Best steak in Florence: where do the Florentines go to eat the Florentine steak?

Florentine steak is an icon! Tuscany is probably one of the most carnivorous regions in Italy, where beef reigns supreme. Tuscans eat it strictly rare. It is often joked (but not too much) that if the steak is correctly prepared, a good veterinarian could still bring the cow back to life!

Florentine steak seems like a very simple recipe. What does it take to cook a rare steak? Instead, to enjoy and appreciate it, you need to know where to go.

The secret of the steak lies in the quality of the meat, in the aging and cooking. What seems simple, in reality requires great knowledge and technique.

So, where do Florentines go to eat florentine steak in Florence?

Florentine steak in Florence

Florentines eat steak in trattorias that never serve it well done, in places where they know they will find quality meat. In the centre of Florence there are always fewer authentic places, restaurants that care about quality and do not accept compromise so they can offer a lower price. While walking around the city, on every corner you will find advertisements for steak menus at 25 euros per person. I advise you to be wary of these offers.

Good meat cannot be cheap. Do not trust as well menus that offer a 500 gr steak. The Florentine steak is a precise cut and the steak is at least four fingers thick. “Sotto quattro dita l’è carpaccio” – “Under four fingers it’s a carpaccio”, they say in Florence.

A piece of meat of this size simply cannot weigh less than 900 gr – 1 kg. So the Florentine steak is a dish to share!

The 5 best places to eat the best steak in Florence

I’Tuscani

I’Tuscani is the reign of meat. Honestly, it’s the restaurant where I go when I want to eat steak. Enrico, an old-fashioned host, will welcome you not only with a smile and a truly exceptional hospitality, but he will also amaze you with his enormous knowledge of meat. Thanks to him, I learned some of the secrets of a perfect Florentine steak.

At I’Tuscani you will find not only steak but an entire menu designed around that noble ingredient that is meat. As appetizers, I recommend trying the lampredotto meatballs or the tartare. An alternative to the Florentine steak are the fillets served with porcini mushrooms, Colonnata lard or with white truffle from San Miniato.

Here, at I’Tuscani you will find many gastronomic excellences of the region. On the cutting boards, you can taste the cured meats of Garfagnana, the Chianina IGP, the Tuscan grey pig sausages. All accompanied by a glass of Chianti Classico or Nobile di Montepulciano.

There is little to say, if you want to eat steak in Florence, I’Tuscani is the best place!

Trattoria Mario

With the increase in tourism in Florence, the typical trattorias of the past are in danger of disappearing. Fortunately, many Florentine innkeepers do not compromise and continue running some activities “as they used to be”. One such place is the famous Trattoria Mario in Piazza del Mercato Centrale.

A tiny place, with small tables where you sit on a simple stool. Mario is strictly open only for lunch, like the trattorias of the past, which worked during the lunch break serving simple and traditional dishes to the workers of the area. Today the only “slip” to these traditional hours is opening for dinner on Fridays.

At Mario, Romeo’s family will welcome you to their little reign. You will be able to experience typical Florentine hospitality: warm, sometimes ironic, strictly with a touch of purple, in line with the colours of local football team Fiorentina.

The steak at Mario is excellent. It also convinced Alessandro Borghese, a famous Italian chef. Mario won the “4 ristoranti”, the television competition for innkeepers presented by Borghese. The episode recorded in Florence was dedicated to the best Florentine steak in the city.

Here, booking well in advance is simply mandatory! It’s almost impossible to find a free table without the booking!

At Mario’s, you’ll live an authentic Florentine experience.

Ristorante Natalino

In the Santa Croce area, in the small square of San Pier Maggiore, there is another Florentine gem, Ristorante Natalino.

Here too, like at Mario, you can breathe the air of a Florence that is now disappearing. It’s a family-run restaurant, with a strictly Tuscan menu. Natalino could be a good choice if not everyone in your group is interested in Florentine steak. On the menu you will also find fresh pasta, ribollita, tripe and many other classic Florentine dishes.

Natalino is one of the last places in Florence where the chips are fried in house.

If you are looking for an authentic restaurant with a top-quality Florentine steak, this is the place for you.

I’Brindellone

If during your tours you end up in Oltrarno, you can head to I’Brindellone in Piazza Piattellina to try one of the best steaks in Florence.

Here too, meat rules. After all, we are in Florence, and the local cuisine is based on dishes for carnivores.

The steak is excellent, cooked as it should be, prepared with quality meat. On the menu you will also find fried artichokes, tortelli mugellani, pappa al pomodoro and fried chicken. The cooking is home-made, honest and very tasty!

I’Brindellone is where we go when my in-laws come to visit us and we want to breathe a bit of real Florence, away from the chaos of Piazza Duomo and “tourist-catching” restaurants.

Da Padellina in Strada in Chianti

If you ask me where Florentines eat Florentine steak, I tell you: in the countryside.

Florentine steak, by its very nature, is a dish for celebrations and feast, that invites sharing. It is a dish that is served for dinner or on Sundays, when one wants to celebrate and wants to bring family and friends together at a shared table. This is when the Florentines set off to dine in the countryside, in a trattoria or a farmhouse, sitting next to a fireplace with the scent of wood in the air.

One of the “cult” places for Florentine steak outside Florence is Da Padellina in Strada in Chianti. It is a typical restaurant with a long tradition, a pilgrimage destination for Florentines looking for a real Florentine steak: cooked to perfection, soft and melting in the mouth.

The menu at Da Padellina offers traditional Tuscan cuisine: crostini with chicken liver paté, ravioli with butter and sage, penne strascicate, the great classics that never go out of style.

Florentine steak is a king here. Almost everyone orders it. Even though the restaurant is out of town, you can think of finishing your tour in Chianti there!

What is the best steak in Florence?

As I wrote at the beginning, for me the best steak in Florence is at I’Tuscani. There are two reasons for that: Enrico, Barbara and Alberto do not compromise on the quality of the ingredients.

The meat served by I’Tuscani is selected from the best Tuscan farms. I often joke that Enrico knows the cows by name.

The second aspect is their deep knowledge of meat and continuous search for local excellences.

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