Food and culinary tours in Florence: where to experience authentic Tuscan cuisine

A food tour in Florence is the best way to discover the city and the true essence of Tuscan cuisine in general and local cuisine in particular.

The tours offer a wide range of different insights and activities, which can take place in homes, markets, restaurants, wine bars, and historic shops.

Equally, there are countless products and dishes that are the stars of the experience and are a must-try during your holiday: schiacciata, peposo, bistecca alla fiorentina, cantucci, and Chianti wine are just a few.

All symbols of Florentine culinary culture, which we can taste or learn to cook by taking a cooking class.

Food Tour in Florence: Eat Like a Florentine

With a tour led by an expert guide, you’ll discover the city’s iconic spots, where you can enjoy authentic Tuscan cuisine.

During the walk, you’ll visit taverns, shops, and restaurants serving traditional cured meats, local cheeses, olives, cuts of meat, and extra virgin olive oil.

And, of course, you’ll discover the dishes that best epitomize Florence at the table: Florentine steak, lampredotto, Florentine tripe, pappa al pomodoro, peposo alla fornacina, stewed wild boar, fried brain, ribollita, fried rabbit and artichokes, pici all’aglione, gnudi, panzanella, Tuscan crostini, fettunta, cantucci and Vin Santo, zuccotto, and schiacciata.

Typical Tuscan Cooking Classes: Cook Like a Florentine

Cooking classes in Florence offer the opportunity to learn how to create classic recipes that you can then reproduce at home, to acquire specific preparation and cooking techniques, and to discover how to use unique ingredients.

Florentine cuisine is characterized by its simplicity, its use of high-quality local ingredients, and its strong connection to rural tradition.

We can take cooking classes by choosing from proposals from restaurants, associations, or private individuals.

The courses will focus on the preparation of traditional dishes, often based on legumes, bread, extra virgin olive oil, vegetables, and meat.

Cooking like a Florentine means, first and foremost, learning how to use:

Extra virgin olive oil for seasoning vegetables, bread, and meat;

Tuscan bread used in various dishes and as a base for appetizers and main courses;
Meat such as beef, rabbit, wild boar, and game;
Legumes found in many iconic dishes, such as pappa al pomodoro and ribollita;
Vegetables such as tomatoes, kale, and onions are used in many recipes.

Where to taste Tuscan specialties and traditional products in Florence

There are many places in the city where you can enjoy the best traditional dishes from the city and Tuscany. To help you find your way around, we’ve prepared a mini guide to the unmissable places for tasting Tuscan cuisine in Florence:

Trippaio del Porcellino: A kiosk that has been open since the mid-20th century. It offers traditional dishes such as tripe salad and the characteristic lampredotto, made from the fourth stomach of a calf, cooked in water with onion, tomato, celery, and parsley and served in a crispy-crusted bread roll, with the top half soaked in the cooking broth.
In Piazza del Mercato Nuovo, on Via di Capaccio.
Il Cibrèo: The restaurant opened in 1979 and has since served classic dishes that follow the rhythm of the seasons, with different options each month. In spring, wild cardoons are the main focus, while in summer, tomatoes are the main ingredient, figs are the main ingredient, and cabbage is the main ingredient in winter. There are many options steeped in tradition, such as rigaglie, chicken innards such as giblets, comb, liver, and testicles cooked in a sauce of butter, eggs, and broth.
At Via Andrea del Verrocchio 8r.
Da Burde: This trattoria serves some of the oldest and most renowned local dishes, such as Florentine steak and peposo. The trattoria has a classic Tuscan atmosphere, with understated, elegant furnishings and an excellent wine list.
At Via Pistoiese 154.
Babae: Between the Basilica of Santo Spirito and the Ponte Alla Carraia, there’s a historic restaurant that, as far back as the Renaissance, developed a wine vending system reminiscent of today’s beverage vending machines. Along the building’s exterior wall, there’s a small window, a small hole used for selling wine. Today, Babae continues to honor historic tradition while looking to the future, with tapas and reinterpretations of cocktails.
At Via Santo Spirito 21r.
Osteria Cipolla Rossa: Just steps from the historic center, this restaurant offers many classic dishes. The cornerstone is ribollita, a typical winter dish with cavolo nero and beans, which in the past was prepared once a week in large quantities and then reheated in a pan or wood-fired oven. Also not to be missed are the pici, a handmade pasta similar to thick spaghetti, served with various sauces.
At Via dei Conti 53r.
Da’ Vinattieri: A modern sandwich shop where you can enjoy traditional dishes like the lampredotto sandwich or Florentine tripe, soups, schiacciata filled with Tuscan cured meats, coccoli, and many other specialties offered at the counter.
At Via Santa Margherita 4.
Fiaschetteria Nuvoli: A traditional restaurant with a room located underground, once known as the “buca” (hole). Here, you can enjoy classics like ribollita and lampredotto or grab a quick snack.
At Piazza dell’Olio 15.
Coco Lezzone: A restaurant with over a century of history where you can enjoy tradition in a homey atmosphere. The trattoria offers the most authentic Florentine cuisine, with dishes such as pappa al pomodoro, ossobuco, chicken liver crostini, and Florentine tagliata.
At Via Parioncino 26r.
Osteria Vini e Vecchi Sapori: This restaurant defines the meeting of Florentine tradition and multiculturalism. The menu features dishes such as paccheri with pumpkin, fried artichokes, raspberry tiramisu, and pear cheesecake.
At Via dei Magazzini 3.

Must-See Markets for Discovering Local Flavors and Traditional Food

One of the unmissable stops for those who want to discover Florentine food and wine is the classic and ancient markets of Florence.

These are places where you can discover and purchase local specialties as well as taste traditional dishes made with quality ingredients.

Among the most important markets are the Centrale, Sant’Ambrogio, and San Lorenzo.

The stands display numerous typical products:

Cheeses such as Palazzuolo raviggiolo, pecorino buccia di toad, Marzolino di Lucardo, and Mugello goat cheese;
Salami such as Cinta Senese capocollo, Tuscan sbriciolona, and Certaldo onion salami;
Unsalted Tuscan bread;
Wines such as Chianti, Brunello di Montalcino, and Vernaccia di San Gimignano.

Sant’Ambrogio Market

The Sant’Ambrogio Market is the oldest in Florence, operating since 1873 in Piazza Lorenzo Gioberti and open Monday through Saturday.

Here, we find numerous typical products from Florence and the surrounding area, displayed partly outdoors and partly indoors, where there are also food stalls.

The Sant’Ambrogio Market boasts trattorias, bakeries, butchers, cheese shops, delicatessens, fruit and vegetable stalls, fishmongers, and spice shops.

Central Market

Located between Via dell’Ariento, Via Panicale, Via Sant’Antonino, and Piazza del Mercato Centrale, it was designed during the Risanamento period and features bakers, butchers, chicken dealers, and fishmongers.

The building has three naves and tall windows that allow abundant light to filter through, creating the effect of an open-air market.

Here you can enjoy traditional Florentine cuisine by choosing your meal and paying directly at the shop, or by purchasing a variety of products to take home.

You can dine at one of the tables in the Piazza or on the two Terraces, where service is guaranteed by staff.