The station-side quarter around the Dominican basilica, with Sostanza's century-old kitchen, Buca Lapi bistecca cellar and Procacci's truffle panini.
Trattoria Sostanza in Florence's Santa Maria Novella quarter has cooked the same bistecca and butter chicken on a coal grill since 1869. Two seatings, one menu, six communal tables.
Signature: Bistecca alla fiorentina, Pollo al burro, Tortino di carciofi
Order: The bistecca alla fiorentina (1.2kg for two) and the pollo al burro butter chicken.
Tip: Cash only; book three weeks ahead by phone. Two seatings at 19:30 and 21:30, no a la carte stragglers.
Giovanni Latini's Osteria di Giovanni in Florence's Santa Maria Novella sits opposite the family-original Latini room. The bistecca is dry-aged 40 days and the pici come from the in-house lab.
Signature: Bistecca alla fiorentina, Pici cacio e pepe, Pappa al pomodoro
Order: Bistecca alla fiorentina, pici cacio e pepe and Giovanni's pappa al pomodoro.
Tip: Book a fortnight ahead; the front room is the one to ask for. Open daily for dinner only.
Buca Lapi in Florence's Santa Maria Novella has cooked the bistecca alla fiorentina in the Palazzo Antinori cellar since 1880, a candlelit basement of long communal tables and dry-aged Chianina.
Signature: Bistecca alla fiorentina, Tagliatelle al tartufo, Crostini di fegatini
Order: The bistecca alla fiorentina (1.2kg for two) cooked on the wood grill, and the tartufo pasta in season.
Tip: Cash and card; book three weeks ahead. The cellar is hot in summer; ask for the front room.
Saporium in Florence is Ariel Hagen's Michelin-starred farm-to-table room sourced from the Borgo Santo Pietro estate, a tasting carte built off the kitchen garden and herd 90 minutes south.
Signature: Tasting menu, Risotto, Game
Order: The 8-course tasting menu; the wine pairing tilts toward the Borgo Santo Pietro estate wines.
Tip: Closed Sunday and Monday. The estate-wine pairing adds €110; book the chef's counter for kitchen view.
Trattoria Marione in Florence's Santa Maria Novella quarter runs the unfussy lunchtime carte locals queue for, with the four pillars of Florentine cucina povera and a chalkboard daily menu.
Signature: Ribollita, Bistecca alla fiorentina, Pappardelle al cinghiale
Order: Ribollita, pappa al pomodoro and the bistecca alla fiorentina by the etto.
Tip: Cash and card; queue from 12:30. Closed Sunday; lunch and dinner both seat at 12:30 and 19:30.
Cantinetta Antinori in Florence's Palazzo Antinori is the wine-bar-and-trattoria for the 26-generation Antinori wine family, with a 150-bottle list focused on Marchesi Antinori estate Tuscan reds.
Signature: Crostini misti, Tagliata di manzo, Cantucci e Vin Santo
Order: Crostini misti, pici al ragu, the tagliata and a glass of Tignanello.
Tip: Closed Saturday and Sunday. Book the front room for the Antinori cellar tasting flight.
Buca Lapi in Florence's Santa Maria Novella has cooked the bistecca alla fiorentina in the Palazzo Antinori cellar since 1880, a candlelit basement of long communal tables and dry-aged Chianina.
Signature: Bistecca alla fiorentina, Tagliatelle al tartufo, Crostini di fegatini
Order: The bistecca alla fiorentina (1.2kg for two) and the tartufo pasta in season.
Tip: Cash and card; book three weeks ahead. The cellar is hot in summer; ask for the front room.
Trattoria Sostanza in Florence's Santa Maria Novella quarter has cooked the same bistecca and butter chicken on a coal grill since 1869. Two seatings, one menu, six communal tables.
Signature: Bistecca alla fiorentina, Pollo al burro, Tortino di carciofi
Order: The bistecca alla fiorentina (1.2kg for two) and the pollo al burro butter chicken.
Tip: Cash only; book three weeks ahead by phone. Two seatings at 19:30 and 21:30.
Giovanni Latini's Osteria di Giovanni in Florence's Santa Maria Novella sits opposite the family-original Latini room. The bistecca is dry-aged 40 days and the pici come from the in-house lab.
Signature: Bistecca alla fiorentina, Pici cacio e pepe, Pappa al pomodoro
Order: Bistecca alla fiorentina, pici cacio e pepe and Giovanni's pappa al pomodoro.
Tip: Book a fortnight ahead; the front room is the one to ask for. Dinner only.
Procacci in Florence's Via Tornabuoni shopping street is the 1885 truffle bar, with the white-tile counter, the panino tartufato and a Prosecco glass for €5, owned today by Marchesi Antinori.
Signature drink: Truffle panino and Prosecco
Order: The truffle panino (€7), a glass of Antinori Prosecco and a tagliere of Tuscan salumi.
Tip: Closed Sunday. Counter only; standing-room two-deep at 18:00 aperitivo.
Pasticceria Buonamici in Florence's Santa Maria Novella has run a family-owned pasticceria since 1971, with the daily cantucci, the schiacciata con l'uva in September and a Vin Santo bottle for pairing.
Order: Cantucci con mandorle, schiacciata con l'uva in autumn, the chocolate panforte.
Tip: Closed Monday; cash only on small purchases. Cantucci ship vacuum-packed.
Worth the queue: Cantucci con mandorle
Amble in Florence's Santa Maria Novella corner runs the bakery-cafe-bar format inside a Renaissance courtyard, with a daily sourdough programme, focaccia and the breakfast-to-aperitivo all-day carte.
Order: The slow-rise sourdough loaf, the daily focaccia, the breakfast tartine.
Tip: Closed Monday. The courtyard seats 25; loaves often sold out by 13:00 at weekends.
Worth the queue: Sourdough loaves
Amble in Florence runs a specialty-coffee bar inside a Renaissance courtyard, with filter coffee on rotating origins, espresso pulled on a Slayer machine and a sourdough programme.
Order: V60 filter of the day, espresso, the daily focaccia.
Tip: Closed Monday. The courtyard seats 25; coffee ships vacuum-packed.
Sources from: Ethiopia, Colombia
How they serve: Espresso, V60, Filter
Cantinetta Antinori in Florence's Palazzo Antinori is the 26-generation Antinori family's wine bar and restaurant on Via Tornabuoni, with a 150-bottle list focused on Marchesi Antinori estate Tuscan reds.
Signature pour: Tignanello by the glass
Wine focus: Marchesi Antinori estate Tuscan reds
Food: Tuscan small plates and tagliere
Order: Crostini misti, tagliere di salumi, a glass of Tignanello.
Tip: Closed Saturday and Sunday. Book the cellar tasting flight (€45) two weeks ahead.
Procacci in Florence's Via Tornabuoni is the 1885 truffle-panini standing bar, owned today by Marchesi Antinori, with a Tuscan estate wine list, the panino tartufato and a Prosecco glass for €5.
Signature pour: Antinori Bianco di Cervaro
Wine focus: Antinori-owned, Tuscan family wines
Food: Truffle panini, salumi
Order: Truffle panino (€7), Antinori Prosecco at the bar, a tagliere of Tuscan salumi.
Tip: Closed Sunday. Counter only; standing-room two-deep at 18:00 aperitivo.
Atrium Bar at Florence's Four Seasons Hotel sits inside the 15th-century Palazzo della Gherardesca cloister, with a Negroni programme by Edoardo Sandri and a frescoed-courtyard terrace for aperitivo.
Signature drink: Negroni and aperitivo plate
Food: Aperitivo plates and small plates
Order: Negroni, the Italian-aperitivo flight, an aperitivo plate of salumi and crostini.
Tip: Open daily 11:00 to midnight. The 15th-century cloister courtyard seats 60 in summer.
Procacci in Florence's Via Tornabuoni is the 1885 truffle-panini standing bar, owned by Marchesi Antinori today, with a Prosecco glass for €5 and the panino tartufato that defines the city's aperitivo grammar.
Signature drink: Prosecco at the counter
Food: Truffle panini
Order: Antinori Prosecco glass, panino tartufato, a tagliere of Tuscan salumi.
Tip: Closed Sunday. Counter only; standing-room two-deep at 18:00 aperitivo.
Cordon Bleu Firenze in Florence's Sant'Ambrogio district is the city's longest-running professional cooking school, founded 1985, with one-day Tuscan classes for visitors and full-term professional programmes.
Tuscany Cooking Class in Florence's Santa Maria Novella runs the three-hour and five-hour Tuscan-classics workshops, with a bistecca-and-Chianti dinner format and a market-walk-and-cook option.
Amble in Florence's Santa Maria Novella corner runs an all-day breakfast and weekend brunch carte inside a Renaissance courtyard, with sourdough, eggs and the in-house bakery's daily focaccia.
Order: The breakfast tartine, sourdough toast with poached egg, V60 filter of the day.
Tip: Closed Monday. The courtyard seats 25; weekend tartines sell out by 12:30.
Atrium Bar at Florence's Four Seasons runs a Sunday brunch buffet inside the 15th-century Palazzo della Gherardesca cloister, with a €95 all-you-can-eat Italian-Mediterranean set including a Negroni.
Order: The Sunday hotel buffet with garden seating, a Negroni from the bar.
Tip: Sundays only; book a fortnight ahead. The 15th-century cloister courtyard seats 60 in summer.
Atrium Bar at Florence's Four Seasons keeps the cocktail-and-cloister programme running until midnight, with Edoardo Sandri's Negroni list and small plates served in the frescoed-courtyard terrace.
Try: Hotel cocktails and small plates
Order: Negroni, the Italian aperitivo flight, an aperitivo plate of salumi and crostini.
Tip: Open daily 11:00 to midnight. The 15th-century cloister courtyard seats 60 in summer.