Millions of travelers flock to Italy each year, often with one dish in mind: pasta. While true pasta fanatics would be wise to make a pilgrimage to Bologna for soul food tortellini in brodo and to Rome for its rich carbonara, if you find yourself in Florence, there are pasta treasures to be had. Tuscany (of which Florence is a part) is generally famous for panzanella, peasant soups like ribollita, game such as wild boar and guinea fowl, seafood tomato stews, tripe, and Florentine steaks. But there are plenty of fantastic restaurants serving up delectable bowls of pici, maccheroni, gnudi, tortelli, and pappardelle. So if you re craving a bowl of noodles, head to one of these seven spots, all conveniently located in the city s historical center:
Il MagazzinoThis rustic osteria by Luca Cai is famous for being the first restaurant in Florence to offer creative dishes based on the city s quintessential street food: lampredotto (a cow s fourth stomach). The landmark pasta dish here is the generously sized ravioli stuffed with lampredotto and topped with a Tropea onion sauce. Even those a bit squeamish about eating organ meat will be converts after one plate of this rich ravioli or the pasta with a tripe sugo. For the less adventurous, notable plates include tangy tomato and garlic pici all aglione, gnocchi with a candied tomato sauce in the summer, and pici with kale pesto in colder months.
T AmeròThis charming pasta bar is located in the artisan Oltrarno district s Piazza Santo Spirito. It wins on a few fronts: Pasta is made daily from scratch (and within view of the front entrance, if you d like to watch), and the rotating menu is dedicated to creative takes on regional Italian pasta. The pasta chef in charge, Gianmarco Desole, hails from Sardinia, so you ll find pasta culurgiones, a hand-stitched pasta dumpling filled with potato. Gianmarco adds a personal touch of ginger and mint to the filling and a crispy bite of pancetta atop. Seasonally dressed pappardelle, pici, ravioli, tortelli, and other classics also fill the menu.
LocaleThe restaurant itself—a restored palace dating back to the 12th century—is stunning, and the elevated cuisine matches the refined surroundings. The pasta, in particular, is spectacular here. Chef Danilo D Alessandro diligently handcrafts all of it from scratch, instead of delegating the work to his sous chefs, and it shows. The Tuscan pappardelle with lobster and sea asparagus is a must-order.
Buca dell OrafoThis Florentine institution has been tucked off the Ponte Vecchio since 1945, and seats are limited in the tiny eatery, so it s essential to book in advance. Despite a small kitchen, the restaurant manages to churn out culinary treasures, such as the smooth ricotta-and-spinach-filled ravioli in a sort of cacio e pepe sauce or the maltagliati with ragù bianco, with nutty aged pecorino snowed on top. Tip for navigating the menu: Anything underlined is a more traditional Florentine dish.
Club Culinario Toscano da OsvaldoThe head chef of this charming restaurant, Damiano Vigna, spent much of his childhood traveling throughout Italy, an upbringing that is clearly reflected in his varied offerings. The Tuscan pasta specialty here is Tortelli di Firenzuola, a potato-filled, rectangular-shaped pasta pillow with a choice of sugo from wild boar, heritage Cinta Senese pork, or duck. But all of the pastas are worth ordering, especially the spinach ricotta ravioli in butter and sage and the Pugliese orecchiette with cima di rapa (broccoli rabe) and chili.
Cammillo TrattoriaChiara, daughter of Cammillo s original owner, Bruno Masiero, maintains their Bolognese heritage through family recipes of tortellini and tagliatelle. There s even a small room upstairs, far from the hot kitchen, that is used solely for making the trattoria s various pastas by hand. Stick to the “pasta fresca” offerings, including what might be the best tagliatelle in town—it s impossibly thin. The tortellini in brodo is also perfectly made.
Mercato CentraleInside the Mercato Centrale there a couple of food stands worth heading to for fresh pasta. On the ground level of the market, head to the pasta lab in front of Baroni Alimentari, called La Pasta Fresca. There s the fresh pasta laboratory (there are glass windows into its production facility) as well as a deli for fresh pasta in bulk to take away (pici, ravioli, taglierini, et cetera), and you can buy small plates of prepared pasta to go. Especially tasty is the ricotta spinach ravioli in lemon sauce. There s no seating, but the portions are small enough that you can eat on the go. Upstairs at the food hall, head to Il Tartufo by Savini Tartufi, a fourth-generation, family-owned Tuscan company selling truffles. This stand has a few seats around the chef station and is a gourmet pit stop for a decadent plate of fresh taglioni with a choice of white or black truffles shaved generously atop. Tip: There is a wine bar across the floor with an ample selection of wines (also by the glass). Il Tartufo will allow you to bring some to accompany food ordered.