Trattoria Il Francescano

First day of a nine days trip to Florence, I had a long flight just checked in at the hotel and I did what I rarely do… ask hotel staff for a restaurant recommendation. I don’t know why but almost every time I do it i’m always disappointed in the result. This time I have to give it to them their recommendation was excellent.

I really love Italian food and I hate when it’s not authentic and that’s why I really like Il Francescano. Located on next to the Basilica Santa Croce on the piazza the restaurant is very quaint and charming. They have two dining rooms and a small outdoor patio that only has a few tables. The decor is rustic and as soon as you walk in you’ll find the staff very welcoming.

The menu will offer you some authentic Florentine cuisine and has a lot of choices depending of your mood and taste. I took an antipasti of Coccoli crudo e stracchino, Coccoli are fried bread balls and these ones were served with raw ham and soft cheese. If you are dining alone this is pretty heavy and I left a couple of Coccoli in my plate to keep some room for the next dish. I really wanted to try pasta for my first meal in Italy so I went with the Spaghetti alle vongole. This was by far the best one I ever had and I had quite a few. I had to ask the waiter if it was made with oil or butter as it was so rich and tasty. It was made with oil but that just shows you the quality of their ingredients. The clams were whole which was also interesting instead of just having the meat the shell was also on the plate and it made for a nice presentation. If like wine the good thing of eating in Italy is that even their house wine is good, but for the price I accompanied my meal with a nice Chianti Classico. Has I was ordering my espresso I let the waiter sell me on a Tiramisu and I didn’t regret it. Portions was perfect and not too rich to finish the meal.

This is a great spot to have diner or lunch and you will find some good satisfying food. If you’re not familiar with Florence here’s a link below to find them easily on google map.

How to get there