, with candles at night.

Trattoria La Casalinga, Via dei Michelozzi, 9R, Tel:055-218-624: Also in the Oltrarno; good traditional homestyle food, and cheap.

Osteria de'Benci, Via de'Benci 13r: (One more in the Oltrarno) - I went here with an Italian friend for lunch al fresco. Fabulous smoked swordfish "carpaccio" on a bed of arugula and rigatoni with pumpkin. Very reasonably priced for the quality and atmospehere.

Trattoria Armando, Borgo Ognissanti 140r, Tel: 055-216219: Found this one in Sandra Gustafson's "Cheap Eats in Italy" (Updated to Great Eats, I believe.) A little more upscale, but still friendly. Housemade ravioli with spinach and ricotta in sage butter sauce were outstanding. Delicious grilled veal chop. Very nice house red (in bottles) served in the same balloon glasses as the pricier wines.

Mangia bene!

ss

Dear cchottel:
I second the vote on Restorante La Giostra on Borgo Pinti 10r (stree is kind of hard to find) The owner is a hoot with royalty. Caution when ordering, the servings are HUGE, but very delicious and the servide super. Will go there again in June. Can't wait!
SS

irmgard_schaugg

We also enjoyed dinner at Osteria Cinghale Bianco. Should make a reservation. Actually, we didn't have a bad meal anywhere in Florence, even in a little family owned restaurant down the street from our hotel. Had a memorable meal at Enoteca Pinchiorri.

Laura_at_home

Cross the Ponte Vecchio and take a right onto Lungarno. 2 blocks down is Mamma Gina's, casual, great staff and good food. Try the ribolitta. Also Il Caminetti, which was about one block off the south east corner of the Duomo.

Peggyann

Lesli, Just a note, Di Benci is not on the other side of the Arno. We liked Quatro Leoni,(Oltrano), very casual and friendly, also enjoyed 5 Amici not far from Duomo. Have fun.

Lesli

Peggyann -

Oops; you're right! Via de'Benci is right near the Ponte alla Grazie, and we must have walked over either before or after our lunch....

luv2explore

A third vote for La Giostra. We arrived one night late in Florence and decided to go to La Giostra for dinner which was recommended by a few of our guide books. When we asked for a table, the owner's son said they were booked for the evening. I guess to the owner I looked really disappointed because he grabbed me by the hand, with my husband in tow and stated that he would take care of us and knew of a "great" place down the street. A few alleys later and into a quiet restuarant front he spoke rapid Italian to the hostess and we were soon seated downstairs with wonderful aromas wafting from the kitchen. It was the most delightful meal one could imagine. The duck ravioli was divine. Try Cantina Barbagianni on via S. Egidio, 13r, you won't go wrong! We did go back to La Giostra a couple of nights later WITH a reservation! It was delightful, but more "touristy". We gastronomically anticipate our return to Florence in August!

Ursula

Well, my favourites, when I studied Italian in Florence, were the following and I understand they still do exist:

13 Gobbi, Via del Pocellana
La Sostanza, dito
Buca dell'Orafo, next to Ponte Vecchio

Roland

We found a great small family owned restaurant near the San Lorenzo that had great food and a friendly staff. The Tratttoria La Madia has a small menu nightly but everything is fresh. Lots of locals. We ate there out first and last nights in Florence. On the last night they supplied the wine. The only problem was I had to walk up the block to get something from the hotel room. On my return the five Italian guys at the next table had swarmed on my wife like a bunch of bees. The owner was very upset, but she didn't know I could not only take it but give it out. By the end of the night much wine and many fond memories were had. Great little place to dine on local fresh regional food.

Grasshopper

One dinner experience I really enjoyed was actually outside of Florence, in Fiesole. Take the #7 bus up the hill in the late afternoon. Catch a quick tour of the Etruscan ruins and then pop into the restaurant on the hillside (right adjacent to the bus stop - the one connected to the hotel). Great food and fabulous view.