The attention to detail is immense, down to the hand-written cursive signage.
The decor is like being in a ballroom, colored old-school with teal and featuring classic ceramics and glassware. On the lip of Sant’Ambrogio in Piazza Beccaria, you’ll find the fanciest pastry spot in the historical center. The drinks list is dominated by organic teas and coffees, though you’ll also find smoothies and juices (rare in Florence) and a list of natural wines from all over Italy.
Brac is also a coveted spot for an Anglo-style weekend brunch of pancakes and scrambles. Locals go for the mixed platters, which include a pasta - such as the ginger and potato-filled tortelli with arugula pesto or radicchio risotto - a salad, and a slice of savory pane carasau, all for less than 15 euros. Expect microgreen salads with avocado and almond lemon dressing, and tangy tomato and buffalo mozzarella-layered casseroles topped with crispy pane carasau, a traditional wafer-thin flatbread from Sardinia. The vegetarian menu has gourmet and global touches, with influences from the chef’s travels around the world (he’s especially fond of cities like San Francisco). The space is divided into a bar with counter seating, a chill courtyard, and a dining room. Tucked off a hidden street in the Santa Croce zone, Libreria Brac is equal parts cafe, restaurant, and modern art gallery with an eclectic library of books, vintage magazines, and choice music. For indoor dining, be prepared to show a Green Pass or equivalent documents, like a negative COVID test taken within 48 hours (many pharmacies in Florence do rapid 15-minute saliva tests) or proof of vaccination from your home country. Be sure to notify restaurants if your plans change, and leave a few euros for tips (a gracious gesture and a step toward squashing the stereotype that Italian hospitality workers earn enough to forgo tipping).Įxcept for small traditional trattorias that don’t have sidewalk real estate or a piazza out front, most restaurants have set up outdoor seating during the COVID-19 pandemic. Go for the earlier seating to avoid waiting for locals, who tend to linger over their meals. Italian restaurants tend to do two turns at dinner, around 7:30 and 9 p.m. Skip the grammable panino and carve out time to support a local restaurant instead.Īnd be sure to reserve ahead for the city’s best tables. Locals deride how mass tourism has directed visitors away from sit-down lunches in favor of panini shacks, which cause hour-long lines, street congestion, and littering.
The crowds do have their drawbacks, especially disappointing tourist traps. Due to taxes and salt wars with rival towns, for centuries Tuscans have made their bread saltless, so you’re often better off opting for schiacciata (Florence’s pizza bianca, not to be confused with softer Ligurian focaccia), which you can find plain or filled as panini. Street food culture is alive and well too, including the signature lampredotto, a cow’s fourth stomach traditionally slathered with green sauce and sandwiched in a bread roll. (You won’t find those Michelin stars here, though, to save room for unstarred gems equally deserving of recognition.)Īt its heart, Florence is a hub of Tuscan cuisine, and the city is famous for its signature dishes like ribollita and bistecca alla fiorentina (T-bone steak). Today the dynamic food scene runs from dumplings to kebabs, and there are no fewer than eight Michelin-starred restaurants, including the not-to-be-missed Gucci Osteria by Massimo Bottura or Borgo San Jacopo. Twenty years ago Florence had only one Michelin-starred restaurant (today’s three-star Enoteca Pinchiori) among its traditional mom-and-pop eateries. They have also propelled a multi-decade dining expansion in one of the world’s best-preserved UNESCO cities. Every year, Florence attracts millions of visitors who take in the splendor of the Duomo, browse the Uffizi Gallery, and walk the Ponte Vecchio.
0 kommentar(er)
