You’re not going to stumble into Da Burde. It’s closer to the airport than Michelangelo’s David, but it’s worth the trek for some really good Florentine cuisine, unabashedly served only for lunch (and for dinner on Friday). The family behind it has been running the place since 1901, and the current generation is just as feisty as the last.

Alla Vecchia Bettola is a neighborhood trattoria that feels like a party, and it’s worth going beyond the historical center to have dinner here. We’d like to write an ode to their namesake pasta: al dente penne soaked in a creamy vodka tomato sauce with a spicy kick to it. The crowd is made up of local best friends slapping each other on the back, retirees catching up after summer break, and, naturally, tourists. It’s a fun, chaotic place where it’s easy to linger over bottles of Chianti.

There are plenty of tourist traps firmly camped out in Florence’s main squares, which makes Vini e Vecchi Sapori a bit of an anomaly. It’s the safest (and best) bet near Piazza della Signoria for both lunch and dinner. This old tavern features walls full of vintage photographs and marble-topped wooden tables pushed close together, and is filled with loud Italians catching up over Tuscan staples.

Sabatino is a bit like your grandpa who still insists on writing checks—they simply refuse to change how they do things (and of course, this is why we love them). The Buccioni family has been running this San Frediano timewarp since 1956 with terracotta floors, a daily typewritten menu, and rusty Tuscan agriculture tools hanging on the walls. If it feels like everyone in the neighborhood knows them, that’s because they probably do.

Florence is no stranger to popular sandwich places—yes, we’re talking about All’Antico Vinaio and its lines longer than the entrance to the Uffizi. But for our favorite panino, head to Retrobottega near Piazza della Signoria. Unlike the city’s other sandwich spots, they have (gasp, shock) space to sit inside and a great Happy Hour where you can snack on some crostini and sip a glass of organic wine as you take down an affordable panini.

While Trattoria Ruggero is roughly 20 minutes from the Ponte Vecchio, It’s worth checking out this Tuscan restaurant where locals have been clinking glasses of wine and shouting over each other for over 40 years. The handwritten menus can be slightly hard to read, so let us be of assistance: start with some classic earthy Tuscan liver pate, tack on an order of carrattiera spicy tomato pasta, and follow it all up with the arista, a huge plate of slow-roasted pork loin with seasonal vegetables.

Here’s a quick cow stomach lesson for you: Don’t confuse lampredotto, the cow’s fourth stomach and Florence’s famous street food, for tripe. Lampredotto, which resembles roast beef visually and is less chewy than tripe, is typically cooked in an aromatic broth, then chopped up and stuffed in a panino. It's often topped with herb and chili sauce and sold at kiosks around the city. Magazzino is the only osteria in Florence that does this kind of street food in a more formal restaurant.

Club Culinario is the top option near Santa Croce, perfect for either lunch or dinner. They really excel at homey Tuscan food and warm and welcoming service, and it’s not impossible to land a table last minute. This is a special place for hard-to-find salami and delicious cheeses alongside nearly forgotten dishes, like Tuscany’s mountainous chestnut flour pancake pasta with pesto and Etruscan-style wild game meats like tender squab roasted with aromatics. Don’t miss the desserts, either.

This trattoria has been serving comfort food from the Tuscan culinary vault to tourists and locals in the Oltrarno since 1950. And it’s a total crowd-pleaser thanks to its varied menu full of must-try classics like pappardelle with game meat ragu and tender rare Florentine steaks, along with an amazing plate of braised artichokes doused in meat sauce and baked onions swimming in a salty parmigiano fondue. The dining room is huge, which makes it great for big groups.

With themed menus, frescos in a former noble family palace, and a bar with an open-air vertical garden, Locale is one of the more fun fine dining spots in all of Italy, not just Florence. Start with the city’s most unique Negroni remixed with vermouth kombucha and floral bitters poured over hand-carved ice blocks. Be sure to get an order of grilled radicchio, chestnut honey, and giardiniera panini from their bar food menu before moving onto the mains.

Sostanza has a menu that hasn’t changed since it opened in 1869, and it’s one of those places that everyone knows, maybe a little too well. But the experience is so Florentine, serving up dishes you can’t find anywhere else, that you kind of have to try it at least once. Specifically for the chicken that's seared in a butter bath over hot coals and served in the steel pan it was cooked in. Plus, they do the staples well, like a Florentine steak served with sage and tomato stewed beans.

Anyone who's been to Florence has likely been to Cammillo (open since 1945), and they probably still remember deep diving into their signature tagliatelle with cream, prosciutto, and peas, or having a long leisurely bistecca lunch. Now, it skews touristy and it’s a bit harder to get into (book at least two weeks in advance), but the charm and quality are still there. The bow-tied servers are as much part of the restaurant’s history and identity as the food itself.

This see-and-be-seen cafe in Sant’Ambrogio is straight out of a Wes Anderson movie, complete with an aloof staff and red velvet interiors. It’s an all-day establishment, but the action always seems to happen in the morning, which is when you should visit. Join the locals who stop by for creamy cappuccinos and custard-stuffed budino before heading to the nearby market to shop. Lunch on the terrace is also a good option.

Yes, this restaurant is owned by Gucci and Italy’s most famous chef, Massimo Bottura. And it’s a top tasting menu spot where you'll encounter Chinoiserie porcelain and creative dishes like spaghetti inspired by Sicily’s cannoli with a dreamy pistachio pesto. The food is really all over the place, though, thanks to their current chefs from Mexico City and Tokyo, and they often host dinners with restaurants from around the world.

Florence suffers from over-tourism, so we can’t really deny (or blame) the fact that restaurants have notoriously grumpy restaurant service. But Osteria dell’Enoteca couldn’t be more different. They serve one of the best steaks in town, all while the staff smiles and cracks jokes when explaining where they source their charcuterie and how proud they are of the wine they carry. The star of the show is that thick-cut Florentine T-bone that’s a couple of fingers high and cooked over an open grill.

This family-run natural wine bar and bistro isn’t where you come to solely drink fruity gamays or other carbonic macerated pours. It’s a part of Florence’s new wave of modern wine bistros that serve Tuscan food with a sprinkling of French. Think whipped baccala spread on toasted brioche, fresh pastas rolled out in-house and tossed with juniper-accented hare ragu, wine-braised beef cheek, and sourdough instead of the usual saltless Tuscan bread served around town.

Nugolo in Sant'Ambrogio is like a farmer’s market inside a greenhouse—the space overflows with plant life, sparkly lights, and glass jars of homemade tomato sauce and chutneys. The menu ventures off from the Tuscan norm, with dishes like their bouquet-inspired celery root carpaccio over a bed of perfectly spiced red onion creme and served with pomegranate and crunchy hazelnuts. Don’t miss their satisfying menu staple, the chitarra Nugolo pasta starter made with a fragrant and silky tomato sauce.

There’s plenty of pizza in town, but Giotto is a standout for the attention to detail in every single pie. They’re very particular about the dough—they use stone-ground wheat germ flour that’s left to rise for 36 hours, resulting in an airy Napolitano-style puffy yet light crust that’s the perfect canvas for the quality toppings. Try and snag a table near the open kitchen where you can get a close-up view of the pizzaiolos sliding each pie into the wood-burning oven.

You’re in Italy, so of course you need somewhere for pre-dinner drinks and snacks. This former wine cellar turned wine bar in Oltrarno is your spot. The space inside might be limited, but it never feels too overcrowded, and it's about as fun and sceney as Florence gets—couples nudge their way to first base in the corner, and locals spill out of the cave-like dining room into the street, glasses in hand, when there’s no more room.

Sure, there are Italy-shaped limoncello bottles and statue of David pasta souvenirs at the Mercato Centrale, Florence’s central market. Avoid all that, the student crowds, and tour groups and head to Da Nerbone for lunch. The casual stand opened in 1873 and is one of the last remnants of old Florence in the market serving street food classics, like lampredotto, the city’s famed stomach sandwich, stewed bollito panini, and bowls of ribollita soup.

Ara’ e’ Sicilia is a fast-casual Sicilian place in Sant’Ambrogio with a small patio on the street that’s good for lunch. You’re coming specifically for the plump arancini stuffed with meaty ragu and melted cheese, plus a cannoli or an icy lemon granita to top things off. You can use it as a spot to refuel after a tour of Florence’s Synagogue or the Santa Croce cathedral since it’s near both, but we like it best to grab some snacks for a picnic at the park just down the street or along the Arno.

When it comes to restaurants in Florence, nobody is doing the kind of quality vegan and vegetarian dishes like Libreria Brac, a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it spot on a small street close to the Arno River. Not to mention also operating as a space that has books, good coffee, and interesting wine. The menu changes frequently, but you’ll always find seasonal pastas, variations on lasagna, salads, and vegan options that pack a punch.