Quick bites in Florence

Fiaschetteria I Fratellini wine bar in Florence, Italy. (Photo by Reid Bramblett)

Fiaschetteria I Fratellini, a 140-year-old sidewalk sandwich-and-wine bar in Florence.

Where to get a snack or meal on the go in Florence

There are loads of choices for a quick meal in Florence. One of Florence's best quick lunches can be had at I Fratellini and other fiaschetterie:

**Florentine Fiaschetterie: The Original Wine Bars**

Florence's traditional fiaschetterie are modest little wine shops-with-a-bar named for the fiasche, or straw-bottomed flasks, in which Tuscan wines were once delivered from the vineyards.

Although these flasks are now only found bottling cheap table Chianti and destined to become candlesticks, at a fiaschetteria you can still get a sandwich, platter of meats and cheese, or even a simple dish or two along with your tipple.

Many are not much more than holes-in-the-wall, including my own fave (and Florence's best) I Fratellini ★★★. It's only about six feet deep and as many wide, with two young men behind the counter continuing a 140-year tradition of whipping out scrumptious panini (sandwiches) and pouring glasses of wine to be enjoyed while standing on the flagstones of this pedestrian street in the heart of town. » more

My list of favorites:

I Fratellini ★★★ (off Via dei Calzaiuoli between the Duomo and Uffizi; » more)
EnotecaBar Fuori Porta ★ (in the Oltrarno, nearish to Piazzale Michelangiolo; » more)
Le Volpi e l'Uva (in the Oltrarno, just across the Ponte Vecchio and to the left; » more)
Cantinetta dei Verrazzano (off Via dei Calzaiuoli between the Duomo and Uffizi; » more)
Antico Noè (near Santa Croce; » more)

Tavole calde

Like anywhere in Italy, Florence offers great take-out at any tavola calda or rosticceria, where you can get delicious, pre-prepared hot dishes sold by weight. There are plenty. Try Giuliano's (tel. 055-238-2723) at Via dei Neri 74.

The tripe stand

L'Antico Trippaio, a tripe and lampredotto stand on Piazza de' Cimatori in Florence

The ultimate street food in Florence is a lampredotto tripe sandwich, perhaps from L'Antico Trippaio, a cart on Piazza de' Cimatori.

For a true Florentine experience, try the boiled tripe sandwich called lampredotto at Roberto Marchetti's ★ L'Antico Trippaio, a street stand on Piazza de' Cimatori, tucked into the side streets between Piazza Signoria and the Duomo (and pictured up above).

Pizza (don't do it!)

Warning: Do not get pizza slices in Florence. You'll get the wrong impression of Italian pizza, which is only worth eating if it comes from Rome or southernmost Italy. I have never had decent pizza-by-the-slice in Florence. It's always terrible.

There are a few decent pizzerie (for sit-down meals of wood-fired pizzas); the best of those is Il Pizzaiuolo.

Picnics

For picnic supplies, visit any succession of alimentari (grocery stores), forno (bakeries), and fruttivendolo (fruit and vegetable stand). » more

Tips & links

Culinary tours of Florence

Walks & Seminars
Wine tasting
Cooking classes
Vineyards

Walks & Seminars

Wine tastings

Cooking classes

Special meals

Vineyard excursions

» Chianti

» Other Tuscan wine regions

General dining tips

"Pane e coperto" is not a scam: Nearly all Italian restaurants have an unavoidable pane e coperto ("bread and cover" charge) of anything from €1 to €15—though most often €2 to €5—per person that is automatically added onto your bill. This is perfectly normal and perfectly legal (though a few trendy restaurants make a big deal about not charging it).
Find out if service (tip) is included: Don't double-tip by accident. If the menu has a line—usually near the bottom of the front or back—that says "servizio" with either a percentage, an amount, or the word "incluso" after it, that means the tip is automatically included in the price. (If it says "servizio non incluso," tip is, obviously, not included.)

Even if the menu doesn't say it, ask É incluso il servizio? (ay een-CLOU-so eel sair-VEET-zee-yo)—"Is service included?" If not, tip accordingly (10%–15% is standard).

Don't be stingy about tipping, though. If il servizio is, indeed, already included but the service was particularly good, it's customary to round up the bill or leave €1 per person extra—just to show you noticed and that you appreciated the effort.
Tourist menus: The concept of a bargain prix-fixe menu is not popular in Italy. Some restaurants do offer a menu turistico ("tourist menu"), which can cost from €8 to €20 and usually entails a choice from among two or three basic first courses (read: different pasta shapes, all in plain tomato sauce), a second course of roast chicken or a veal cutlet, and some water or wine and bread. With very few exceptions, tourist menus tend to live up to their name, appearing only at the sort of tourist-pandering restaurants that the locals wisely steer clear of.

However, a menu à prezzo fisso ("fixed-price menu") is often a pretty good deal, usually offering a bit more choice than a tourist menu.

Then—especially at nicer (and pricier) restaurants—there is the menu degustazione ("tasting menu"), usually far more expensive (anywhere from €25 to €110) that is a showcase of the chef's best, or of regional specialties, and can make for an excellent way to sample the kitchen's top dishes.
Book ahead: For restaurants that I am truly eager to try, I go ahead and book a table—at least at dinner. I find that a corollary of Murphy's Law seems to apply. If you prudently book ahead, you are likely to show up to a half-empty restaurant and feel a bit like a fool for having worried about finding a table. If, on the other hand, you just show up at the door expecting to find a free table, the place will inevitably be packed and its bookings full for the evening.

Italian dining phrases

Basic phrases (below)
Italian dishes, cooking terms, & menu vocab

English *(Inglese)*	Italian (Italiano)	Pro-nun-cee-YAY-shun
Good day	Buon giorno	bwohn JOUR-noh
Good evening	Buona sera	BWOH-nah SAIR-rah
Good night	Buona notte	BWOH-nah NOTE-tay
Goodbye	Arrivederci	ah-ree-vah-DAIR-chee
Excuse me (to get attention)	Scusi	SKOO-zee
thank you	grazie	GRAT-tzee-yay
please	per favore	pair fa-VOHR-ray
yes	si	see
no	no	no
Do you speak English?	Parla Inglese?	PAR-la een-GLAY-zay
I don't understand	Non capisco	non ka-PEESK-koh
I'm sorry	Mi dispiace	mee dees-pee-YAT-chay

Where is?	Dov'é	doh-VAY
...a restaurant	un ristorante	oon rees toh-RAHN-tay
...a casual restaurant	una trattoria un'osteria	oo-nah trah-toar-RHEE-yah oon ohst-air-EE-yah
I would like to reserve...	Vorrei prenotare...	voar-RAY pray-note-ARE-eh
a table for two	una tavola per due	oo-nah TAH-voal-lah pair DOO-way
...for 7pm	per le sette	pair lay SET-tay
...for 7:30pm	per le sette e mezzo	pair lay SET-tay eh MET-tzoh
...for 8pm	per le otto	pair lay OH-toh

I would like	Vorrei...	voar-RAY
...some (of)	un pó (di)	oon POH (dee)
...this	questo	KWAY-sto
...that	quello	KWEL-loh
chicken	pollo	POL-loh
steak	bistecca	bee-STEAK-ah
veal	vitello	vee-TEL-oh
fish	pesce	PEH-shay
meat	carne	KAR-neh
I am vegetarian	sono vegetariano	SO-no veg-eh-tair-ee-YAH-no
side dish [veggies always come seperately]	cotorno	kon-TOR-no
dessert	dolce	DOAL-chay
and	e	ay
...a glass of	un bicchiere di	oon bee-key-YAIR-eh dee
...a bottle of	una bottiglia di	oo-na boh-TEEL-ya dee
...a half-liter of	mezzo litro di	MET-tzoh LEE-tro dee
...fizzy water	acqua gassata	AH-kwah gah-SAHT-tah
...still water	acqua non gassata	AH-kwah noan gah-SAHT-tah
...red wine	vino rosso	VEE-noh ROH-so
...white wine	vino bianco	VEE-noh bee-YAHN-koh
...beer	birra	BEER-a
Check, please	Il conto, per favore	eel COAN-toh pair fah-VOAR-eh
Is service included?	É incluso il servizio?	ay een-CLOU-so eel sair-VEET-zee-yo