By the time we got to Florence, I was really starting to doubt my ability to research and find places we enjoyed eating. Our dinner that night as at yet another place that the message boards on Chowhound raved about, Trattoria I due G. Let me paste my notes in directly so you can see the progression of our meal:

Caprese salad – good tomatoes (not great), felt nice to eat something light
I due G appetizer -variety of spreads on crostini
Pappardelle with wild boar-slight sweetness, almost too salty but not quite.
(Have I ever had rabbit? It’s good, but better when I heap cheese on top)
We aren’t pasta people! Hallelujah!
Beef in red wine-way too much red wine, nothing special
48 euros

3 out of 10 stars for I due G

It was yet another meal that left us feeling uninspired and frustrated, but it did help us come to the realization that we just don’t really love pasta. When the noodles are fresh and homemade, that is something to sing about, but otherwise we’d be much happier ordering other options on the menu. I wish we had come to this realization a little bit earlier.

I tweeted about this, and a friend put me in contact with a friend of her who had lived in Florence for an extended period and was happy to tell us about some of her favorite places. On her recommendation we wandered over to a tiny little place called The Oil Shoppe, normally a place I would avoid because the shop name is English, the menu is entirely in English, and it’s filled with tourists who speak English. But how can I fault Alberto, the shop owner for choosing a target market and doing what he does in a delicious way? The sandwiches are made on fresh artisanal breads with local-friendly ingredients and if you go I highly recommend you order “the chef special with all the sauces he has on hand”. That means Alberto will make up your sandwich right then and there, and it will be awesome. Our other choice was the Modena (prosciutto, arugula, grilled eggplant, shavings of Parmesan, balsamic vinegar, and walnut sauce).

8 out of 10 stars for The Oil Shoppe

We then embarked on the gelato sampling portion of our trip, hitting up two different chocolate shops in a row. The first was Vestri, where I had Cioccolato fondente all’Arancia (chocolate and orange) and Crema Fiorentina (Florentine vanilla). This is a great shop to visit if you want to pick up a little gift for someone back home, as they have these teeny tiny glass jars of hazlenut spread that are easy to pack around for the rest of your trip.

9 out of 10 stars for Vestri

The second was Arte del Cioccolato, where they are serious about their chocolate artist status. When we walked in there was a man in front of us who didn’t speak any Italian and via my rudimentary skills we were able to negotiate with the Italian-only shop owner to find out the price of his dessert of choice. He ordered it, sat down, devoured it, and stood up with a big smile. We asked him what it was and he said “I have no idea, but it was exactly what I was looking for.”

The first thing we ordered was what he had, the Tortino Catinari and because we came for some gelato we also got White chocolate gelato with dark chocolate cacao nibs.  The tortino is a specialty of the bakery and you must try it if it’s available (a really interesting combination of textures and tastes). We loved this place so much we went back again the next day.

10 out of 10 stars for Arte del Cioccolato

After browsing some shops and walking the streets we were on our way out to Club Paradiso (a mom and pop “club” described here) when I spotted a sign advertising a place called Obika. As a cheese lover, I wanted to go inside because who had ever had of a mozzarella bar? And everyone had said we just had to have some Stracciatella di Burrata while in Italy (I didn’t get what this was, but I understand it now). Did we like it? Enough to blow off our lunch plans the next day and come back for another round. It was a menu free of pasta and even though it’s in the beginning stages of developing into a worldwide chain (they have locations in New York and Los Angeles currently), something I normally would avoid, it was one of the highlights of Florence for me.

Here are my notes from my phone:

Caprese classica
Degustazione di mozarelle di bufala campana DOP (DOP means controlled designation of origin)
Selezioni di Salumi
Selezione di Verdure


Bread wasn’t stale! Foccacia was perfect, crispy on the outside, soft in the middle, with big chunks of sea salt on top (but not too much!)
Caprese classica is amazing, especially with the accompanying balsamic
The mild pontina mozzarella pairs well with the prosciutto whereas the smoked affumicata mozzarella pairs well with the Milder mortadella ( which is also the best mortadella we’ve had).
TH would say skip the grilled veggies – the eggplant was tough and the others were not in the same league as the rest of the meal.
My personal favorite pairing was prosciutto, cherry tomato, and mild pontina. The classic mozzarella which came with the caprese was the best of all though.

The next day we went back and had the Stracciatella di Buraata, and now I’m kicking myself for only ordering that once. I recently tasted Spiaggia’s version of this mozzarella in Chicago, and it doesn’t even compare to what we tasted in Florence.

39 euros for a meal both times we went

10 out of 10 stars for Obika

The day that we left we walked over to a place called Il Re at Viale Strozzi 8r for some Crema All’Uovo, olive oil gelato. I know you’re probably thinking that olive oil gelato isn’t something you’d like, but please, please, this gelato is worth the walk. The olive oil makes the gelato creamy and rich (which is saying something, because gelato is so popular precisely because of how creamy and rich it is compared to ice cream).

9 out of 10 stars for olive oil gelato at Il Re

And because her notes to me were so helpful (and there were so many places she mentioned we never made it to!) here is what my friend recommended in Florence:

Acqua al Due: Via Della Vigna Vecchia 40’R (near Via dell’acqua)
This is a restaurant we would go to on special occasions…not super pricy by pricy for students. Best known for the bistecca al balsamico (steak with an amazing balsamic sauce) or similarly, bistecca al mirtello (with a blueberry sauce!). They also did an assaggio (assortment) of their best pastas of the evening that could be shared with 3 people. Vivoli is right around the corner!! (considered a top gelato contender)

Club Paradiso: Via dell’Orto 24’R between Via San Giovanni and Piazza de Nerli (Lungarno – on the “other side” of the Arno)
~20 Euro for a 5 course meal. This is a small mom and pop “club” – based on Italian law, certain restaurants/bars require you to be a “member” in order to get served. All this means is you fill out a Xeroxed form when you sit down. But the experience is magical! The menu changes daily – very authentic. The owner Andrea will bring a chalk board over explaining the dishes and he and his wife Manuela cook everything! A Carabinieri haunt!Vecchio

Carlino: Viale Fratelli Rosselli 15/17 r This was the first restaurant I ate in when I went to Florence! Excellent pork chops. Also a pizzeria –the Quattro Stagione (4 seasons pizza) is great.

The Oil Shoppe: Via S.Egidio, 22R
A regular sandwich shop in the city center! The owner/chef creates ridiculously amazing sandwiches on fresh artisanal bread. Allow him to create something for you with all the sauces he has on hand. Great for a quick lunch while you are walking around.

My favorite Pizzeria/Bread shop was this tiny tiny place called Panificio Moretti on the corner of Via Guelfa and Via San Zenobi. The owner/shop keeper was a very handsome young man. The pizza was sold by the kg and it was fabulous – my favorite was one that had pear, walnuts and a form of goat cheese on it with some oil, nothing more. [I'll always be sad we didn't go here! We chose that creamy mozzarella instead :) ]

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