Food Guide: Florence, Italy

Gelato

Perche No? : This place was our favorite shop we tried in Florence, might even be my #1 gelato experience in Italy! So yeah, if you are in Florence go here. We actually went back for seconds in the same day that's how good it was. I had the coffee crunch and strawberry cheesecake. They have many flavors and no sitting room inside the shop.

La Carria: Second favorite gelato shop in Florence. You know how it is good, because there are two location in the same city! We ate at the original location across the bridge. Yummy creamy ice cream. 

Edoardo: This place has one of the best locations in Florence right next to the Duomo so lots of foot traffic from tourist. The ice cream was really really good from Edoardo. They don't have very many flavors and the flavors are pretty simple. Also one thing I don't like about gelato shops is when the gelato is not displayed and at this place it is not displayed it is in tin cans with lids. However, that doesn't make the ice cream at this place any less delicious. 

Vivoli: This was one of the gelato places that came highly recommend. Be warned they are closed on Mondays. The ice cream was really good but as you can see I thought three places in Florence were better! haha. It is kinda hidden away down a back ally but there is seating inside which I liked. 

Amorina: So I originally had Amorina's in Paris and it was my favorite gelato shop there. They have a really yummy seasonal cheesecake flavor that was my vice. So I knew I wanted to go to the one in Florence and see if it was as yummy as I remember. The ice cream was good but a little to soft for my liking. I think they were having problems keeping their freezer temps down. Tasty ice cream though and if you get it in a cone they make it look like a flower which is fun and nice for the #gram ;) 

Magnum Pleasure Store: While we didn't try the once specifically in Florence, we have been to a magnum ice cream shop where you can custom make your ice cream bar and they are so good. Definitely worth it if you have never been or don't live in a city where they have one. 

Gelato flavors I had in Florence: Cheesecake, Cookie, Stracciatella, Macadamia, Cinnamon Cookie, Cafe Crunch, Bacio.  

Sandwiches 

All'Antico Vinaio: I read about this place when doing some research on places to eat in Florence. People said this place had the best sandwiches and they were right! Just google the name and you will see over 5000 reviews and basically 5 stars. They have a set sandwich menu and you can order from but I heard you can also order a custom sandwich but people said there is a reason they have a list of sandwiches because they know what is best. I had the Boss and Clark has the Summer. We went around noon and it wasn't too busy. I heard it gets really busy about 2pm cause that is usually when Italians do lunch. 

Pizza 

Toto Restaurante: This is the place that we got to make our own pizza so while I can't speak for the pizza that the restaurant makes, I can say that the ingredients were very fresh and the lead chef has been making pizza at this same restaurant for 24 years so it is gonna be good. 

Restaurants / Dinner  

La Cantinetta: This is the restaurant we ate at the first night we were in Florence. We were near the duomo so we did a quick google search for restaurants near by and this one popped up with great reviews. I order the steak and french fries. The steak had parmesan cheese on it and it was SO GOOD. Clark has the seafood pasta and we split a cheese appetizer that comes with honey and marmalade. Definitely recommend this place. 

Trattoria dall'Oste Chianineria: We ended up having dinner at this place on our last night in Florence. We had passed it a few days before and it looked really good. When we looked it up for our last night there we saw how good of reviews it had. It also said reservations required on Google but we showed up at 6pm and did not need a reservation. If you show up at around 9 or 10pm when the Italians start eating you probably need a reservation and yes it is worth it. I had the spinach ravioli (YUMMM) and clark had a steak. I think meat dishes are their speciality but I am sure anything you order is going to be fantastic. 

Cafe & Pastries 

Paszkowski: This was actually our first stop in Florence. I got some hot chocolate and Clark got a Cappuccino to give him some energy before heading around town to explore. The hot chocolate was so good and rich. Also, we didn't try any but the pastries looked amazing. And there were tons of people at the counter ordering coffee and pastries to go so I think it is a hit. 

As you can see I spent the majority of my food research on testing out the gelato in Florence so you are definitely covered in that department haha. I actually made a whole map with points on it and there were like 15 gelato shops on it. I figured it was better to have more options haha. Remember the gelato is listed in the order of best to least best (was going to say worst but let's be honest there is no 'worst' gelato). 
love, Carlee

17/50