Caffé Dogali

Caffè Dogali holds memories for me that go back to when I was in high school and I was skipping classes to go watch football or other «important» similar activities :)
The place is famous for it’s «panini», filled with lots of sauces and cured meats.
It’s also a restaurant, and now that I am a «tad» older I get to experience that part of the business more. The menu is quite simple, very Tuscan and quite nicely put together. Moreover they offer a variety of dishes of the day that change from time to time.
All is very nicely made, quick service and good prices wrap up the «deal» with them.
One of my favorite «local» places!

I’m pretty attached to this casual place in Campo di Marte, where you can eat well, stay relaxed and also be sure somewhere you’ll find a parking since it’s not in the center.
Aperitivo time here means a whole buffet on the bar with rice, pasta, sauces, appetizers, crostini, salads and their specialty: coccoli (fried buns with prosciutto).
The latter is served directly by the waiters all around the restaurant.
It also has a menu where you can order proper meals, and the place offers 3 rooms and an outdoor terrace, so it’s very suitable for large groups.
During the day it’s one of the most renowned schiacciata and panini bar of the area.
You can always find top quality ham and other cold cuts and of course different kinds of cheese and grilled veggies!

I had the good fortune of having Dogali recommended to me when I was in Florence last week.
A forward: the location isn’t at Viale Malta 5; it is much further up the street, so if you’re looking for it, just keep on walking up the street numbers until you find it. It’s worth it.
The café is small, on a corner, with some outside seating, and at 10PM on a Thursday night, pretty busy (in a good way). For the uninitiated, here’s how it works (at least in the time we were there): you go inside, grab a plate of the foods they’ve prepared at set out, grab a drink from the bartender, and grab a seat inside or out. The servers will bring around the foods that come out from the kitchen from time to time and will offer it to each table. The dough balls were outstanding. At the end, you pay your € 8 and go. Yes, it is € 8 for all the food you can eat and all the beer/​wine/​liquor you can drink during this happy hour. The majority of my confusion was due to the unbelievability of the deal, but after re-​re-​reconfirming it with the server, I finally believed. If I had known this before I went to pay up, I’d have had more than just my 1 glass of wine.
This is a must-​do if you are in Florence, particularly by the stadium. In the 2 weeks I was in the region, this was by far the best deal on the food: cost scale.
p. s., it’s not the most non-​red-​meat-​eater friendly, but if there is anything in the glass cases that looks good (salads, seafood, etc.), just ask and they’ll give you whatever you need.