Flavours from the world in Florence, the restaurants where the cuisine comes from faraway lands

Where to sample the best of Japanese, Chinese, Indian and Jewish cuisine in the city

From the aesthetic and philosophical rigour of Japanese cuisine, to the ancient soul of Chinese cuisine, from the intimate suggestions of Kosher cuisine, to the rich Russian land, reaching the intoxicating perfume of India, today we take you on a discovery of restaurants where you can discover flavours from the world in Florence.

We start with two places that combine the flavours of Tuscan translation with more international ones:

CIBLÈO
Via del Verrocchio, 2r
ph. +39 055 2341100

An L instead of the usual R. Thus was born the first Korean-Japanese-Tuscan restaurant conceived by a chef who has been a symbol in the city, Fabio Picchi. Ciblèo - Tortelli e Ravioli could only be the epilogue of chef Picchi's love affair with a small Kyoto restaurant, born in 1988. Everything that was given to him in 5 years of work in Japan began at that moment and the whole of the East passionately entered his being a chef: Korea with its surprising foods and China with its ancient knowledge. Awaiting you are 16 seats, 8 of which are at the counter. In the kitchen, those who took over Fabio's reins and pass on his cooking knowledge.

THE FUSION BAR & RESTAURANT
Vicolo dell’Oro, 3
ph. + 39 055 27266987

An innovative, out-of-the-box dining experience. Open next to the Gallery Hotel Art, the restaurant offers the best of Fusion and Nikkei gastronomic culture, enhanced by continuous research and experimentation. 33 seats in the indoor dining room and 30 seats on the outdoor terrace to which the splendid Library can be added, bringing the number of guests to 80. Fusion's chefs propose and reinterpret the typical ingredients of Mediterranean culture while respecting the highest Japanese cuisine and its classic combinations, creating unusual combinations of style and flavour. Nikkei Tapas, Sushi and Cocktails. The fusion cuisine will transport you to a world of unexpected combinations and spicy flavours: have fun discovering the Tapas menu and ask our Barman to create a tailor-made cocktail for you.

Mag56 - Unconventional Food & Drinks (Prato)
Via Don Giuseppe Arcangeli, 58
ph. +39 3891689731

In Prato, about 20 minutes from Florence, find another restaurant where classic traditional dishes blend with exotic flavors from around the world. At Mag56 you can have a well-rounded experience with a menu that offers a hybrid and varied proposal ready to surprise: a wide range of raw, josper-cooked meat and fish, nikkei cuisine with tiradito and ceviche but, also, ravioli, tagliatelle and tagliolini all with an unconventional twist.

We move on to the world of Japanese cuisine, proposing the best in town:

MOMOYAMA
Borgo San Frediano, 10r
ph. + 39 055 291840

Vaulted ceilings, minimal interiors, pastel colours and soft lighting. This is just the prelude to the journey to the Japanese flavours of Momoyama, in the heart of the Oltrarno district. The kitchen offers the classic Japanese menu of sushi and sashimi, inside out rolls and tempura rolls, the restaurant's cult dish.

KOKO
Piazza Ferrucci, 4/5r
ph. +39 055 6587428

We move on to the cuisine of the Rising Sun, starting with Koko. An elegant restaurant and sushi bar. The menu holds many surprises including an endless choice of carpaccio, chirashi and maki. Don't miss the Fuoco Gunkan (salmon with chives, cream cheese and chef's flambé sauce), and the Dragon Maki (fried prawns minced tuna with mixed fish exterior and chef's sauce), perhaps to be enjoyed at one of the tables in the elegant Tatami room.

Among the cult places where you can taste Chinese cuisine are the following:

IL GUSTO DI XINGE
Viale Belfiore, 2
ph. +39 320 9681806

The cuisine of the young and elegant chef Xin Ge Liu has arrived in Florence. Don't imagine the usual menu, at Gusto di Xinge the dishes are true works of art to be enjoyed with the eyes and palate. Between bright purple crystal dumplings, shimmering bao and duck and whiskey drinks, eating becomes an experience to be remembered and recounted.

FULIN LUXURY CHINESE EXPERIENCE
Via Giampaolo Orsini, 113r
ph. +39 055 684931

Outside a typical palace of late 19th-century Florence, inside a cosy and refined atmosphere that looks to the most authentic China. For once, abandon the "pop" conception of Chinese cuisine and immerse yourself in the Fulin Luxury Chinese Experience, where the ambience, furnishings and food and wine proposals are truly exclusive. At Fulin only dishes from the province of Beijing, revisited in a gourmet key, to be paired with studied Tuscan labels. In the kitchen, two young Chinese chefs flanked by an international brigade. To finish, a splendid terrace for aperitifs, dishes and cocktails perfumed of the Orient.

DIM SUM RESTAURANT
Via dei Neri, 37r
ph. +39 055 284331

As the name already suggests, the Dim Sum Restaurant's menu is dominated by these little morsels that enchant the heart: dumplings, proposed in their most traditional guise or revisited to surprise diners with unusual combinations. But there is no shortage of other tasty dishes, such as noodles freshly prepared from a handful of sourdough, then cooked in broth or stir-fried.

BUND
Piazza Ferrucci, 1r
ph. +39 3395000060

The restaurant on the rive gauche of the Arno takes its name from the boulevard on the left bank of the Huangpu River, one of Shanghai's landmarks, known for the elegance of its buildings and premises. The cuisine, however, ranges from the various regional specialities of China, with a team of chefs specialising in each type of preparation, including the famous Peking Duck and the colourful Dim Sum. A 300-square-metre venue commissioned by the Xia family, former owners of the Japanese restaurant Koko, with which it is internally connected via one of its two elegant private rooms.

Finally, we take a leap into the flavours of India and Jewish cuisine:

RISTORANTE INDIA
Viale Gramsci, 43/a
ph. +39 055 599900

Moving away from the city centre to indulge in a step of flavour in the beautiful Fiesole, it is here that India, the oldest Indian restaurant in Florence, is located. The first to offer ethnic Indian cuisine since 1994 thanks to the shrewd intuition of Edoardo Castorina, the owner, together with the Drogba family. Protagonist is the taste of India in all its forms, on the menu chicken, lamb, pork cooked with the traditional Tandoori oven method together with the unique scents of spices, spicy and not.

RUTH’S
Via Luigi Carlo Farini, 2/a
ph. +39 055 2480888

Only kosher food cooked in the two separate kitchens so that the dishes cannot 'contaminate' each other. A vegetarian hangout where one eats good vegetable couscous with harissa sauce, Israeli-style hummus, cheese borekas, Judean-style caponata and really good falafel. The setting is a cosy place, a crossroads for travellers, with drawings and cartoons hanging on the walls. A touch of Jewish culture to be enjoyed at the table.