Tuscan cooking is historically at the root of Italian cuisine, and Florence has a strong claim to being the birthplace of Italian gastronomy. Today, while there are plenty of grand gourmet restaurants, this is also a city where you can still eat simple, hearty local dishes at extremely reasonable prices. Sit down at the red-checked table of an ancient trattoria, grab a place at a fiaschetteria (wine bar) or even stand up at a traditional trippaio (tripe stand), and you can feast off a style of cuisine using local products that hasn't changed in centuries. There are wonderful dishes for vegetarians – ribollita soup, barley salad, pappa con pomodoro (bread soaked with tomatoes) – while meat lovers will find themselves in paradise, from the classic Fiorentina T-bone steak, to tasty offal dishes, slow-cooked stews and rich game ragù. Here are 10 of the best places for a very fine feed.
41° is the cocktail sibling to the tapas restaurant Tickets on Paralelo Avenue in Barcelona. Ferran Adria, the mind behind El Bulli, and his brother Albert are partners in the endeavor. Both are chefs by trade and practice. Each gastronomic super-stars in their own right, who rather than build empires and “brands,” focus intently on innovation and top rate preparation of the dishes departing their kitchens nightly. They popularized molecular gastronomy and therefore are to thank or curse depending on your opinion for every dish you are served with foam. In the new venture the Adria brothers are making their breed of “deconstructed gastronomy” more accessible – both socially and economically.
An 18th-century stone aqueduct has been transformed into one of Lisbon’s most intriguing wine bars: Chafariz do Vinho (Rua da Mãe d’Água à Praça da Alegria; 351-21-342-2079;www.chafarizdovinho.com). The enoteca prides itself on offering wines of small, unknown producers, changing the list often and charging rock-bottom prices. But this is more than a place to drink. The kitchen serves its wines alongside lovingly prepared small dishes such as smoked sausage with cabbage, shrimp with mushrooms or smoked codfish with grapes. A four-course tasting menu, paired with wines, starts at 32 euros ($41.28 at $1.29 to the euro).
Chafariz do Vinho - Enoteca
Praça da Alegria
1250-000 Lisboa
Portugal
Sacramento is a trendy restaurant in Lisbon in the theatre district. The atmosphere is casual classic combined with modern and is a favorite with locals. The shrimp and lamb chops are delicious and the wine selection is well balanced. The service is knowledgable and friendly. I have been there several times and the experience was always consistent.
Recommended.
Calçada Sacramento 40 a 46, 1200-394 Lisboa, Portugal
+351 21 342 0572
In a tranquil fishing village south of Lisbon, the house specialty is "octopus in its own greens." Coupled with the local white wine, Quinto Camarate Seco, and a clear view of the Atlantic Ocean, it is hard to imagine a fresher or more savory lunch. Highly recommended.
Restaurante O Velho e o Mar
R. Joaquim Brandão 30, 2970 Sesimbra, Portugal
+351 21 087 9995
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Located in Born, this popular tapas bar off La Calle de Princessa is always crowded so be prepared to wait to be seated. The wine list features a nice list of local Spanish wines and the specialties are seasonal. Classic standbys include the tuna tartar and bombas. I ate the suckling pig tacos, which were fantastic. Try several different dishes for a wide variety of tastes. The house dessert last night was lemon tart with meringue -- not to be missed!
Highly recommended.
In Barcelonetta there is a hole-in-the-wall tapas bar that reveals no indication that it is one of the top 25 stops to make for gourmandes. It is noisy, unpretentious, and full of locals. There is an upper-case "R" for "Relais" discretely placed above the heavy wooden door, but beyond that there are none of the usual trappings: the silverware and napkins are of the cafeteria variety; there is no linen; there is no wine list, on the contrary, the only wine on offer is poured from a casket. The kitchen is an open grill managed by the abuela, the staff are the children, and the maitre'd is probably the father. My recommendation is to grab a place standing at the bar and start ordering because if you insist on waiting for a table, they might close the door before you get seated. They are famous for their bombas and all of the seafood is seasonal and fresh. Today's specialties were grilled gambas, razor clams and artichokes to die for.
Highly recommended. Open daily for lunch.
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Bar a Vins Fabricia Moritz is in a strikingly renovated 19th-century brewery.
Bar a Vins Fabrica Moritz Barcelona
Ronda Sant Antoni, 41 Tel: (011) 34-934-260-050 Website: www.moritz.com Open Daily, noon-2am
Monvinic
Carrer de la Diputacion, 249 Tel: (011) 34-932-726-187 Website: www.monvinc.com Open Monday to Friday; bar, 1 pm to 11:30 pm, kitchen, 1:30 pm to 3:30 pm and 8 pm to 10:30 pm; hours vary in August
Onofre
Carrer de al Mgdalenes, 19 Tel: (011) 34-933-176-937 Website: www.onofre. net Open Monday to Saturday 10 am to 5 pm and 7:30 pm to midnight.
Vila Vinoteca
Carrer Agullers, 7 Tel: (011) 34-902-327-777 Website: www.vilaviniteca.es Open Monday to Saturday, 8: 30 am to 8:30 pm; hours vary in August.
La Vinya Del Senyor
Placa Santa Maria, 5 Tel: (011) 34-933-103-379 Website: www.lavinyadelsenyor.com Open Daily, noon to 1 am.
Zim
Carrer Dagueria, 20 Website: www.barzimbcn.com Open Monday to Saturday, 6 pm to 11 pm; hours vary in August.
There is an intriguing guide to the best cheap eats in Florence published by The Guardian.
Hidden away between tacky leather boutiques along the St Lorenzo street market, Gianni Migliorini's wine bar has one of the best selections of Tuscan vintages in town. Many are sold by the glass and accompanied by an irresistible selection of hams, sausages, cheeses, anchovies and sardines, while a whole roast suckling pig sits on a marble slab, ready to be sliced up for a delicious porchetta sandwich. The place is jam-packed all day, and apart from the rickety wooden bench on the pavement, everyone squeezes inside and eats their gourmet panino, bruschetta or salad standing up.
• 16 via dell'Ariento, casadelvino.it. Average meal €10
Trattoria da Mario
The square behind the food market, the Mercato Centrale, is lined with scores of restaurants and pizzerias, most of which are best avoided. But do look out for the tiny entrance of legendary Trattoria da Mario, a friendly family-run affair that has been serving excellent, well-priced Tuscan food for 60 years. Only open at lunch and often drawing queues as they don't take reservations, it has a menu that changes daily, featuring the classic ribollita vegetable soup and a hearty bollito misto, boiled beef and tongue with a zingy parsley sauce. It's also worth splashing out for the massive bistecca Fiorentina.
• 2 via Rosina, trattoria-mario.com. Average meal €20
Il Teatro del Sale
This has to be both the best deal and most original place to eat in Florence. It was created by flamboyant chef Fabio Picchi and his actress wife, Maria Cassi, and you pay €5 to join this artistic club, open from Tuesday to Saturday for breakfast, lunch and dinner, with a live show at night. A tempting buffet is laid out, then the chef shouts out dishes from the window of his open kitchen and guests line up to be served wonderful creations like pasta with artichokes and red mullet, oven-roasted with herbs and olive oil. The meal spreads over 10 dishes, with wine and coffee included in the price. Dinner costs €10 extra, as the live entertainment is included in the price.
• 18 via de'Macci, +39 55 200 1492, edizioniteatrodelsalecibreofirenze.it. Average meal £17
Il Vinaino
A traditional osteria in Florence is known as a fiaschetteria, a spit-and-sawdust tavern where wine was traditionally served straight from the iconic straw-wrapped flask that symbolises chianti around the world. Il Vinaino is just near the main train station, and has not changed much in a century – though the quality of the wine has definitely improved – and you can feast off a steaming plate of homemade tagliatelle smothered with fresh porcini mushrooms or a rich wild boar sauce.
• 124 via Palazzuolo, +39 55 292287. Average meal €10
Oibò
When E M Forster described the romantic Piazza Santa Croce in A Room with a View, he would never have imagined the day would come when the most popular spot on the square was a bright modern cocktail bar with a DJ blasting house and techno dance music. But though it may initially look like a museum city, Florence manages to move with the times, and its big student population is drawn to hip locales such as Oibò, rather than to rustic osterie. Lunch is cheap and cheerful – basic pasta and salad dishes – but the time to come is for the aperitivo buffet. From 7pm to 10pm drinks are €8, and accompanied by a huge eat-as-much-as-you-want buffet, which ranges from pizza and lasagne to couscous and caprese salad.
• 53 via dei Benci, +39 55 263 8611, oibo.net. Average meal £7
Zoe
While Oibò is right in the heart of tourist Florence, Zoe is well off the beaten track, on the other side of the Arno river. The design is minimalist and modern, with an open kitchen and, at lunch, they serve 15 kinds of huge salads, which can be a welcome break in a city where everyone seems to only eat meat. But the place really comes to life in the early evening when the apericena buffet is priced at €7 a drink, whether you order a beer or a mojito, and lasts from 5pm until 10pm. If Zoe is too packed, check out the next-door bar, Negroni.
• 15 via dei Renai, +39 55243111, zoebar.it
Trattoria La Casalinga
For a perfect slice of local Florentine life, don't miss this old-fashioned, home-cooking trattoria, packed at lunch and dinner with locals living in Oltrarno, the artisan neighbourhood across the river from all the famous sights. It is impossible to eat a pasta and a main course here as the portions are just too huge, though the bean and minestra soups are excellent. Renowned for the peposa beef stew, trippa alla fiorentina, and baccalà salt cod, cooked alla Livornese with tomatoes and basil.
• 9 via dei Michelozzi, +39 55 218624, trattorialacasalinga.it. Average meal €20
Da Vinattieri
In a narrow alleyway, just off Piazza Santa Croce, da Vinattieri is a hole-in-the-wall bar with just a few stools lined up outside on the pavement. But the food is something special. Owner-chef-barman Cristiano Santoni starts early in the morning baking schiacciata (Tuscan bread – regulars drop in when it is fresh out of the oven) and stuffing it with salami, gorgonzola and artichoke hearts. In the tiny kitchen, pots of lampredotto (cow stomach), tripe and zuppa di farro (spelt soup) bubble away, served at lunchtime with crusty bread rolls.
• 4 via Santa Margherita, +39 55 294703. Average meal €8
Sabatino
The Buccione family founded this wonderful trattoria more than 50 years ago, though this out-of-the-way address, at the edge of the city centre by Porta San Frediano, has been their home for just a few years. Mind you, with a white-tiled bar, blackened beams and red-checked tablecloths, the place looks as if it opened a century ago. It's difficult to find lower prices anywhere in town, and the menu changes daily to include dishes such as roast guinea fowl, osso buco (veal shank) and tortellini with a rich ragù sauce.
• 2 via Pisana, +39 55 225955. Average meal €15
Nerbone
A must-see for anyone interested in food, the Mercato Centrale is a seething market stacked with every produce Tuscany is famous for, from olive oil and fragrant white truffles, to finocchiona salami and pecorino cheese. Apart from butchers, fishmongers, cheese specialists and grocers, there is also a host of bars and food stands, yet no one attracts the crowds like Nerbone, founded in 1872. The brave won't be able to resist ox tongue or tripe braised with beans. There is also a fine bruschetta with chicken liver pate, pappa con pomodoro, and cheap daily risotto.
• via Sant'Antonino, +39 55 219949. Average meal €12
Informal
La Cova Fumada, a family-run, hole in the wall bodega, is rarely less than bursting with locals. Legend has it that the potato bomba (balls of mashed potato stuffed with meat, rolled in breadcrumbs and served with spicy sauces) was invented here. Small octopus, marinaded sardines, and grilled breads in garlic mayonnaise are three other specialities that are equally as deserving of your attention (00 34 93 221 4061; Carrer del Baluard; closed Sun; from £2.40).
There are no seats at Quimet I Quimet, just two small tables. Yet this glorified wine cellar serves delicious tapas – cold meats, cheeses, seafood, caviar, jams – to crowds that spill onto the pavement. Quimet is said to be one of the favoured tapas haunts of El Bulli’s Adrià brothers: try the salmon and truffled honey montaditos to see why (00 34 93 442 3142; Poeta Cabanyes 25; closed Sun & August; from £1).
Modern
Bar del Pla is casual, but culinary standards are still high at this bar close to the Museu Picasso. The menu is more ambitious than in most taverns, with pig’s trotters and tempura-esque artichokes. Standards like pa amb tomàquet (toasted bread rubbed with tomato and olive oil) are among the most outstanding in the city (Carrer de Montcada; closed Sun & Mon; from £1.30).
Two tiny rooms with stools by a counter where chefs prepare the food on the spot, Cal Pep is a Barcelona institution. Seafood is the speciality here, with the trifásico – a combination of battered whitebait, shrimp and calamari – a favourite with locals. The size and popularity of the place mean that queuing is inevitable, but this makes chatting with the regulars even easier (Plaça de les Olles 8; closed Aug; from £3).
Set up by Ferran and Albert Adrià, the former head chefs at internationally renowned – and sadly now closed – restaurant El Bulli, the more laid-back Tickets takes Barcelona’s tapas tradition to new heights. Specialities adapted from the El Bulli menu include baguettes emptied of bread and filled with Iberico ham, liquid ravioli, and candyfloss trees filled with fruit (Av del Paral.lel 164; closed Mon & Sun, & Aug; from £4.50).