Never mind that I was fully prepped prior to arrival in Florence by friends and family who have studied and visited here; the amount of awesome restaurants I’ve seen is still overwhelming. Needless to say, going out for dinner and drinks with friends is a fantastic way to get your night started. First and foremost, just for honoring some lovely Italians with your presence and sampling their fare, you usually receive more free drinks than I did on my 21st birthday in the States. The atmosphere in Florentine restaurants is much warmer and more festive than those of American ones: I almost feel like it’s acceptable to jump up on your table and start a dance party in between courses (I said almost).
And I didn’t truly understand the exclamations about the quality of Italian food (Fresh! No preservatives! Best pizza ever! Amazing wine!) until I got my hands on the real stuff. Here are a few places that did for me what Florence restaurants promise: tantalize your tastebuds, put a smile on your face, and send you on your way to the next part of your night.
Buca Poldo: We went to this one for my friend Rachel’s birthday, accompanied by Fabio, Richie, & Co. (friendly club promoters who know how to show Americans a good time).
They easily accommodated our big group with an outdoor table. The patio was covered in ivy and Christmas lights, which made for an Old World Italy feel. The Italians ordered white and red wines, and both were great. I went all out with the food. The primi piatti was spaghetti with meat sauce and carmelized onions (sounds nasty but was a little sweet and a lot delicious). The main course was chicken with balsamic vinegar and roasted potatoes. My only caution with this restaurant is don’t overdo it on the food and wine, because I would have been just as happy to roll home into bed instead of a club after that meal.
I Ghibellini: Located in Piazza San Pier Maggiore, this place has an extensive menu of pizzas and pastas.
Not being a wine connoisseur, I ordered a liter of the house white, and it made me very happy. And by happy, I mean drunk. My friend talked me into splitting a pasta dish with cream and truffles- a classy order by my standards- and it was great. Things looked up even more towards the end of the meal, when the waiter brought us limoncello.
Fusion: I’m addicted to sushi, so I rounded up some ambitious dining buddies and went here. Sushi in Italy is definitely expensive, but it’s worth it if you only go a few times during the semester.
Fusion is part of the Gallery Hotel Art, right by the Ponte Vecchio. The bartenders are awesome and know how to whip up mean girly-drinks. Mine was crushed ice, kiwi, lime, sugar, and blended with a light sake. Molto bene. The décor was chic, with orange banquettes, really funky dishes and test tubes straight out of chemistry class for the soy sauce. The sushi was pretty good. It’s not as good as in the U.S., but when you have a craving, it gets the job done.
Tijuana: Great Mexican.
This place has a great atmosphere, with (what looks like) authentic decorations, and fun Mexican music in the background. I ordered fajitas, but they have a pretty extensive menu of Mexican dishes. The downside was that the margaritas sucked, but all was not lost, since there was excellent sangria. I was definitely in the mood to party after dinner.
You can’t really go wrong with dinner in Florence. I love the way Italians eat late and dinners are so chill. Bars and clubs are loud and filled with intoxicated people, so it’s nice to be able to have conversations and enjoy the people you are with beforehand at a cool restaurant.
And the best part of all: no dirty dishes waiting for you when you’re done.
