A swanky, special occasion place, sporting carefully designed diffused lighting, glass accoutrements, and a veritable pharmacy of olive oils displayed in the entryway. However, the fanciness doesn’t stop with the interior design. The kitchen is known for its creative takes on typical Tuscan dishes, with the occasional wild departure like squid stuffed with cod, radicchio tomato and lime. There’s a...

The smell of fish wafting out of this place hits you three doors before you get to the entrance. Discriminating locals will say not to bother eating fish in Florence, but if it’s fish you want, this is the place to go. Their primi are mainly light (read: small) fish and pasta dishes, elegantly enlivened with vegetables. Secondi lean toward...

Resoundingly recommended by a local (Italian) foodie, this spare place has small tables along the walls, with padded benches. There’s no pasta on the menu, just seafood (sea bass tartare, codfish fillet, mixed raw seafood with vegetables) and meat dishes (beef cheeks, “sweet bread,” Cinta Senese pork and pigeon), with a few items reserved for those vegetarians who can stand...

One of the city’s rare and gifted seafood places, though it doesn’t come cheap. The interior is certainly fancy, but the disarming friendliness of the staff makes it feel far less formal. There’s no English on the menu, so brush up on your Italian seafood vocab before you go. The mouth-watering options, are augmented by a few envelop-pushing oddities like...

This much-recommended, simple place is well hidden, only about a minute from Ponte Vecchio. The list of primi dishes includes crepes and pastas covered in spicy lobster sauce, salmon or clams. Among the many secondi is the least expensive bistecca alla Fiorentina (rare t-bone steak) I’ve ever seen (15 euros when I visited). There’s also an extensive selection of seafood...