Know of any good restaurants in Florence?

[LLD]

Looking for info on a good restaurant to go to in Florence. Preferably in the general vicinity of the Chuch of Santa Croce. Will be walking entire time and don't want to wander off too far.

[LibLively]

Whenever we travel, I always go to a web site :http://www.Chowhound.com. On it, you can type in the city you'll be visiting and get lots of suggestions for dining from people who've recently been there. You can also post questions. I find this sight to be invaluable as it covers such a large spectrum of restaurants. I've used it before many trips, and have never been disappointed. The site covers eating everywhere in the world.

[Host Karen]

Earlier this year, Gourmet magazine published a special report on restaurants in Florence, Rome and Venice. You might want to see if your local library has a copy. It contained lots of ideas for restaurants and wine bars, and we visited two of its recommendations. Also, just about everything seems to be within a 10 minute walk of Santa Croce Square, so I wouldn't worry about wandering too far away. There's a great gelato place about two blocks from Santa Croce Square as well. If I can find the name of it in my notes, I'll post it here.

[KathiB]

When in Florence for our honeymoon 22 years ago we ate in a great restaurant I found in the Michelin guide. It's called Sabatini's and I remember it being an easy walk from the area of the Duomo, etc. I recently checked at it's still there. We are going on the Brilliance Med. cruise next June and plan to take our two daughters there for lunch. I remember it being a fabulous meal. Not terribly expensive but they were the best canneloni's I've ever had! I highly recommend Sabatini's.

 

KathiB

[Host Karen]

The gelato place was Vivoli on Via Isola Delle Stinche. If you stand with your back to the church, it's about two blocks away from the square. My husband had peach and I had orange chocolate. A fabulous ending to a fabulous day.

 

Karen

[eggdoc]

Just returned from a great med cruise and spent the last three days in Florence. I have been there several times before, but on this trip found the best restaurant for reasonable prices, tremendous portions, incredible quality and wonderful atmosphere. Also kid friendly, for all those travelling with family. A real not to be missed. It is called La Giostra and is located on Borga Pinto, a five minute walk from the Duomo. They have a website, so you can make reservations before you go. The owner-chef is a real character and will reward you with many free delights representing the local fare as well as a welcoming glass of champagne!

[Jane110]

When in Florence for our honeymoon 22 years ago we ate in a great restaurant I found in the Michelin guide. It's called Sabatini's and I remember it being an easy walk from the area of the Duomo, etc. I recently checked at it's still there. We are going on the Brilliance Med. cruise next June and plan to take our two daughters there for lunch. I remember it being a fabulous meal. Not terribly expensive but they were the best canneloni's I've ever had! I highly recommend Sabatini's.

 

KathiB

 

Sabatini's is quite famous and they have a few of them. Along with Florence, there's one if Rome and there's even one in Tokyo.

 

Princess cruise ship's extra charge restaurant is Sabatini's and though the menu is from the original, it's certainly not as good as their land based restaurants.

 

Mangia!

 

Jane

[LLD]

Thank you everybody! My mouth is watering for canneloni and then gelato for dessert! These boards are a great source of information. Cannot wait for my cruise on the Rotterdam, Oct 24th!

[Emmie]

Hey, LLD! Do you ever watch the Food Network? The show "$40 a Day" with Rachel Ray is a great source of information about inexpensive places to eat all over the place. She went to Florence a few months ago and talked about 2 or 3 restaurants she visited there. Take a look and see what she mentioned, I don't recall where they were located within the city. I think I saved the information somewhere, if I find it I will post it here.

 

Take care,

Emmie

[Bruin Steve]

Okay, not exactly a "restaurant", but let me throw in my two cents for Vivoli as well...

 

http://www.vivoli.it/vivoli-en.html

 

I was first there in 1975...

...and I can attest that it is the BEST ice cream in the world...

[CiaoItalia]

My favorite is Il Pandemonio on the Oltr'Arno...

[Emmie]

Here is the page for the information on Rachel Ray's TV show about Florence. They include recipies, too! I'd love to hear if anyone has tried any of these places.

 

TV : $40 a Day : Florence, Italy : Food Network

 

Take care,

Emmie

[LLD]

Emmie, I went to the web-site and wrote the names of the restaurants down with their addresses. Now I will try to find those streets on my map! Thanks for sending that info.

 

The restaurants listed on this board sound very good too. Now when I get to Florence I hope I can find some of these places! It's great to have some suggestions to go by. When I get back from Florence I will have to be sure to write what my dining experiences were so others can read. Thanks everyone. (I'll still be checking this site before I go as I am sure more people will write!)

[Billie H]

We just returned from Florence and want to go back just for this restaurant! We had a driver who took us there upon several recommendations. It was packed and this was for lunch --- The name was something like Il Latini ---I'm sure if you ask around someone will know. Great Italian Food!

Billie H

[DroopySails]

When you're in Vivoli, look for the postcard of the Grand Canyon. Someone sent it years ago, addressed only:

 

Vivoli

Europa

 

Now THAT's famous gelato! And as others have said, the best in the world! (Handy gelato-buying tip: Only go to places where the banana gelato is gray. If it's yellow, you'll be eating premade, tasteless, food-colored gook.)

 

My favorite Florence restaurant is the Cinghiale Bianco (White Boar) in the Oltr'Arno, a marvelous neighborhood many tourists never see unless they're going to the Pitti Palace. It's just a short walk from the city center, like everything else in Florence. Wonderful food and a cozy, firelit, hunting-lodge-like interior.

[SheilaNC]

Here are some reviews of Il Latini mentioned in earlier post http://travel.yahoo.com/p-travelguide-2783283-il_latini_florence-i