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A meal in this rustic place is always special, as the menu offers Tuscan classics as well as other dishes with a hint of fantasy. Try the excellent mushroom soup made with porcini, or opt for a roast boar or another of the dishes featuring game. The menu is rounded out by a varied wine selection. In warmer months, this fine fare can be had in the garden.
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.
In the hands of the Giannini family since the early 2000s, Trattoria la Darsena excels in both its traditional and more creative seafood dishes. Crudo di mare (raw seafood tartare) and the seasonal spaghetti alla polpa di riccio (sea urchin spaghetti) are both firm favorites, and the wine list with more than 200 options is a passion project for the owner and his son.
