Dining: October 2008

This home-style trattoria is always closely packed with its regular clientele. The simple decor of red-checked tablecloths is the epitomy of "Italian", and the food follows suit. The menu includes classic Italian dishes like fried (fritto), boiled (bollito) and roasted (arrosto) meats, plus fish specialties on Friday. The pastas and soups are fabulous. If you're looking for a welcoming atmosphere and outstanding traditional food, look no further.

Aquacotto
Via dei Pilastri 51r
Firenze
Tel. 055 242 907
Closed Sunday (and August)

Antico Noe has two restaurants side-by-side and both under the same ownership - one is a sandwich shop famous for overflowing tuscan panini and the other a sit-down osteria offering seasonal specialties.

The sandwich shop is popular with the student community and local shopkeepers because it's a great place for a quick, cheap and delicious lunch. Order a sandwich from their menu, or create your own combination, and follow it with a glass of house wine.

The osteria offers Tuscan dishes with a strong emphasis on local seasonal ingredients - truffles, porcini and artichokes to name a few. The tagliatelle ai porcini is a local favorite, and the truffled eggs are a tasty bargain.

Both locations are found in an arcaded alley off the Piazza San Pier Maggiore (sometimes frequented by a local community of friendly vagrants). You'll know you've found the place when you see the line of lunch customers forming at the door.

Antico Noe
Volta di San Piero 6r
Firenze
Tel. 055 234 0838
Closed Sun (and for several weeks in August)
Credit Cards accepted

Popular with both Florentines and foreigners alike, this small sandwich shop is the perfect place to grab a quick bite and wash it down with some local wine. With a convenient location on a pedestrian street behind the Uffizi Gallery, you can choose from a wide range of reasonably-priced crostini, sandwiches, cheeses, Italian cold cuts and roasted meats. Some of the dishes are prepared at the rotisserie across the street under the same ownership - the roast pig (porchetta) sandwich is a favorite not to be missed. They offer a handful of stools to perch on, but most people prefer to grab a snack, pour up a glass of wine and socialize with the other patrons on the street in front - especially popular in the early evening for an inexpensive aperativo.

All'Antico Vinaio
Via dei Neri 65r
Firenze
Tel. 055 238 2723
Closed Sunday
no credit cards (unless you pay at their rosticceria across the street)