43 Best Restaurants in Tuscany, Italy

You can enjoy straightforward Tuscan fare in the massive tower at the abbey's entrance, or, when it's warm, on a flower-filled terrace. The pici ai funghi (extra-thick handmade spaghetti with mushroom sauce) or zuppa di funghi (mushroom soup) take the sting out of a crisp winter day, and the grilled meats are a good bet at any time of year. If you want lighter fare, there's a bar serving panini that has outdoor seating.

This place could be mistaken for a grandmother's kitchen—it's completely unpretentious, with red-and-white-checked tablecloths and a waitstaff who treat you like an old friend. The restaurant teems with locals who appreciate the rock-bottom prices for well-prepared Tuscan specialties that include a superb tagliolini sui fagioli (thin noodles with beans).

This unpretentious locale excels in preparing its namesake dish—lardo, which is essentially cured pork fat seasoned with salt, pepper, rosemary, and garlic, and then thinly sliced and eaten with unsalted Tuscan bread. It hails from Colonnata and is much loved all over Tuscany. Order the salumi misti e lardo charcuterie board with sgabei (fried dough) to get a taste of everything. 

On the daily menu you're likely to find both Sienese standards, such as spaghetti saporiti con agli aromi (with tomatoes and herbs), as well as more offbeat selections like bocconcini di pollo alla mediterranea (tender chicken cooked in a robust tomato-and-olive sauce). Husband-and-wife team Simone Romi and Sabrina Fabi are committed to including piatti di verdura (vegetarian dishes) among the choices, and they've put together a great wine list. A tasting menu allows you to sample just about all the daily specials. The little restaurant with high vaulted ceilings is in the oldest part of town.

If you're wiped out from too much sightseeing, consider a meal at this hole-in-the-wall restaurant where locals congregate for a simple lunch. There's a collection of verdure sott'olio, a wide selection of affettati misti, and pasta—all of which can be washed down with the cheap, yet eminently drinkable, house wines. Don't be put off by the absence of a written menu—all the food is displayed at the counter, so you can point if you need to.

Silvia Bonechi's experience in the kitchen—with the help of a few precious recipes handed down from her grandmother—is one of the reasons for the success of this small restaurant in the tiny hamlet of Lucarelli; the other is the front-room hospitality of Nada Michelassi. These two panzanelle (women from Panzano) serve a short menu of tasty and authentic dishes at what the locals refer to as il prezzo giusto (the right price).

Wall-to-wall Communist memorabilia greets you in this down-to-earth locale that serves cucina contadina (peasant's fare) with free-flowing beers and regular live music. The Livornese baccalà (salted cod) is a must-order, as are the chickpeas with parsley and white fish.

With sweeping views of Pienza, this family-owned farmhouse restaurant is decked out in the style of traditional Tuscan trattoria with frescoes depicting idyllic country scenes and plenty of exposed brickwork. The menu is equally rustic, with such lovingly served dishes as antipasti of local salumi (cold cuts) and ragù di cinghiale (wild boar ragu), whose recipe is a closely guarded family secret.

This one-room prosciutteria, which opens late in the morning and closes late at night, serves salads and sandwiches featuring pork products in their various incarnations. Locals flock here for good reason—portions are large, prices are reasonable, the wine list is strong, the hosts are gregarious, and offerings for those who don't eat meat but do eat fish include the anchovy/sliced potato salad soaked in top-notch olive oil and dotted with capers.

Panini are the order of the day here, and they come with historic names (bearing no relation to what's actually contained between those two pieces of bread). Cured Italian pork products figure heavily, but there are vegetarian and pescatarian options, too. As evidenced by the caramello burro saltato con mascarpone (caramelized butter with a soft, spreadable, cow's milk cheese), dessert might also be served on the restaurant's tasty bread.

This rustic taverna with a large stone fireplace is amid vineyards that produce excellent Brunello—as well as its younger cousin, Rosso di Montalcino—a few minutes south of Montalcino, in the direction of Sant'Antimo. Many of the ingredients used in soup, gnocchi, bruschetta, and other traditional specialties are grown on the estate farm.

Family-run Da Badò—with Lucia in the kitchen and her sons, Giacomo and Michele, waiting tables—is the best place in town to eat traditional food elbow-to-elbow with locals; Lucia likes to concentrate on just a few dishes, so it won't take long to decide between the standards, all prepared with a sure hand. Consider the zuppa alla volterrana (a soup made with vegetables and bread), pappardelle alla lepre (wide fettuccine with rabbit sauce), or a stew of either rabbit or wild boar—for dessert, a slice of homemade almond tart is a must.

The macabre decor is not for the faint of heart, but any lover of seriously good food can look beyond the disembodied dolls (among other things) adorning the dining room's walls. The menu is strong on local dishes, served in generous portions. If you're lucky, Ubaldo himself will be on the scene.