Exploring the Best Italian Dining in Florence: From Wine Windows to Hidden Gems

You can’t go to Italy without indulging a little in the food. After all, it’s one of the most loved cuisines in Europe. From the very recognisable pizza, pasta, wine and gelato, to the more traditional dishes (more on that later), there’s so much good food in one place. I thought it would be useful to pop my favourites below for you to bookmark for your next trip!

Restaurants:

📍 Babae Firenze

The main draw for Babae Firenze was the Instagram-worthy wine windows or Buchette del vino - which are a peculiar feature of Florence. I had looked online before going so we could make the most of our 24 hours in the city and go straight here to give it a try (it would be rude not to). However, one thing I COULD NOT get over was that people were content just chilling with their wine outside on the pavement. The number of people sitting on the floor or just standing across from the window was bizarre, especially as it wasn’t the nicest day outside!

Thankfully I hadn’t eaten since silly o’clock that morning so I needed to refuel, and as it was a restaurant too we went inside and sat down. The lunch menu looked delicious, however, I was very aware we had already pre-booked a very fancy restaurant for that evening so I had to restrain myself a little. We ended up getting the bruschetta con tomate and it was amazing. If I went back I’d want to get something a bit more substantial - it all looked very fresh and delicious and had enough veggie options for me to want to come back.

At one point Babae had the only working wine window in Florence. However, I saw at least one other wine window (without the giant line outside) when we were wandering around. So if you’re only going for the wine window it might be worth visiting one of the others around town, such as the Osteria Belle Donne which I walked past, or the ones I’ve added to this handy Google Map here.

📍 Osteria Del Cinghiale Bianco

This restaurant is gorgeous. However, you will not be able to get in without a booking thanks to Stanley Tucci featuring this in his series Searching for Italy! Bookings are made by calling in advance, although if you’re kind of nervous about calling an Italian restaurant in Italy, you can always do what we did and ask your hotel to please make the reservation (or try and email to ask if you can reserve a table).

The highlight of this restaurant for me was the Panzanella, a Tuscan-style tomato and Bread Salad. It was so strange but lovely sitting in this beautiful restaurant and eating what was traditionally seen as ‘poor food’ because it’s usually made with old bread and salted ripe tomatoes. I also loved the Tiramisu I had for dessert, it was so smooth and light but gorgeous.

I have to admit, I didn’t love my main - I don’t think I got what I ordered which is probably why I wasn’t so keen. I had ordered the bread and tomato soup, but I ended up with a bean stew. I hate beans with a passion so I wasn’t keen and I was a bit confused if I’m honest. I didn’t actually realise it wasn’t what I’d asked for until I googled it later, so I’d love to try the actual bread and tomato soup one day!

Overall it was a lovely evening out and the atmosphere was so lovely. They have something really special here.

📍Biblioteca delle Oblate

This was such a special find! Unlike the other two places on my list, this is not a restaurant per se, but it does offer a great lunch menu and a selection of non-alcoholic and alcoholic drinks with a view of the Duomo. Located in Florence’s public library, past the main reception and up on the second floor is the cafeteria.

There are plenty of tables all of which have a fantastic view of the city. It’s such a lovely place to go and spend an hour or two and they often have exhibitions inside the library that you can go to see as well. As it’s a library the food and drinks are reasonably priced and the service is very quick.

If you have time, I’d definitely recommend walking around the grounds too. It’s such a tranquil and beautiful space and a great area to explore if you want to get away from the business of the city for a bit!