23 Best Restaurants in Florence

"The word is out. Dedicated carnivores, local gourmets, and visitors have been flocking to this place since it opened in September 2018. Regina Bistecca showcases Florence’s best-known signature dish, the bistecca alla Fiorentina, a vast T-bone priced by weight. Here you can choose the breed of your steak, from a generic European Selection to the highly prized (and highly priced) Tuscan Chianina. The previous occupant of this lovely space, located a short ways north of the Duomo, was a revered 140-year-old antiquarian bookshop, and the new owners have sensibly chosen to maintain the spirit of the place. Today Regina Bistecca’s main dining space has lofty vaulted ceilings, dark gray walls hung with paintings and prints in gilded frames, and a gallery running around the top. The cooking, serving, and eating of a bistecca is serious business, and here it gets reverential treatment, from being brought to the table raw for the client’s approval, to the flourishing presentation of a bone-handled knife with which to cut it. Under no circumstances ask for it to be well done; bistecca here is served very rare." - Nicky Swallow