Florence & Rome

Heading to Florence and Rome at the end of August. Looking for family-friendly restaurants. Going with teens and grandparents so not looking for high-end, just good local eats. (wine not a focus this time). All suggestions appreciated.

I recommended these in Florence to a co-worker who went last month with her husband and college age sons. They liked all three.

4 Leoni – Tuscan food, well prepared, very friendly service. On the other side of the Ponte Vecchio (the Pitti Palace side).
Gelateria della Passera – just down the street from 4 Leoni. Excellent small gelateria with interesting flavors.
Ristorante Accademia – good homestyle food, popular with families on Sunday afternoons. Can get crowded at lunch because it’s very close to the Accademia (the home of David) and the piazza where a lot of buses stop.

I have one or two for Rome. :slight_smile:

Great casual dining on Roman favorites with a nice wine list including half bottles of Barolo. Piazza Navona area–Da Francesco

Bonci’s Pizzarium is a must

if you are by vatican. Simple pizza rosso

By Colosseum. Great enoteca and creative spins on Roman favorites

Also by vatican. good for lunch and dinner. ask to sit outside a fiori!

Arguably the best espresso in Rome, possibly the world!. dont sit outside, walk up to register, get your ticket and go elbow into bar. Be sure to tell them ’ senza zucchero’ as they usually add a bit to all espresso for tourists

One of the best gelatos by the vatican, right outside and across the street

Best gelato if you are in centre of city

Best dessert in jewish quarter, A MUST try
https://intransit.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/29/in-romes-ghetto-a-bakery-stays-sweet/

Great wine bar. have lunch among thousands of bottles of wine. friendly helpful staff. by piazza popolo

Great pizza al taglia near campo di fiori

…then, go around block with pizza choices and have a seat at this two table enoteca. Speak with my buddy Marco/. lol

If in Trastevere, this is a nice little place for pizza and meatballs. great pizza bianco

Have fun.

Bistro di Giovanni in Florence. Just trust me on this. Home style rustic cuisine and the plates just keep coming with several extras from the kitchen.

Since you are traveling To Florence w teens, I suggest walking through the market before lunch and then walking across the square to Mario’s http://trattoria-mario.com/.

Only open for lunch, it’s a locals only place with lots of college professors and students, The waiters are brash but it’s real, inexpensive and a great experience.

These are all great. Keep 'em coming folks!

This makes me wish I was going to Rome again…

Florence: Cammillo, Sostanza, 4 Leone, Al Tranvai
Rome: Cesare al Casaletto, Danilo, Roscioli,

My favorite in Rome is Colline Emiliane - a little family place in an alley. Hand-made pastas daily and fresh in-house desserts. The Caesar mushroom salad (in season) is a treat. Nice atmosphere, friendly family. Reasonably-priced. Make a reservation - it’s a long line and almost impossible to get into if you don’t.

Ferrara is an upscale, great food and great service, the list is amazing.

Lucifer…A fun and casual place, they do a lot with truffles, the owner is great.

We did our “Fancy” dinner at La Rosetta, while quite good it did not live up to the expectations.

The lines and crowds at the Vatican sucked, other friends have had the same experience. If you must go book a tour as the general admission line is ridiculous.

Rome recs:

As you’re traveling with family,be sure to take advantage of the ultimate Roman family meal: Sunday lunch.

It’s a good opportunity to go old school with the canonical dishes, and you can feed the flock for short green at spots like Perilli and Flavio al Velavevodetto, both in Testaccio (one metro stop from Colosseo station).

I also think Cesare al Casaletto (recommended already) would be an excellent spot, love the fritti here and the wine list is way above average for a trattoria.

Armando al Pantheon is another must and would be accommodating for a large family. Closed on Sundays I’m pretty sure, but great weekday lunch or dinner. Saturday lunch will sometimes have some unusual takes on local classics, and Roman specialties like pajata (which can run out by 2pm or so).

I see Pizzarium has been recommended for pizza al taglia (a definite for your visit, but mostly stand-up eating so don’t plan to have a table/lingering lunch). Good beer selection too. On a non descript side street near the bus station close to Vatican Museum/Sistine Chapel section of Vatican City.

Another good pizza option is Emma Pizzaria for Roman thin crust. Open Sunday nights when a lot of restaurants are closed. Large space would easily accommodate entire family. Also Forno Roscioli for pizza bianco or pizza rosso (the bakery, not the main salumeria most often recommended here).

L’Arcangelo in Prati is another good dinner option, a bit more upscale than the others mentioned but still casual enough. Thursday night for the gnocchi is a great call (gnocchi is a canonical dish for Thursdays, but I think they serve it most every night). Good wine list - I ordered a 2013 La Pergola Torte for a mere 65 euro off the list in 2017, and the waiter insisted it wasn’t mispriced.

Coffee:
Il Caffe di St Eustachio (between Pantheon and Piazza Navona) as recommended above, especially for the “gran caffe” (like a double espresso). As mentioned, Romans typically take their coffee sweet so request no sugar if you prefer it black. The crema on the coffee here is ridiculously thick and creamy.
Tazza d‘oro (near Pantheon) especially for the granita which will come with cream on top and bottom, which is a lot of cream! I prefer cream only on bottom so you can dip your spoon down and pull up just the right amount to go with the granita.
Caffe Sciascia (Prati) especially for the caffe al cioccolato.

You guys are the best.

Another question…I’m a cold brew coffee with almond milk (or skim) drinker. What’s the Italian equivalent.

Not sure how close you’ll come to that - I haven’t seen (honestly haven’t looked!) for nut milk in an Italian caffe, but certainly doesn’t mean it’s non-existent. Skim is a possibility, and you can always order cappuccino with light foam.

[Obligatory advice: ask for a “latte” and you’ll get a funny look and then a glass of milk; ask for a cappuccino after the AM and you’ll get a funny look, but also eventually a cappuccino. Caffe with milk is generally considered a breakfast thing only.]

My best recommendation and a place worth going to for many reasons (though perhaps not conducive to bringing the whole clan) is Roscioli Caffè e Pasticceria. (Yes, yet another Roscioli! There are at least 4 different ones - this one just a couple doors away from the highly recommended Roscioli Salumeria near the Campo.)

It’s the only “third wave” coffee shop in Rome I’m aware of, and pour-overs are their specialty. They also do siphons. Whether they serve anything chilled I do not know!

But I do know they serve delicious maritozzi, which you should have as often as possible in Rome as a light breakfast with your caffe (if you’re not having a cornetto).

But I prefer this place around lunch - better early afternoon after the lunch crowd thins out - specifically when the panini start rolling out!

Get the club sandwich. Seriously. Go ahead and send me a thank-you PM on this one cause it’ll be among the tastiest things you eat in Rome. The sexiest thing I saw on the last trip was the glistening golden yolk of a Paolo Parisi egg slowly running over the edge of that very same club panini.

Eat at the counter up front or head all the way to the all-black room in the back with one very large communal table.

Sorry, just saw this and had to answer.

The equivalent is a glass of house red. Lolol
(Or: there is none!)

Plannig my next trip already. Gonna be spectacular!

Richard mentioned Emma above. We came across this place during our wanderings in October.

We both ranked their pizza with pata negra iberico chorizo among the best things we have ever eaten, to wit (if only Todd would install scratch and sniff for us)…

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For Rome, Emma is great and I would highly recommend with kids. Was just there in October without kids but there were several kids there. Very large menu with tons of burrata, salumi and pizza. Pics out of order but pics are from Emma.
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Also agree on Forno Roscioli where they cut the pizza and weigh it. Would have been all over that with my kids for a quick lunch near the Jewish Ghetto. My kids are 10 and 13.

Also agree on Tazzo d’oro for espresso. Hit that several times as we stayed right near the Pantheon.
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For fine dining in Florence - Cibreo

We really enjoyed 13 Gobbi and Buca Lapi in Florence

Always reliable, and tucked away from the tourist paths, lunch today (first time, have always visited for dinner) with a friend at Osteria del Porcellino was quite good: mixed crostini, and a plate of pici pasta with duck ragù.

Place is 95% locals this time of year, and it was completely full.

Highly recommended.