10 Best Restaurants in Around the Duomo, Florence

Grab a bite and/or a glass of wine after a visit to the nearby Uffizi. Only the very best ingredients go into owner Alessandro Frassica's delectable (if a bit pricey) panini.

One of the best spots in Florence for people-watching offers stellar service, light snacks, and terrific aperitivi. It's been around since the 1860s, and has been famous for its hot and cold chocolate (with or without cream) for more than a century. Though the food is mostly good (it's not a bad place for a light, but expensive, lunch), it's best to stick to drinks (both alcoholic and non-) and the terrific cakes, pies, and pastries.

The feel here is more Munich beer hall than Florentine trattoria—indeed, although the menu lists plenty of Italian dishes, it also has hamburgers and other traditional pub fare. Heavy wooden tables are set closely together, and copies of 19th-century paintings adorn the intensely yellow walls, along with two frescoed Michelangelesque nudes that cavort over a brick arch. There's outside seating in warm weather—a great place to enjoy a beer.

Although there are some serious wine offerings at this spot in the heart of the centro storico, it's also a good place for tasty breakfast baked items and light lunches.

This rustically elegant space, which has served many purposes over the past 600 years, offers some of the tastiest food in town at great prices. It's the perfect place to come if you aren't sure what you're hungry for, as it offers a bit of everything, including several fish dishes, among them carpaccio and grilled offerings, and a selection of pasta dishes that make choosing just one very hard, though the ravioli with pecorino and pears is particularly good. There's also a changing list of piatti unici (single dishes that can be ordered on their own, usually served only at lunch), as well as cheese and cured meat plates, and a tasting menu. The well-culled wine list has lots of great options by the glass and even more by the bottle.

Breakfast, lunch, dessert, and afternoon tea are all possibilities at this restaurant on a leafy outdoor patio in Piazza Signoria. The garden is also open until midnight, serving food until 10 pm, making it a swanky spot for an evening cocktail and light meal.

Chef, artist, and visionary Massimo Bottura has joined forces with the creative folks at Gucci to develop a marvelous tasting menu that is both classic and innovative. Though he trained with Ducasse and Adrià, his major influence was his grandmother's cooking. His protégé, Karime Lopez, helms the kitchen.

Come to this tiny, cramped, and boisterous place for hearty, stick-to-your-ribs Florentine dishes such as ribollita (Tuscan bread soup). Seating is communal, with diners sharing big, straw-covered flasks of wine; service is prompt and efficient; and two nimble cooks with impeccable timing staff the small kitchen.

The name means "Hour of Air" and refers to the time of day when prisoners were let outside for fresh air—alluding to the fact that this gem began life across the street from an old prison. In the kitchen, gifted chef Marco Stabile turns out exquisite Tuscan classics as well as more fanciful dishes, which are as beautiful as they are delicious. Tasting menus give Stabile even greater opportunity to shine, and the carefully culled wine list is a treat.

The Frescobaldi family has run a vineyard for more than 700 years, and this swanky establishment offers tasty and sumptuous fare to accompany some seriously fine wines. The menu is typically Tuscan, but turned up a notch or two. Save room for dessert, as well as one of the dessert wines.