A Local’s Top 9 Tuscan Restaurants in Florence

Family-run since 1986. Named after Rocco Mangino, born 1943, who still runs it, waiting tables and all, and who can be spotted around 11am enjoying a big bowl of soup before service. Da Rocco is famous for their show-stopping pears baked in red wine, always proudly displayed behind a glass counter, and for their simple and tasty traditional Tuscan food. This trattoria is unusual because it’s right inside the market, so the vibe and look is like nowhere else: it’s built on a raised platform with a long, skinny corridor running through the middle, which is connected to the wood and glass counter on one end and to the kitchen on the other. The corridor is closed off on either side by booths whose tables have an extra flap that folds out into the market space when it's lunchtime. Order: - ribollita, a bean and vegetable bread stew; - pappa al pomodoro, a tomato bread stew; - chickpea soup; - meatballs with tomato sauce; - pears cooked in wine. Only open for lunch. No reservations. WATCH YOUR STEP.

Currently my very favorite lunch spot in town — which also happens to be quite affordable! Check it out before Lonely Planet finds it and remember that you heard it here first 😉 Dalla Lola, located in the lively and artsy Oltrarno neighborhood, is a Tuscan restaurant with a punk spirit, and one of the reasons why I love it is that Matilde Pettini, head of operations, gives zero f***s. Specifically she gives zero f***s about what most would consider a proper Tuscan restaurant because, while it might look the part, sitting on a corner just off of piazza Santo Spirito, with its yellow paper placemats and a short, handwritten menu on a blackboard, here Matilde will serve everything and anything she wants, for example tagliolini with zucchini and turmeric (*gasp*) or traditional but obscure dishes like fried frog legs... with Sriracha sauce, just like she had in Thailand. Some favorite dishes ⤵️ - tagliatelle with "sugo finto" - a vegetarian sauce meant to imitate the flavor and intensity of meat ragù, usually made with carrots, celery, onions, red wine, and tomatoes; - tagliolini with zucchini, turmeric and pretty flowers on top; - "trippa finta" - a complex version of a frittata, sliced and cooked with a rich tomato sauce and meant to resemble beef tripe; - "rane fritte" - fried frog legs; - "francesina di lingua" - stewed chopped beef tongue and onions; - "fegatini e cipolle" - chicken livers and onions. Also: her cakes are amazing, and also happen to be 100% gluten-free. Fun facts: - one of the few spots in town with a 6-seat convivial table, where you can sit together with the other locals and make friends - highly recommend; - the placemats at Dalla Lola are actually "carta gialla" ("yellow paper") which has been used to sell food for centuries, for example by butchers to wrap meat in or by street food stalls as a cone for fried foods; - Matilde Pettini studied at Cordon Bleu cooking academy and is the daughter of Maria Chiara Masiero of world-famous Trattoria Cammillo; - go early or book ahead! Tap on the link below for an article I wrote about Matilde and three other women in food in Florence. Open for lunch Tuesday - Saturday and for dinner Wednesday - Friday.