The 10 Best Restaurants in Santo Spirito and Oltrarno in 20
Sean Finelli
Visiting or just visited the Pitti Palace and Boboli Gardens in Florence? Staying in Santo Spirito or Oltrarno? Museum-ing can definitely work up an appetite, and now you’re looking for a place to eat. You are in luck! Our local guides in Florence built this amazing list of the best restaurants in Santo Spirito and Oltrarno this year.
Travel Tip: The toggle menu below connects all of our Florence restaurant recommendations which makes this post worth bookmarking in your internet browser. This way, you can circle back to it when you visit Accademia or Uffizi to grab another great meal. Also, check out our list of the foods you MUST try in Florence and our highly-rated Food Tour in Florence, which explores Santo Spirito.
10 Best Places To Eat and Drink In Santo Spirito and Oltrarno Florence
The Pitti Palace was purchased from the Duke of Tuscany by the Medici Family, who were rich and influential. More than anything, the Medici were patrons of the arts, and their house is adorned with masterpieces. Due to the vast collection of art and beauty of the grounds, visiting will spark your appetite.
The Pitti Palace is in the Santo Spirito neighborhood, which is filled with beautiful churches like the Basilica of Santo Spirito. The Basilica was built by famed architect Brunelleschi who also built the dome of the Duomo. The beautiful architecture and the existence of the Medici in Santo Spirito made it a cultural hot spot. Due to that, the area has attracted some of Florence’s best bars and restaurants. This makes it a great place to explore, so plan on spending time in the area after visiting the Pitti Palace.
€€ | Italian w/ French Techniques | Garden Seating| 300 yards from Pitti Palace
I am a sucker for contemporary restaurants, and Gurdulù is exactly that. Chef Entiana Osmenzeza has created a very cool dining atmosphere, and her dishes reflect the space. Osmenzeza has taken traditional Florentine and Italian dishes and executed them in a contemporary fashion using French techniques that create a dining experience to be remembered.
I highly recommend this for lunch or dinner. You can come here after visiting the Pitti Palace or make a journey to Santo Spirito/Oltrarno just for this restaurant. Their wine list is cultivated so well–I would be surprised if you’d recognize even one wine on their list.
€€ | Tuscan & Florentine Cuisine | Family Friendly | 350 yards from Pitti Palace
An Osteria originally was a place you could bring your own food too. Sound strange? Instead of serving food, they’d function more like a low-key bar and serve wine or charge for table service only. They later evolved to have a daily changing menu with one of two options of warm cheap food. Today, they are much more elaborate, but Osteria Cinghiale Bianco has that traditional feel and hearty dishes. This is why we’ve recommended Cinghiale Bianco for almost ten years.
At Cinghiale Bianco, they serve traditional Tuscan and Florentine dishes. It is probably the most traditional restaurant near the Pitti Palace in Santo Spirito, which makes it a great choice. For all of the above reasons, I love this quaint little place and almost always make a stop there while in Florence.
Chianti Day Trip from Florence with Vineyard Lunch
Want to have an epic experience in Tuscany? Remove the guesswork and the hassle of transportation by joining us on a day trip to Chianti from Florence. You’ll enjoy time in the enchanting cities of Siena and San Gimignano with lunch and wine tastings too. Make your Tuscany day trip one to remember!
See Prices
Best-Selling Tour
Florence in a Day Combo Tour with David & Uffizi
This tour is your best value in Florence. See Michelangelo’s David statue in the Accademia Gallery with a licensed guide before exploring the Uffizi Gallery. You’ll also have plenty of time to see the outside of the Florence Cathedral, Baptistry Doors, Ponte Vecchio, and more. All your skip-the-line admissions are included along with an English-speaking guide.
See Prices
Carduccio
€€ | Clean Eating – Bio | Family Friendly | 85 yards from Pitti Palace
Carduccio is an amazing break from heavy Italian cooking during your trip. If you are coming to Italy for over a week, you’ll eventually crave something lighter. This “el natural” hole in the wall is as beautifully decorated as it is refreshing. Their extensive menu includes almost exclusively uncooked items, as they don’t even have a stovetop inside. The owners work inside, and they are super calming and cool.
We walked out of the Pitti Palace and were met with a refreshing aroma of fruits and aromatic flavors that stopped us in our tracks. We ended up getting some beautiful “frullati” (plural), which we drank so fast we forgot to snap any pics. We didn’t get food, but I could see the enthusiasm in some others who had eaten there.
€€€ | Cocktails & Aperitivo | Epic Views | Piazza Santa Spirito | 300 yards from Pitti Palace
La Loggia is an amazing terrace lounge that will give a taste of what it felt like to be a Florentine patrician. Definitely make an RSVP, as it fills up fast!
€€ | Some Outdoor Seating | Contemporary| 600 yards from Pitti Palace
It’s hard to understand how Il Santo Bevitore manages to create contemporary Tuscan dishes, present them so well and do it all for reasonable prices, but I am happy they do! This little gem also has a great atmosphere which makes it a fantastic spot for a group of friends to have dinner and drinks in Santo Spirito!
€€ | Late Night | Outdoor Seating | Family Friendly | 600 yards from Pitti Palace
Tamerò is known for creative food, cool ambiance, and a ton of outdoor seating. They are in Piazza Santo Spirito, which places them at the heart of the neighborhood. The restaurant is run by a group of young chefs, and they mix traditional Tuscan cuisine with international fusion food. To sum it all up, Tamerò has great food, a cool menu, and a perfect location which means they fill up fast. Did I mention the prices are reasonable?
You can get pizza, pasta, salads, and even octopus. The expansive menu makes it the perfect choice if you are getting tired of eating pasta for every meal. However, I recommend calling in advance to reserve a table outside as the outdoor seating fills up fast.
Hours: 6 pm – 1 am Monday – Saturday | Sundays Noon – 1 am
Panificio La Favola
€ | Bakery | ? from Pitti Palace
Panificio translates to a “bread-maker” in English, but the Italian word extends past the English word. In English, bread is bread. In Italian, bread could consist of pizza, rolls, cake, and more. All in all, a panificio makes products from the dough.
Panificio La Favola has a wide variety of foods and treats you can purchase over the bar, from pizza to cannoli. It is within walking distance from Pitti Palace and Giardino Corsi which makes it the perfect place to stock up on picnic treats!
€€ | Traditional Tuscan | Family Friendly|450 yards from Pitti Palace
This little hallway of a restaurant has some of the best reviews I have ever seen. That is probably because they have really good food at a really good price. That and amazing Tiramisù.
Michelangelo is considered the greatest Renaissance artist and the David statue is widely known as his masterpiece. Join our English-speaking guide as you skip the line at the Accademia Gallery to see David. Then venture out to see the center of Florence including the Duomo (outside), Baptistry Doors, leather market, and Ponte Vecchio. Admissions included.
See Prices
Top-Rated Tour
Skip the Line Uffizi Gallery Tour
The Uffizi Gallery is the most-visited museum in Florence for good reason. Join our licensed, English-speaking Uffizi guide for a journey through the Medician Renaissance. Learn all the stories behind the very art that brought our world out of the darkness as you look upon pieces like the Birth of Venus. All admissions included.
See Prices
Trattoria l’Raddi
€€ | Traditional Tuscan | Family Friendly |? from Pitti Palace
This is another local favorite in Santo Spirito. They make traditional Tuscan cuisine at great prices, which is why locals and visitors love this place. This is a great lunch or dinner option after your visit to the Pitti Palace.
€€ | Traditional Tuscan | Family Friendly |? from Pitti Palace
Trattoria la Casalinga is my “go-to” pick for lunch on a cold and rainy day because they have these hearty soups and dishes that warm you up. They have fantastic steaks and other Florentine-Tuscan fare that will do the trick. Great prices and wonderful food.
We hope you enjoyed our restaurant recommendations. If you did, check out our Florence food tour, which is led by some of the same local guides that help build this list!
Sean is a co-founder and owner of The Tour Guy and its subsidiary The Roman Guy. He studied finance and statistics, but that is his "Dr. Jekyll" side! His "Mr. Hyde" is in love with travel, art, history, and culture. Sean has read libraries of historical text and believes that all internet content should come from books. A practice he follows!
How is it possible you overlooked Pitti Gola?????