text Martina Olivieri

February 3, 2023

Food

Best restaurants near Florence

Where to go in this period for a trip out of town in Tuscany not giving up the taste

If you are looking for the best restaurants to eat around Florence in winter you are in the right place! In addition to our top list of the best Florentine restaurants, restaurants in the countryside near Florence and the best wineries where to go for a lunch to remember, here you will find historical trattorias, modern restaurants and other addresses open in February for an unforgettable lunch or dinner!

Rinuccio 1180 - Bargino (San Casciano Val di Pesa - FI)
Via Cassia per Siena, 133
ph. +39 055 2359720

On the monumental roof of the Antinori winery in Chianti Classico, in the structure with its large windows which immerse guests in the surrounding rolling hills, is the Rinuccio 1180 restaurant - dedicated to Rinuccio degli Antinori, founder of the family. Here the senses of sight and palate meet in the products of this land and, following the cycle of the seasons, you can taste traditional Tuscan dishes revisited in a contemporary key and accompanied by a wide selection of excellent wines. Absolutely not to be missed is the fresh pasta, made and pulled by hand, but also the sliced beef, Florentine steak and veal cheek. Open every day for lunch from 12.00 to 16.00.

Villa San Michele, a Belmond Hotel Florence
Via Doccia 4 - Fiesole (FI)
ph. +39 018523503

Villa San Michele is expanding this year with the opening of the renovated San Michele Grill and the new Bar, where you can spend endless carefree moments. Guests of the hotel and external customers can enjoy this new offer every summer evening and savour an excellent Neapolitan pizza, summer first courses and meat and fish grills overlooking the newly expanded panoramic terrace. The Bar invites guests to discover a cocktail list inspired by the four elements of nature, while the gastronomic restaurant La Loggia offers three tasting menus with a harmonious balance of flavours and ingredients that enhance Tuscany. Completing the Villa's culinary offer is the Ristorante San Michele, with unique views over the city and open daily for lunch and dinner, and the Lounge Bar in the Italian-style gardens.

Podere Belvedere (Pontassieve -FI)
Via S. Piero a Strada 23
ph. +39 055 3981242

Podere Belvedere is located in a farmhouse surrounded by vineyards and olive groves on the outskirts of Florence. It is difficult to define its multifaceted nature with a single word: it is a restaurant, but also a home and an agriturismo. A world, conceived and created by Edoardo Tilli and Klodiana Karafilaj. Over the years, one of the hallmarks of the kitchen has become the grill. Thought guides the raw material to put it on the plate in a more conscious way. Among the delicacies is the fallow deer matured for 40 days in its skin, served with mangalica bacon and oxidised hazelnut base. The grilled spaghetti cooked in ham broth, whipped with 96-month Parmesan cheese and sea anemones also have a strong flavour. Twelve types of sausages are also produced at Podere Belvedere: donkey, horse, venison, pigeon, up to wagyu heart ham. The steak is a must on the menu

La Trattoria di' Sor Paolo (San Casciano in Val di Pesa - FI)
Via Cassia per Firenze, 40
ph. +39 055 828402

Among the Chianti Classico vineyards between San Casciano and Val di Pesa, we find the Trattoria dì Sor Paolo. For over 30 years a refuge from modernity, thanks to the family character that has always distinguished it. It is housed in an old Tuscan farmhouse heated by fireplaces and wood-burning stoves, where you can rediscover the ancient dishes of yesteryear and the typical recipes of the Tuscan regional tradition. Don't miss the mixed fried meat and vegetable dishes, as well as the typical soups, liver crostini, polenta and Fiorentina steak. There are more than 50 Tuscan wines from the Chianti region in the cellar. On summer evenings, it is possible to dine under the large loggia and at the foot of the pergola of vines and wisteria.

Pesce Baracca (Forte dei Marmi - LU)
Viale Franceschi, 2
ph. +39 0584 1716337

Market, street food and restaurant, Pesce Baracca has three souls in one. It brings to the centre of Forte dei Marmi a new way of understanding and conceiving the fish market, which arrives every morning directly from the best local fish markets, caught at night and sold fresh the same day. At lunch and dinner, the street food restaurant opens, the ideal place for a lunch, an aperitif, or a quick dinner, where the schemes of classic catering are broken down to find a new way of "eating", faster and more informal. In addition to typical local dishes, the restaurant also offers the possibility of choosing dishes directly from the deli counter; there are first courses prepared with fresh homemade pasta, and spaghetti allo scoglio prepared with the classic family recipe, handed down from generation to generation since the opening of the first restaurant in 1964.

Osteria del mare (Forte dei Marmi - LU)
Viale Franceschi, 4
ph. +39 0584 83661

Since 1998, the year of its birth, the Osteria del mare has become the ideal place to meet with family and friends to enjoy simple but good dishes, in a cozy and intimate atmosphere. Simplicity, quality and informality are the three pillars of the Osteria, which you will find in all the rooms in Provencal style and in the garden overlooking the sea. Obviously, the sea is the main ingredient here, but also land dishes, pizzas baked in a wood oven, bread and focaccia are not to be outdone.

The Fratellini’s (Forte dei Marmi - LU)
Via della Repubblica, 2a
ph. +39 0584 82931

The Fratellini's was born from the bet of two brothers, David and Marco Vaiani, who have combined their passion for cooking, giving rise to a trendy and dynamic reality, bringing to the table works of art capable of triggering multi-sensory experiences. The chef is ready to surprise you with a fusion cuisine, able to merge the culinary tradition of Versilia with more exotic foods, cooking before your eyes delights for lovers of Italian fish crudité - carpaccio, tartare, seafood - and the curious Japanese variant - sushi, sashimi and maki.

Ristorante Da Fagiolino (Cutigliano - PT)
Via Francesco Carega, 1
ph. +39 0573 68014

Opened in the early '50s by Alvaro Innocenti son of Cecco, called "Fagiolino", because long and thin as a budding bean, Trattoria Da Fagiolino in Cutigliano has become over time a real institution to taste the Tuscan cuisine. A family-run restaurant and inn where the local culinary tradition and hospitality have been handed down for generations. Among the dishes not to be missed are the mushroom crostone, the spinach and ricotta ravioli with pepolino cheese, and the roast kid with fondant potato and lard.

Osteria di Passignano (Badia a Passignano - FI)
Via Passignano, 33
ph. +39 055 8071278

The Osteria di Passignano (one Michelin star) was founded in 2000 by Marcello Crini, a great connoisseur and lover of Tuscan food and wine culture, and Allegra Antinori. It is the perfect place to discover the genuineness of the local raw materials and the long tradition of the area's wine. The recipes are those of the Tuscan tradition, but revisited with the imagination of young but expert chefs, such as the roast venison with Jerusalem artichokes and blueberries of the winter menu. It reopens on 9 February.

Dario Cecchini (Panzano in Chianti - FI)
Via XX Luglio, 11
ph. +39 055 852020

If you're heading towards Panzano in Chianti (don't miss our itinerary to discover this pearl of Chianti), you can't miss a lunch at the legendary butcher Dario Cecchini's. Here you have four alternatives: the Antica Macelleria, where Dario with his Tuscan charm awaits you to let you choose and taste the best cuts of meat, the Cecchini Panini Track (among the specialties you should try the MAC Dario, hamburger in a bread crust served on a bed of salad, tomatoes and baked potatoes or sushi or tuna of Chianti), and even the Officina della Bistecca for a gastronomic experience not to be missed and Solociccia where the real protagonist is obviously always her, the meat.

Oltre Il Giardino (Panzano in Chianti - FI)
Piazza Gastone Bucciarelli, 42
ph. +39 055 852828 - +39 339 8351943 (whatsapp per prenotare)

Located in Panzano on the hills of Chianti, Oltre il giardino is the ideal place to delight both the eyes and the palate. The restaurant has, in fact, a magnificent panoramic terrace - which becomes even more beautiful in spring with the flowering of the wisteria - where you can enjoy the best dishes of traditional Tuscan cuisine accompanied by an excellent wine, such as Chianti Classico.

Antica Macelleria Falorni (Greve in Chianti - FI)
Piazza Giacomo Matteotti, 66
ph. +39 055 853029

To call it a butcher shop is really reductive. In the heart of Greve in Chianti (where we suggest you follow our not only gastronomic itinerary), the Antica Macelleria Falorni is the place where you can rediscover a rural tradition made of flavors and knowledge. For more than 200 years they have been producing high quality meat and cold cuts, handing down from generation to generation the secrets of ancient recipes and the artisan knowledge of processing. Inside the store you can taste their workhorses: from the traditional Tuscan salami to the iconic Veal steaks, from the tender roasts to the tasty tartare, passing through all the local cheeses.

Enoteca Il Quartino di Marchesi Frescobaldi (Pelago - FI)
Via Casentinese Bassa, 16a
ph. +39 055 8311426.

The Quartino of the Frescobaldi family has a wonderful view on the vineyards and a terrace where it is worth eating even in winter for the panorama it offers. Here fast becomes slow, and a burger is not just a sandwich, but a gourmet experience at Km0 made with Chianina IGP and Black Angus meat raised in the wild in the same estate, accompanied by homemade sauces and chips. Another specialty is the knife-beaten tartare with confit tomatoes, sprouts and burst amaranth. Paired with these delicious dishes, one of the prestigious wines from their selection.

Le Tre Rane - Ruffino (Bagno a Ripoli - FI)
Via di Poggio al Mandorlo 1
ph. +39 378 3050220

At the estate-farmhouse of Poggio Casciano we find the inn Le Tre Rane, which offers a Tuscan cuisine, where past and present meet in perfect harmony. An informal and relaxed place, ideal to spend moments of conviviality in the name of beauty and good. The gastronomic management is entrusted to the wise hands of Stefano Frassineti, a native of the lands of Chianti and it is possible to choose between the a la carte menu and seasonal menus, based on fresh products of the territory to be matched with Ruffino Tuscan wines in every period of the year. The pappardelle with duck and the braised beef are absolutely worth tasting.

Ristorante Da Delfina (Artimino - PO)
Via della Chiesa, 1
ph. +39 055 8718074

The atmosphere that we find at Da Delfina in Artimino is the most typical of Tuscan trattorias, and has remained unchanged over time. We find it in the rustic and cozy but at the same time elegant, homemade dishes but well presented and linked to the Tuscan tradition. An environment where time seems to stand still, surrounded by the wonder of the Tuscan hills and the Villa Medicea La Ferdinanda that can be seen from the fantastic terrace of the restaurant. Absolutely not to be missed are the Tuscan antipasto, the taglierini with mushrooms prepared according to the traditional recipe and the rabbit with pine nuts. It reopens on 10 February.

Tullio a Montebeni (Fiesole - FI)
Via Ontignano, 48
ph. +39 055 697354 – 055 697799

An old grocery store that over time has been transformed into a small trattoria with only two small rooms, where they offered typical Tuscan dishes, simple and genuine, such as fried rabbit and chicken accompanied by bread and vegetables, also fried, as well as roasts and the famous Florentine steak cooked on the embers of oak wood. Even today Tullio a Montebeni maintains the charm of the time, so much so that the old wood-burning fireplace of the grandparents is still used daily.onni.