Visitors planning their food and drink options as meticulously as they do their museum visits will enjoy the best of Florence. This city offers an incredible array of cultural treasures, all packed into one compact historic center. Streets leading to the Uffizi and Accademia museums are also filled with bakery shops, tripe vendors, and wine windows that have been serving customers for decades. Timed entry slots for many of the larger museums are released daily, and the intervals between these entry times allow for enough time to eat a meal or purchase a sandwich from a market stall.
Mornings – Bites near the Duomo and Baptistery
By 9 am local residents have already begun to fill up the areas surrounding Piazza del Duomo. Local residents therefore view breakfast as a standing event. Ordering a cappuccino and cornetto at a bar counter usually does not cost more than 2-3 euros; however, if you choose to dine at a table the price could double due to Italian service regulations. Climbing Brunelleschi’s dome (approximately 45 minutes), plus waiting time for access to the mosaics in the Baptistery take approximately 1 hour. Book your tickets for Florence attractions before visiting to avoid running out of “same-day” availability.
A heftier breakfast offering would include schiacciata, the flat Tuscan bread relative to focaccia. Examples of places that offer plain, rosemary, or prosciutto/stracchino stuffed schiacciata include Pugi and Forno Top.
Lunch – The Uffizi and Piazza della Signoria Area
The Uffizi gallery suggests reserving 2-3 hours for your standard visit, and upon exiting the gallery you should be no farther than 5 minutes away from some of Florence’s most famous lunchtime destinations. The lampredotto sandwich is considered to be the quintessential Florentine street food. Lampredotto consists of the fourth stomach of a cow being slow-cooked in broth and then served on a crusty roll with salsa verde. Both Nerbone located in the Mercato Centrale and Il Trippaio del Porcellino each sell lampredotto sandwiches for approximately €6-7.
If you prefer dining at a restaurant instead of purchasing a sandwich, All’Antico Vinaio has evolved from a single delicatessen into a chain of restaurants. However, the paninis remain generously sized and feature items such as truffle spreads, cured meats and aged cheeses. Due to high demand expect a wait of approximately 20 minutes during peak hours. A quieter alternative is to select a trattoria in one of the side streets off Via dei Neri. Trattorias in this location typically offer ribollita and papa al pomodoro for €8-12 per bowl.
Afternoons – Bites between Oltrarno and the Accademia
Oltrarno can be reached by crossing over the Ponte Vecchio. As a result, there is a quieter food culture available compared to other parts of town. Gelato in this region is generally thicker and less aerated than gelato sold in areas heavily visited by tourists.
On your way back to the Accademia via Michelangelo’s David, look for buchette del vino, the small wine windows that were built into palace walls during plague years. Some have opened again since 2020 and currently offer chilled Chianti or Vernaccia by-the-glass for €4-6. The wine will be delivered to you through the window. This is an ideal opportunity to stop briefly enroute from San Lorenzo and Via Ricasoli where timed entries for the Accademia begin every quarter hour.