What to Eat in Florence: 20 Florentine Foods to Try
Updated October 2026
Florentine food is peasant food at heart. It was built on stale bread, beans, olive oil, cheap cuts of meat and whatever grew in the hills around the city, and it is still some of the most satisfying cooking in Italy. After years of eating my way around Florence, these are the 20 dishes I tell every visitor to try, with the places where I eat them. Every place named here was open when I checked in October 2026.
Use this list alongside my guide to the Best Restaurants in Florence, which tells you where to book dinner, and my detailed guides to the best pasta in Florence and the best steakhouses in Florence.
The short list if you only have a weekend
Bistecca alla fiorentina, shared at dinner.
A lampredotto sandwich from a market stall.
Ribollita or pappa al pomodoro, depending on the season.
Pappardelle with wild boar ragù.
A schiacciata sandwich for lunch.
Cantucci dipped in vin santo after dinner.
Gelato, ideally the Florentine crema called buontalenti.
Mains and meat
1. Bistecca alla fiorentina
The most famous dish in Florence: a thick T bone steak, usually from Tuscan Chianina cattle, grilled over hot coals and served very rare with just salt, pepper and olive oil. It is sold by weight and shared at the table. Do not ask for it well done. Florentines will cook it a little longer if you insist, but it will never be what it should be.
Where I eat it: Buca Lapi, Trattoria Dall'Oste and Il Latini. See all my picks in the best steakhouses in Florence.
2. Lampredotto
The fourth stomach of a cow, slow cooked for hours in a broth of tomato, onion and celery, then sliced into a crusty roll with salsa verde and a spicy red sauce. Ask for it bagnato, with the top of the bread dipped in the broth. It sounds like a dare and tastes like the best beef sandwich you have ever had.
Where I eat it: Da Nerbone inside the Mercato Centrale, and the lampredotto carts around the city, including the one near the Mercato Nuovo.
3. Trippa alla fiorentina
Tripe stewed in tomato sauce and finished with Parmigiano. It is softer and richer than lampredotto, and it is on the menu at most old trattorie.
Where I eat it: Osteria Vini e Vecchi Sapori and Trattoria Mario.
4. Peposo
A black pepper beef stew cooked for hours in Chianti until it falls apart. The story goes that the kiln workers who made the tiles for Brunelleschi's dome cooked it in the corners of their ovens.
Where I eat it: Most traditional trattorie in cold months, including Del Fagioli.
5. Petto di pollo al burro
Chicken breast cooked in a sizzling pan of butter. It sounds plain, but at Trattoria Sostanza it has been the signature dish for generations, and people book months ahead for it.
Where I eat it: Trattoria Sostanza on Via del Porcellana.
Soups and bread dishes
6. Ribollita
A thick soup of bread, cavolo nero, white beans and vegetables, cooked one day and reboiled the next, which is where the name comes from. It is a winter dish. If you see it on a menu in August, keep walking.
Where I eat it: Trattoria Mario, Del Fagioli and almost any family trattoria from October to March.
New to Mario? Start with my guide to Trattoria Mario, the San Lorenzo lunch room where I eat ribollita every winter.
7. Pappa al pomodoro
Stale bread cooked down with ripe tomatoes, garlic, basil and plenty of olive oil until it turns into a soft, comforting porridge. It is best in summer when tomatoes are at their peak.
Where I eat it: Trattoria Cibrèo, Il Cibrèino, where it is a classic, and Trattoria Sergio Gozzi.
8. Panzanella
A summer salad of soaked stale bread, tomatoes, red onion, cucumber and basil. Light, cold and perfect for a hot lunch.
Where I eat it: Most trattorie from June to September.
9. Crostini di fegatini
Toasted bread topped with a rich chicken liver pâté, often with capers and anchovy. It is the classic Tuscan antipasto, and the one Florentine families serve on Christmas Day.
Where I eat it: Il Latini, Trattoria Mario and Buca Lapi.
Pasta
10. Pappardelle al cinghiale
Wide ribbons of fresh egg pasta with a slow cooked wild boar ragù. Tuscany has a lot of wild boar, and this is the best thing that happens to them.
Where I eat it: Trattoria Cammillo and Il Latini. More in the best pasta in Florence.
11. Pici all'aglione
Thick hand rolled spaghetti from southern Tuscany, served with a garlicky tomato sauce. Some places offer it cacio e pepe style too.
Where I eat it: Del Fagioli and many Oltrarno trattorie.
12. Tortelli di patate
Potato filled pasta from the Mugello valley north of Florence, usually served with a meat ragù or butter and sage.
Where I eat it: Trattoria Mario and Il Santo Bevitore when it is on the menu.
Street food and snacks
13. Schiacciata
Florence's flat, salty, olive oil soaked bread, a cousin of focaccia. Sliced and stuffed with salami, pecorino and vegetables, it is the city's favorite lunch.
Where I eat it: All'Antico Vinaio, Forno Sartoni and the alternatives in my guide to the best sandwich shops in Florence.
14. Finocchiona and Tuscan salumi
Finocchiona is a soft pork salami flavored with wild fennel seeds. Order a tagliere, a board of cured meats and pecorino, with a glass of red.
Where I eat it: The wine bars in my guide to Florence wine bars, especially Le Volpi e l'Uva.
15. Coccoli
Small balls of fried dough, served hot with prosciutto and stracchino cheese. They are addictive, and best shared at the start of a meal.
Where I eat it: Many trattorie and pizzerias around Santo Spirito.
16. Pecorino Toscano
Tuscan sheep's milk cheese, from soft and young to firm and aged. Try it with honey or pears.
Where I eat it: The cheese counters at the Mercato Centrale and the Sant'Ambrogio market.
Sweets
17. Cantucci and vin santo
Hard almond biscuits, made to be dipped in vin santo, Tuscany's amber dessert wine. Many trattorie end the meal this way.
Where I eat it: Trattoria Mario, Del Fagioli and most family trattorie.
18. Schiacciata alla fiorentina
Not the bread, but a soft orange scented sponge cake dusted with powdered sugar and the Florence lily. It is a Carnival treat, mostly found in February.
Where I eat it: The bakeries in my guide to Florence bakeries.
19. Bomboloni
Fried doughnuts filled with custard or chocolate. Have one with a cappuccino for breakfast, standing at the bar like a Florentine.
Where I eat it: Pasticcerie across the city. See my picks for Florence bakeries.
20. Gelato
Florentines claim gelato was born here, at the Medici court, and the creamy buontalenti flavor is named after the architect who supposedly invented it. Look for metal tubs with lids or flat, natural colored gelato, not neon mountains.
Where I eat it: La Carraia, Gelateria dei Neri and the rest of my list of the best gelato in Florence.
What to drink
Chianti Classico: the red wine from the hills between Florence and Siena. Look for the black rooster on the neck.
Negroni: born in Florence, according to local legend, when Count Negroni asked for his Americano with gin. Try one at the bars in the best cocktail bars in Florence.
Vin santo: the sweet amber wine for dipping cantucci.
Vino della casa: the house wine at a trattoria is usually a simple local red and is often very good.
Tips for eating like a Florentine
Eat seasonally. Ribollita and porcini in autumn and winter, artichokes in spring, pappa al pomodoro and panzanella in summer.
Order bistecca for the table. One steak is enough for two or three people.
Lunch is the big meal at the old trattorie. Many of the best, like Trattoria Mario, open mainly for lunch.
Cappuccino is a morning drink. After lunch or dinner, order an espresso.
Learn the dishes in a cooking class. See my guide to cooking classes in Florence.
Keep exploring
Best Restaurants in Florence for my full restaurant list.
Where to stay near the best food: where to stay in Florence by neighborhood.
All my Eat and Drink guides and my Florence hotel guides.
Frequently asked questions
What food is Florence most famous for?
Bistecca alla fiorentina, the huge grilled T bone steak served rare and shared at the table.
What is lampredotto?
The fourth stomach of a cow, slow cooked in broth and served in a bread roll with salsa verde. It is Florence's classic street food.
What should I eat in Florence in winter?
Ribollita, peposo, pappardelle with wild boar and anything with porcini or truffle.
What is the difference between ribollita and pappa al pomodoro?
Both are bread soups. Ribollita is a winter soup of beans and cavolo nero, and pappa al pomodoro is a summer dish of tomatoes and basil.
Is Florentine food good for vegetarians?
Yes. Ribollita, pappa al pomodoro, panzanella, pici all'aglione and tortelli di patate with butter and sage are all meat free.
What sweets are typical in Florence?
Cantucci with vin santo, bomboloni, schiacciata alla fiorentina at Carnival, and gelato.
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