Best Restaurants Near Santa Maria Novella Train Station in Florence
Michael Feder
If you’re stopping in Florence, chances are you’ll pass through the Santa Maria Novella station. And if you’re anything like us, you’ll have gotten pretty hungry after your trip into the city. Here’s a list of restaurants near the Santa Maria Novella station that we love!
Travel Tip: Bookmark this post in your browser. It will come in handy when you’re looking for a great place to eat. Also, check out our top foods to eat in Florence when you’re wondering what to order. Our local guides helped compile these lists so you can have the most authentic experience possible. If you want to dig deeper – check out our Florence food tour. It’s led by local foodies who are passionate about local food and folklore.
The Top 10 Places to Eat Near the Santa Maria Novella Station
Osteria Vecchio Cancello
Photo courtesy of Osteria Vecchio Cancello
€€ – €€€ | Florentine Classics | Aged Meat
Just a ten minute walk (or five, depending on how hungry you are) from the station, Osteria Vecchio Cancello is perfect if you’re looking for a wholesome, no-frills taste of Florentine dining without paying through the nose. With seating options on a covered patio, as well as the cozy, rustic interior, it’s a great place to stop for a mid-day lunch or romantic dinner.
We’d recommend bringing a friend here, and making your way through every course the menu has on offer. From starters like the Salmon Carpaccio with Lemon to small pasta courses of Risotto with Pumpkin and Cod or Pappardelle with Wild Boar, everything is fantastic. The entrée options consist of a number of meat dishes that you probably won’t finish in one seating. If this your first visit, go with a classic: a Florentine Steak aged for 18 months to a tender and flavorful visit. For our veteran travelers, we’d recommend the Wild Boar Stew. It absolutely pops with flavor!
Large portions, affordable prices, and family-run service are what make this Sri Lankan restaurant one of the best in Florence. Though the interior may seem like your basic diner-fare, what this place lacks in ambience it certainly makes up for in delicious, homestyle food.
And the prices are fantastic! If you’re stopping in for a quick bite, you can grab a heaping plate of Rice and Curry for only €5. Especially in a city like Florence, finding an affordable, filling meal like this can be a real lifesaver. For just €10, we’d recommend the Chicken Kottu, a mix of vegetables, tender chicken, and covered in curry. It’s warm, filling and totally authentic.
Looking for a drink? Then look no further than DOME on Via Il Prato, just a five minute walk from the station. This Florentine cocktail bar is popular with the younger crowd, and features projected lights on the domed ceiling that give this spot its name. It’s the place to go for a lively but laid-back experience of Florence’s nightlife.
DOME features a number of signature cocktails that are great nightcaps to a night in Florence, especially if you’re looking to relax after a long train ride. If you’re looking for something interesting, the Spazzalino Da Dandy, which includes vermouth and caramel liqueur. The Ross & Rachel is a great choice too, featuring a tropical mix of banana, vodka, genziana and ibisco. Bring friends!
This affordable pizza joint is a potent mix of authentic, delicious food and warm, inviting atmosphere. Exposed brick covered in paintings and photographs capturing Florence new and old in an intimate space make La Grotta Di Leo a great place for a quick bite or a romantic dinner.
Most of the courses here will only run you about €10 and feature a wide variety of pasta, pizza, fish, meat and salad options. We’d recommend splitting a few options with friends, like the 4 cheese pizza or the spicy spaghetti carrettiera. With bottles of wine costing only €10, it’s easy to tell why this place is so popular with the local crowd.
Sitting only a few hundred meters from the banks of the Arno, Borderline is a restaurant that keep it authentic and close to its roots. Serving a select menu of local delicacies based around the ingredients native to the area, there is a sense of taste and care baked into every one of their dishes. The interior is tastefully decorated, framed by black velvet curtains, and lit overhead by diffused lights that come together for a deeply romantic ambience.
Borderline doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel when it comes to Florentine cuisine. It’s in the preparation, however, that their cuisine truly shines. Spaghetti with Clams serves as an excellent starter, especially followed by the sliced beef sirloin and artichokes. Ask your waiter for a wine recommendation, and you’ll have everything you need for one of the best dinners you’ll have in Florence.
A modern, glass-lined interior and crisp white tablecloths welcome visitors from far and wide at this Michelin-starred Tuscan restaurant. Orchestrated by award-winning chef Marco Stabile, the menu takes the homestyle dishes native to Tuscany and gives them the polished finished only a master chef can pull off.
The set dinner menu is what we would recommend for anyone looking to sample some of the finest dining in Florence. It includes delicious selections like tortellini stuffed with chianti-style beef and covered in aged parmesan and rosemary butter. The main course of pigeon with caramelized apple is an absolute delight! And at €65, it’s not cheap, but certainly more reasonable than many restaurants of its caliber.
Travelers looking for big portions, freshly made ingredients, and very affordable prices need look no further. Osteria All’Antico Vinaio is a casual, popular spot in Florence offering a wide menu of Florentine street food. Whether you can grab a seat indoors, or want to enjoy your food outside, it’s a required stop for anyone looking for that just-hits-the-spot dining experience.
The sandwiches here are what made Osteria All’Antico famous. Piled high with aged meats, fresh veggies, mozzarella, and relish, these cost only €5-8. We’d recommend the mortadella sandwich with burrata and pistachio cream. If you don’t mind sharing, it’s definitely enough for two!
Located inside of the Santa Maria Novella station, this spot had to be included in our list. Serving tons of hungry travelers every day has perfected the craft of authentic food that just seems too nice to be in a train station. We’d recommend this place if you’re in a rush and are looking for something tasty without wasting any time.
They actually have a wide variety of homestyle dishes, like Florentine steak and oysters, but we’d recommend ordering one of their pizzas. They’re a perfect on-the-go meal, made quickly, and are big enough to keep you full if you’ve got a trip ahead of you. The 3P is our favorite. It includes smoked Neapolitan provola, and a homemade tomato base. Served hot, it’ll tame even the most intense pizza craving.
With its window-lined interior and old stucco walls, you wouldn’t expect this place to specialize in hamburgers. Yet Manzo Firenze is one of the best restaurants near Santa Maria Novella station if you’ve got a hankering that only a juicy slab of meat between two buns can satisfy.
For starters, we’d recommend the cured meats cutting board. It includes fresh cuts of prosciutto, coppiette, culatello and guanciale that are great to share. For your meal, we’d recommend keeping it simple with their classic burger. The aged beef is absolutely packed with flavor and the lemon mayonnaise dressing really takes it up a notch. And for only €10, you might as well get a bottle of wine to go with it!
Rounding out our list of the best restaurants near the Santa Maria Novella station, an Irish pub in the middle of Florence may seem like an odd choice. Yet when it comes to a wholesome, communal atmosphere, cheap beer and good company, there are few places better. Located five minutes away from the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, The Fiddler’s Elbow is a little slice of Dublin in the heart of Italy.
They have sixteen drafts on tap, including familiar favorites like Guinness and Pilsner alongside special craft beers that are constantly being changed up. If there’s a big football match coming up, then this is the place to be if you’re looking for a rowdy good time. They’re also always running events like open mic’s and karaoke, making it a great place to stop by and see what’s going on!
Whether you’re planning on spending a long time in Florence, or just passing through, this list has everything you need to sample the best restaurants near the Santa Maria Novella station. Enjoy your meal!
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