Florence Food: The 15 Traditional Dishes You NEED to Try

When in Florence, do as the locals do and eat the traditional Florence food! As the capital of the enchanting Tuscan region, Florence is home to an incredible cuisine composed of high-quality, local produce. In Florence, art runs through everything: the people, architecture, the food and more.

Continue reading to discover all the best of Florentine traditional food! Here’s you’ll learn about everything from the iconic Florence street food to the phenomenal main courses, including the Florentine Steak, and desserts.

⚠️Warning⚠️: Read this blog post on a full stomach, or you will blindly book a flight from hunger.

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Table of Contents

The 15 Traditional Foods You Must Try in Florence

Before we dive into the foodie heaven, I want to give you a quick lesson on the meal courses in Italy: Antipasti, Primi, and Secondi.

Antipasti are appetizers. Primi, “First Dishes”, are the first main courses, which are usually pasta or risotto dishes. Secondi, “Second Dishes”, are the second main courses, which are usually meat, fish, or vegetable dishes.

When you are at a restaurant, you may encounter a menu that says “Terra” or “Mare” next to the courses – ex. “Primi Terra”. If you see this, the menu is simply splitting the dishes based on where they are from, “land” or “sea”.

Florence Street Food

What better way to start than with the iconic street food in Florence?😍

The most typical street food in Florence comes in sandwich form – including the delicious Lampredotto and the famous Schiacciata. Florence street food is both a must-try and the perfect quick lunch that keeps you adventuring through or soaking in the city.

Lampredotto

Lampredotto is the famous stomach sandwich that features a slow-cooked, fourth and final stomach of a cow. The broth involves tomatoes, onions, and various spices and herbs.

This is the perfect sandwich if you’re looking for hearty-er, quick meal.

Schiacciata

Schiacciata is a Tuscan flatbread filled with an array of high-quality ingredients. These ingredients range from cold cuts to cheeses, flavorful spreads, and so forth. This freshly baked flatbread is like Focaccia but is thinner, crunchier, and chewier.

You may not know it by its name, but I bet that 99% of you reading this have all seen it in the viral Antico Vinaio videos. For those who may not be familiar, Antico Vinaio is an eatery famous for its Schiacciata.

During your Florence travels make sure to get yourself a Schiacciata! I highly recommend trying a Schiacciata with mortadella (cured meat), stracciatella (cheese), and pistachio cream… I’m crying thinking about it.😍😭

Florence Food: Antipasti

Crostini Neri (Crostini di Fegatini)

Crostini di fegatini, or crostini neri, is a dish featuring toasted, crunchy bread and a rich chicken liver pâté. Pâté is a smooth, strong-flavored spread traditionally made with finely minced, liver. With that said, please know that this dish has an acquired taste.

Coccoli con Prosciutto Crudo & Stracchino

Oh Coccoli, delicious Coccoli… Coccoli are delicious, airy fried dough balls. Traditionally, they are served with prosciutto crudo and stracchino. Stracchino is a soft and creamy Italian cow’s milk cheese from Piedmont. In a way, this dish forms the holy trinity of flavors and temperatures.

I don’t know about you, but my mouth is watering thinking of this dish.😂😅

Florence Food: Primi

Pappardelle al Cinghiale (Ragù)

What would Italian cuisine be if it didn’t involve pasta? What a horror that would be! Pappardelle al Cinghiale is a traditional pasta dish that involves boar ragù. Ragù is a slow-cooked, super-rich, and flavorful meat sauce. Pappardelle are like Fettuccine and Tagliatelle, but wider and thicker. Pappardelle also originate from Tuscany, while the other two originate from different regions.

Panzanella

Panzanella Toscana is a salad made with day-old bread, and a flavorful medley of fresh, seasonal vegetables.

Using seasonal vegetables, Panzanella is different in every season. For example, the summer Panzanella has tomatoes, cucumbers, cheese, and bell peppers all dressed in wine vinegar and olive oil. Winter Panzanella, on the other hand, has pumpkin, red cabbage, olives, fennel, and so forth.

Ribollita alla Toscana

Ribollita alla Toscana is a dish born in the resourcefulness of the Italian countryside.

“Reboiled” is the perfect example of “peasant cooking”. This is due to its use of simple, readily available ingredients. This hearty soup features various vegetables, cannellini beans, stale bread, herbs.

Pappa al Pomodoro

Pappa al Pomodoro is a Tuscan comfort food and essentially a hearty tomato sauce.

This tomato sauce features stale bread, basil, olive oil, and garlic. This dish is similar to Spain’s Salmorejo but differs in texture and bread quantity. Pappa al Pomodoro contains more bread, is thicker, and is not thoroughly blended.

Florence Food: Secondi

Bistecca alla Fiorentina

If you are a fan of steak, Bistecca alla Fiorentina will blow you and your taste buds away! Bistecca alla Fiorentina is the absolute Florence must-eat, well… unless you’re vegetarian or vegan. What’s so special about Florentine steak? Well, let me tell you…

The Florentine steak comes from the loin of the Chianina cattle. The Chianina cattle is a breed famous for its tenderness and high-quality meat. This T-shaped bone steak is only prepared in the most simple manner to honor its natural flavors. The seared exterior creates a flavorful crust while keeping a juicy interior. Florentine steak is only served as rare and with thick salt and olive oil on top.

The reason Florentine steak is only served raw, is because this is the only way you will enjoy its famous qualities – the flavor and the tenderness. If you cannot handle eating raw meat, you will simply need to order a different steak.

When ordering a Florentine steak, make sure to pair it up with a side of oven-roasted potatoes. While it may sound like a simple side dish, nobody does oven-roasted potatoes better than Italians!😍

Trippa alla Fiorentina

Trippa alla Fiorentina is another, important Florentine dish.

Tripe, the main ingredient, is the edible lining of the stomachs of various farm animals. The tripe typically used in this dish is honeycomb tripe, which comes from the second stomach chamber of the animal. To create this flavorful dish, the tripe is prepared in a tomato-based sauce and slowly cooked until tender. Often, the Florentine Tripe comes with a side of crusty bread or polenta to enjoy the sauce with.

Fagioli all’Uccelletto

Fagioli all’Uccelletto is a hearty dish that features cannellini beans and a flavorful, silky tomato passata (sauce).

As a fun fact, this dish’s name means “little bird-style beans”. The name comes from the fact that this dish uses the same herbs that were used for cooking birds in Tuscany.

Florence Food: Dolci

Cantucci e Vin Santo

Cantucci are classic, double-baked Italian almond cookies. Due to the crisp texture, Cantucci are best with Vin Santo, a traditional Tuscan dessert wine. When enjoying this dessert, take a Cantuccio (singular for “Cantucci”) and soak it in the Vin Santo.

Schiacciata alla Fiorentina

Schiacciata Fiorentina is a sponge cake with a citrusy aroma and flavor. This dessert is deeply rooted in Florentine tradition and is enjoyed during celebrations. Schiacciata alla Fiorentina cake has a thin layer of powdered sugar on top. The powdered sugar often forms Florence’s fleur-de-lis symbol.

Schiacciata con L’Uva

Schiacchiata con L’Uva is the same style of sponge cake with grapes added in.

Zuccotto

Zuccotto Fiorentino is a spongecake-based dessert that resembles a dome. Its cream filling features ricotta and candied fruit. Served as a semifreddo (semifrozen) the chilled dessert, Alchermes liquor is added to the spongecake.

Florence Food FAQ

Is Florence good for food?

Oh yes it is! Despite being one of the most famous cities in Italy, Florence stays true to itself and its culinary art. With that said, Florence is a great food city where you can expect authentic and high-quality dishes.

What are five things you must try in Florence?

Out of all the foods mentioned in this blog post, these are the five foods you cannot miss out on in Florence:

Bistecca alla Fiorentina (Florentine Steak)
Schiacciata (both the sandwich and the cake)
Lampredotto
Pappardelle al Cinghiale
Coccoli con Prosciutto Crudo & Stracchino

What does Florentine mean?

Whenever you see the word Florentine, it means that something comes from Florence or has Florence origins. Just like Italian, means something or someone is from Italy.

What does Osteria mean in Italian?

An Osteria is traditionally a place that serves wine, and simple traditional dishes. Oftentimes, they will either have a small menu or no menu at all. While restaurants are wonderful, make sure to make room to experience an Osteria!

What do people in Florence eat for breakfast?

In Italy, we keep our breakfasts very simple: Cornetto and Coffee!

Cornetto is the Italian croissant, and you can enjoy it vuoto, “empty”, or farcito, “filled”. Some of the most popular cornetto fillings are apricot jam, cream, pistachio cream, and chocolate. My personal favorite, is the apricot jam cornetto – Cornetto all’Albicocca!😍

I highly recommend ordering a delicious cappuccino along with your cornetto, and even try dipping your cornetto in the cappuccino! To enjoy this breakfast, simply head to a local bar or a bakery.

Get the some of Best Florence Food Here👇

Enjoy a Florence Foodie Tour!

What better way to explore Florence than through a food tour? Check out these most highly-rated Florence food tours!

Ristorante Leonardo de Medici – Bistecca alla Fiorentina

A short walk from the Florence Duomo, this restaurant offers phenomenal gluten-free dishes. This restaurant is AIC-certified, meaning it is safe for celiac people. Here you’ll find insane gluten-free pizza, Bistecca alla Fiorentina, and so much more.

If you’re traveling with someone who wants glutenous food, they’ll be happy here. This restaurant has a separate gluten-free kitchen to ensure celiacs stay safe.

Sgrano – Famous for its Gluten Free Schiacciata

A 3-minute walk from Piazza della Signoria, Sgrano is another wonderful gluten-free restaurant. Sgrano is famous for its Schiacciata, making it a great stop for lunch! Apart from the Schiacciata, you will find their own artisan beer, Pappa al Pomodoro, and all the best of Florence food.

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I have to ask…

Which of these foods would you try first when arriving in Florence? Let me know in the comments!

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15 Traditional Dishes You Need Try in Florence