Florence isn't exactly known for fancy fine dining. Most people come to experience the cucina povera roots, the lampredotto sandwiches, and cheap house wine at neighbourhood trattorias. But over the last couple of decades, something's shifted. The city now has Michelin-starred restaurants, and while they're nothing like the traditional food scene, they're worth knowing about.
Ranging from a three-star that’s been around since 1972 to a brand-new one-star that opened this year, scroll your way through all the Michelin-starred restaurants that are worth visiting.
Housed in a 17th-century palazzo on Via Ghibellina, Enoteca Pinchiorri opened in 1972 as a wine bar that happened to serve food. Founded by Giorgio Pinchiorri, a wine expert, and Annie Féolde, it is the city’s only three-star restaurant. Inside, the dining rooms have frescoes and paintings everywhere. The kitchen, run by Chef Riccardo Monco focuses on french technique with Italian ingredients. The wine cellar is what people talk about the most and is home to 90,000 to 150,000 bottles with labels from 19 countries, with vintages going back nearly a century.
Santa Elisabetta sits on the first floor of Torre della Pagliazza, a circular Byzantine tower dating back to the sixth century. Santa Elisabetta offers one of Florence’s most intimate dining rooms at what used to be a women's prison in the 12th century, where inmates slept on straw beds. Now there's a Murano glass chandelier and seven tables arranged in a circle. With just seven tables arranged beneath a sculptural chandelier, the atmosphere feels private and composed. Featuring Chef Rocco De Santis’ Mediterranean cuisine with influences from his native Campania, you’ll find alot of fish and seafood on the menu with flavours bursting in your mouth.
Borgo San Jacopo sits inside Hotel Lungarno, directly overlooking the Arno and the Ponte Vecchio. Chef Claudio Mengoni has worked in Michelin-starred kitchens all over before coming back to Florence. His food respects tradition but doesn't just copy old recipes. You'll find things like pasta with mushrooms, black garlic and truffle, or risotto with cheese, chicory and meatballs. The dining room is elegant, proper Florentine hotel style. Only a few tables are right by the windows overlooking the river, and everyone wants those. The sommelier has about a thousand labels on the wine list.
Located in Piazza della Signoria, Gucci Osteria got its Michelin star within a year of opening. Massimo Bottura (three-star chef from Osteria Francescana in Modena) oversees it, but the actual cooking is led by Mexican chef Karime López. The menu pulls influences from everywhere, ranging from Italy to Mexico, all filtered through a modern lens.
Il Palagio sits within the Four Seasons Florence, on the ground floor of Pallazo della Gherardesca, surrounded by one of the city’s largest private gardens. Drawing from his experience from France, Italy and Brazil, Chef Paolo Lavezzini translating Tuscan ingredients through an international lens. The menu reinterprets Italian traditions with seasonal stuff from the region.
Saporium is the Florence expression of Borgo Santo Pietro, a luxury estate in the Tuscan countryside. At the restaurant, Chef Ariel Hagen’s menu is built around tasting formats, though there’s flexibility to order à la carte and move between both menus. Desserts deserve attention, especially the Caterina de’ Medici’s Rose, a contemporary spin on the classic Florentine zuccotto, pairing milk with the distinctive sweetness of Alkermes liqueur. The wine list is just as considered, with a strong selection by the glass, rare bottles from the 1980s and 1990s for collectors, and a focused range of Borgo Santo Pietro wines that reflect the estate-led philosophy behind the kitchen.
Tucked just behind Florence’s cathedral, this restaurant is set within the Corte degli Imperatori at Palazzo Portinari, once home to the Salviati family. Chef Vito Mollica leads the kitchen here, shaping a menu that leans towards the sea and plays with unexpected combinations that feel thoughtful rather than showy. Ingredients are treated with care, from the fragrant house-made bread to the finely judged first courses, and the olive oil selection, largely Tuscan and Umbrian, is unusually well considered. The dining room is lined with original 16th-century frescoes depicting scenes from the Odyssey alongside everyday life of the period, while the soft sound of a central fountain sets an unhurried rhythm. Service is polished and attentive throughout, tying together an experience that balances culinary precision with a strong sense of place.