Whether traveling to Florence alone or on one of The Traveling Professor's small group tours to Italy, there are plenty of places to go to enjoy a good meal. Here are The Professor's picks for his favorite spots in Florence:
Restaurant ZaZa: Let's start with the starters. Authentic appetizers include pate, cheeses, omelets and bruschetta. Although the menu has plenty of variety with authentic dishes like ribollitta and wild boar, I always choose a pasta like tagliatelle in truffle cream. The grilled sliced steak is a crowd pleaser as braciola with those wonderful Tuscan rosemary potatoes. Skip the pizza here.
Mercato Centrale: Ever since this spot opened up about 3 years ago it has been a hit. Upstairs from the local food market, food fans get to pick from 20 vendors or so with quickly prepared dishes like pizza, pasta, salads, burgers, steaks, and fish. Nothing could be fresher or more fun. Good Italian beer and wine too. Quality is high, prices are low. Go a little bit early to avoid the big crowds.
Fiaschetteria Nuvoli: My favorite lunch spot. Located in the middle of Florence but far away from everything. Walk in, go to the back and downstairs. Sit on wooden stools and enjoy the house wine, polpette (tuscan meatballs), eggplant parmigiana, or ravioli.