Hey, My wife and I will be in Tuscany for a few weeks in September. We'll be staying in Buoncovento, near Siena, for most of the trip, and a few days in and around Florence. Of course I'm looking for beer recommendations, but I'd also like to know from the locals about what not to miss food wise. We love to seek out small, non touristy, great local restaurants. We also love wine so restaurants that don't offer a great beer selection, but have great food, is definitely an option! Thanks for any info! -Mike
In Siena, i went to a restaurante called Tre Cristi...expensive and the food was not good. But there is a bakery called Nannini in Siena, it is awesome ( there is a sweet made of almond, called ricciarelli....you must try this! better than the famous panforte). In Florence, there is a very nice draught beer pub (Birreria) in the Mercato Centrale ( central market), first floor. There you can try several draught beers, they are beautifully poured....there is one from Sardegna, called Ichnusa, the best in Italy in my non-expert opinion. Have a glass of Ichnusa with mozarella di bufalla and tomato ! https://www.mercatocentrale.it/en/virtual-tour/ here you can see the birreria Best restaurant i went in Florence was trattoria sostanza ( bistecca fiorentina and red wine of the house), it was the least touristy restaurante i went ( but you have to make a reservation). Trattoria Mario in Firenze is also great for bistecca and red wine, but it is much more touristy than trattoria sostanza (they dont take reservations, so be early, leave your name, and wait. You can take a walk in the near mercato centrale during your wait time) Also, for wine, there is a place called antico vinaio in Firenze, it is very near Galleria Degli Uffizi. They have wonderful sandwiches and a great selection of wines, you dont have to buy the bottle, you can drink in glass doses. You can sit outside, it is a great relaxed experience. Very simple place, but it has personality.
Never been to Buoncovento, so I can't comment on anything there, but I had trouble finding good beer in Florence when I was there. I had a couple of beers but nothing memorable. My advice would be to stick to the wine and enjoy the good food and beautiful scenery. There are plenty of cool little wine bars that you can just walk around and find. Here were a few of my favorite food spots in Florence: 'Ino - small panini shop, great for lunch Il Santo Bevitore - must go for dinner, best food I had in Florence and great atmosphere Trattoria La Burrasca - small, casual restaurant, hole in the wall type place, great Florentine steak (Bistecca Alla Fiorentina) Costello de Verrazano - beautiful vineyard in Tuscany, took a tour of the winery then had an incredible meat & wine tasting for lunch
In Florence, near the train station is a brewpub called Pub Mostodolce. I went there a few times and really enjoyed it. Cool vibe too boot. Pub Mostodolce | Firenze, Italy | Reviews
I also went to Il Santo Bevitore, mentioned by Jacobob10. The atmosphere is great, a good wine selection, and the food was nice - pasta with rabbit ragu and a fish i cannot remember the name. It is a more sophisticated place as compared to the tradicional trattorias ( Sostanza, Mario, da Tito). Personally, i prefer the more simple atmosphere of the trattorias, but this is a matter of taste. I felt like a real florentine at Trattoria Sostanza! Ok, there were some americans at a nearby table, but then, americans are everywhere.... Just crossing the street from Il Santo Bevitore, you can go to La Carraia, they have a wonderful gelato = ice cream. But if you go for dinner, they might be closed.
Thanks again, guys. Your tips were very helpful. I'm back and had an amazing time! We pretty much drank wine, a lot of wine, and it was great! But if anyone searches this thread I wanted to add one spot that we found. It was called TNT Pub and it was right in Buoncovento. They are a Belgian Beer Bar that serves great wood fired pizza! Well worth the trip there, we stopped in there two times. A lot of Trappist selections and Abbey options. Also, the pizza was crazy good! -Mike
