Borderline is a tuscan restaurant in Santa Maria Novella, Florence.
Editorially verified September 18, 2026 by Elliot Marsh, TableJourney editor. Source.
Guided tour · 4 hours
Eat and drink your way through Florence on a guided tour of hidden trattorias, tasting cheeses, pasta, gelato, truffles, and wine, even sipping through a historic wine window.
1 hour
Enjoy a real Florentine dinner with coccoli, prosciutto crudo, and stracchino, a 1 kg Florentine T-bone steak with baked potatoes, and two glasses of Chianti wine.
3 hours
Enjoy a medieval-inspired banquet in Florence with traditional Tuscan dishes, period music, and a unique atmosphere inspired by the city's rich history
Address: Corso Italia 35, 50123 Firenze, Florence
Trattoria Sostanza in Florence's Santa Maria Novella quarter has cooked the same bistecca and butter chicken on a coal grill since 1869. Priced at €€.
OrderThe bistecca alla fiorentina (1.2kg for two) and the pollo al burro butter chicken.
TipCash only; book three weeks ahead by phone. Two seatings at 19:30 and 21:30, no a la carte stragglers.
Cibreo Trattoria in Florence's Sant'Ambrogio quarter is Fabio Picchi's no-pasta trattoria, the casual side of the Cibreo group. Located in Sant Ambrogio.
OrderPolpettine di pollo, pappa al pomodoro and the trippa alla fiorentina.
TipNo reservations and no pasta on the menu. Queue from 19:45 for the 20:00 first seating; lunch is the calmer service.
Trattoria Sostanza in Florence's Santa Maria Novella quarter has cooked the same bistecca and butter chicken on a coal grill since 1869. Priced at €€.
OrderThe bistecca alla fiorentina (1.2kg for two) and the pollo al burro butter chicken.
TipCash only; book three weeks ahead by phone. Two seatings at 19:30 and 21:30, no a la carte stragglers.
Trattoria Mario in Florence's San Lorenzo quarter has been the working lunch room next to Mercato Centrale since 1953. Kitchen leans florentine trattoria.
OrderRibollita, bistecca alla fiorentina by the etto, pappardelle al cinghiale in season.
TipQueue from 12:00 for the 12:30 opening. Closed Sunday and the whole of August. Cash only.
Il Santo Bevitore in Florence's Oltrarno quarter is Marco Bechi's modern Tuscan dining room, with a 600-bottle natural-wine cellar and a daily-changing.
OrderThe crudo di manzo, pici al ragu d'anatra and the coniglio in porchetta with seasonal contorni.
TipBook a fortnight ahead for the back garden in summer. The walk-in wine-bar room Il Santino next door is the no-booking annex.
Marco Stabile's Ora d'Aria in Florence's Centro Storico holds a Michelin star for a modern Tuscan kitchen that reads pappa al pomodoro and bistecca.
OrderThe signature pappa al pomodoro risotto and the seasonal pigeon course.
TipLunch tasting €60 vs €120 dinner. Ask for the chef's-counter seats when you book.
Locale Firenze in Florence's Centro Storico sits inside the 13th-century Palazzo delle Seggiole, the Concettini family's Michelin-starred kitchen with a bar.
OrderThe tortelli di rabarbaro signature pasta and the pigeon course from the tasting carte.
TipThe cocktail room downstairs is the cheaper entry point; pre-dinner aperitivo from 18:30.