The best summer street food in Florence

Our suggestions for spending hot summer evenings outdoors with good food, music and fun

To beat the summer heat, there is nothing better than a nice dinner enjoyed outdoors, in complete relaxation, and, fortunately, Florence offers many possibilities from this point of view. This is why we take you on a discovery of the city centre's summer venues with the best culinary proposals and the most beautiful locations to spend cool evenings in excellent company!

Would you like to discover the most beautiful terraces in Florence? Click here! While the summer clubs not to be missed can be found here!

• OFF Bar
  Piazzale Oriana Fallaci

For more than ten years now, the Off Bar has been the summer bar and street food par excellence for all Florentines who spend the summer in the city. Embraced by the walls of the legendary Fortezza da Basso, surrounded by greenery and overlooking the suggestive Swan Lake, it is a fundamental meeting point for many young people who come here to have a good drink, listen to good music and, of course, for the food! The food proposal of this venue is very varied and for all tastes, this year you will find the legendary hamburgers of Melloo, the exotic flavours of Thai Food Living and the fantastic pizza of Pizzagnolo.

Off bar

• La Toraia sul Lungarno
  Lungarno del Tempio, 3460

La Toraia is the result of Tenuta La Fratta's desire to bring the goodness of the Val di Chiana countryside to the city, first and foremost the legendary Chianina, the prime beef that is raised in this area of Tuscany. At the Toraia sul Lungarno you will therefore find street food of the highest quality in a location that is not only stupendous - we are in the very centre of the city and the view is of the Lungarno, Piazzale Michelangelo and the green hills in the background - but also suitable for everyone, young and old: there are games and kid's areas, theatrical shows for the little ones and live music every evening, jazz, gypsy and blues.

La Toraia

• Molo Firenze
  Lungarno Cristoforo Colombo, 27

It is the place that for years has enlivened summer evenings on the Lungarno, from aperitifs to after-dinner drinks, offering an incredible variety of food: there is lampredotto from Ditta Eredi Nigro, pizza made with organic ingredients from SimBIOsi, seafood recipes from Polpaio dell'Elba and Nura, an Indian food track that prepares vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free dishes. To close, there is ice cream from the historic Gelateria Vivaldi. There will also be excellent drinks, live music for all tastes on the floating stage that will be set up in collaboration with the Canottieri Comunali, yoga and capoeira courses, table tennis tournaments, and rafting excursions.

Molo Firenze

• Fiorino sull’Arno
  Lungarno Guglielmo Pecori Giraldi

More than a street food, the Fiorino sull'Arno is a real open-air restaurant, overlooking the banks of the Arno river. Here, in fact, you can spend a fresh and very pleasant dinner sitting at the tables and enjoying excellent fish and meat dishes. In addition to the restaurant, however, you will also find street food for all palates, to be enjoyed freely in your favourite part of the garden. Along with food, tasty cocktails and, above all, lots of great music: during the week there are various DJ sets and at the weekend live music events. And then yoga classes every Monday and literary meetings in collaboration with the independent bookshop L'Ornitorinco.

Fiorino sull'Arno

• Giardino dell’Orticoltura
  Via Vittorio Emanuele II, 4

Open daily from 10 a.m. until late in the evening, this magical place serves breakfast, lunch, snacks, aperitifs and dinners accompanied by many cultural events! The setting is the Garden of Horticulture, known by the Florentines as the Garden of the Dragon, where greenery and flowers reign supreme even during the summer heat. Here you can enjoy pizza, pasta dishes, sandwiches snacks and salads along with excellent beers, draught and craft, and tasty cocktails. Workshops are also organised for children, and for adults there is a course in pizzica and traditional southern Italian dances.

Giardino Dell'ArteCultura

• Ultravox
  Il Prato Delle Cornacchie, Via Galoppatoio dei Barberi

In the heart of the Parco delle Cascine, in the area adjacent to the Ernesto de Pascale Amphitheatre, Ultravox is back, a green area with free admission and a rich programme of events. Every day there will be shows, concerts, markets, theme evenings and festivals, such as 'Volare', the festival that from 30 June to 2 July will host planes and drones, hot air balloons and kites, Leonardo models and exhibitions, workshops, demonstrations and flights of birds of prey. But the real novelty this year is the food proposal: arriving for the first time at Ultravox is Tris Home, the food truck specialising in frying chicken with a special coating of corn flour and spices, therefore gluten-free, which can be tried in a tray with French fries or in a wrap with salad, tomato and mayonnaise.

Ultravox

• Limonaia di Villa Strozzi
  Via Pisana, 77

It is one of the most magical places in the city and has now become one of the most successful recreational and cultural centres, thanks mainly to the beautiful open-air theatre that often hosts concerts, plays, film and dance performances. In addition to the outdoor spaces, however, there is also the beautiful Sala Polivalente, designed by Giovanni Michelucci, which hosts exhibitions and art installations. In this beautiful cultural centre, of course, in addition to nourishing the spirit, you can also nourish the body, thanks to its varied food offerings: classic and gourmet pizzas, salads, burgers, tagliata and fried meats!

Villa Strozzi Firenze

• Light – Il Giardino di Marte
  Viale Fanti

Located in the garden of Campo di Marte, adjacent to the Artemio Franchi stadium, Light is a bright and fresh, lively but relaxing place, suitable for all tastes and ages. This year's programme includes music from Wednesday to Saturday, live and DJ sets, and then the classic Sunday cinema, which every year offers a truly sophisticated film selection. As for food, there is everything: pizza baked in a wood-fired oven, grilled arrosticini, tasty hamburgers and lots of tasty fried food, all accompanied by excellent drinks expertly prepared by the bar boys.

Light – Il Giardino di Marte

• La Birr’aia
  Via di Santa Maria a Marignolle, 29/C

It is a spectacular agricultural bistro nestled in the green hills of Bellosguardo and Marignolle, which can also be reached on foot from the city centre with a pleasant walk of a few kilometres. Here, in addition to enjoying a charming and extremely relaxing setting that will make you forget the stress of the city, you can taste the fantastic artisanal beers produced by Birrificio Oltrarno in the very same field where the Birr'aia bistro is located. Along with the beers, many gourmet proposals and traditional Florentine dishes. Plus lots of great live music!

La Birr’aia

• Fuoribordo Ekò
  Via Fabrizio De Andrè

Located amidst 5000 square metres of greenery overlooking the Arno River and just outside the historic centre of Florence, the Fuoribordo Ekò is a venue that has the flavour and character of a real urban jungle. There is a large amusement area with mini-golf for adults and children and a fun human billiard table. To satisfy the palates there are plenty of proposals, no less than seven food corners: fried chicken and burritos from A Tutto Pollo, fish sandwiches from Chiosco di Mare, pokè from Molokai, pizzas and pinse from La Crusca, oriental flavours from Kucinasia, hamburgers and the very special meat sushi from Il Ro-manziere and, to close, low-calorie desserts and ice cream from Di-Stre-Et.

Fuoribordo

• Fico Bistrot
  Via Faentina, 145

Located in the Pettini Burresi area park, in the Cure district, the Fico Bistrot is a youthful but elegant summer space, with a minimalist décor that fits perfectly into the environmental context in which it is located without distorting it. There are many fine musical evenings here, ranging from jazz on Thursdays to DJ sets on Saturday nights, and then book presentations, swing dance evenings and children's shows. The culinary offer is mouth-watering and varied: there is pinsa, land and sea fries, hamburgers, desserts and, in addition, an all-vegan menu.

Fico bistrò