Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
RESTAURANTS, CAFES AND BARS
Food is one of the great Italian
during the winter and also during
the holiday season in summer. If in
doubt, phone first to check that
the restaurant is open. Finding
the restaurants in Florence can
be confusing due to the dual
numbering of the streets
(see
p305),
so use the map refer-
ences. The restaurants listed on
pages 270-281 have been
selected from the best the city and
region can offer across all price ranges.
passions, and eating out on a
balmy summer's evening can
be a memorable experience. Few
restaurants in Tuscany serve
anything but Italian food, and
most concentrate on the robust
fare that typifies the region's
cuisine. Most Tuscans take their
lunch
(pranzo)
around 1pm,
and have dinner
(cena)
from 8pm.
Restaurants may shut for several weeks
Italian waiter at
your service
TYPES OF RESTAURANTS
AND BARS
HOW MUCH TO PAY
Prices are often higher in
Florence than elsewhere. In
the cheaper eating establish-
ments and pizzerias you can
have a two-course or a fixed-
price
(menù turistico)
meal
with half a litre of wine for
around €15-€20. Average
prices for a three-course meal
are €20-€30, and in up-market
restaurants you could easily
pay as much as €40-€50.
Nearly all restaurants have a
cover charge
(pane e coperto)
,
usually no more than €3.
Many also add a 10 per cent
service charge
(servizio)
to
the bill
(il conto)
, so always
establish whether or not this
is the case. Where leaving a
tip is a matter of your own
discretion, 12-15 per cent is
acceptable.
Restaurants are obliged
by law to give you a receipt
(una ricevuta).
Scraps of
paper with an illegible scrawl
are illegal, and you are
perfectly within your rights
to ask for a proper bill.
Italian restaurants have a
bewildering variety of names,
but in practice there's little
difference between a
trattoria, osteria
or
ristorante
in terms of price, cooking or
ambience. Both a
birreria
and
spaghetteria
are more down-
market establishments, and
sell beer, pasta dishes and
snacks. A
pizzeria
is a cheap,
informal restaurant with
pasta, meat and fish on the
menu as well as pizzas. It
is usually open only in the
evening, especially if it has
wood-fired ovens.
At lunchtime you could visit
a
tavola calda,
which will
offer a range of hot and cold
pasta dishes, vegetables and
meats. A
rosticceria
offers
spit-roast chicken to take
away, often with other fast
foods. Most bars sell filled
rolls
(panini)
and sandwiches
(tramezzini)
and small pizza
bars sell slices of pizza
(pizza
taglia)
to eat on the street.
Old-fashioned wine bars
(vinaii
or
fiaschetterie)
are
a dying breed, but they are
atmospheric places to grab
a snack or a glass of wine.
Ice cream parlours
(gelaterie)
,
by contrast, are thriving, and
Florence has some of the
best in Italy.
I Latini, Florence
(see p272)
are offering a wider vegetarian
selection and you should
have no trouble assembling a
meat-free meal, particularly if
you eat fish and seafood.
Starters
(antipasti)
will usually
include some suitable dishes.
There are also vegetable-
based soups and pasta sauces,
although you will need to
check that they have been
cooked with vegetable stock
(brodo vegetariano).
VEGETARIAN FOOD
Most Italians find it hard to
understand vegetarianism, and
Florence boasts only a couple
of vegetarian restaurants.
However, in the wake of
mad-cow disease, restaurants
A convivial atmosphere at Teatro del Sale in Florence
(see p271)
