Vecchio Forno

Great pizza! It’s kind of a grab and go place so don’t be surprised if you can’t find a spot to sit and eat. There’s only seven bar stools in total. The ladies working there are very kind and speak English well enough.

I love this bakery! Lots of classic good pastries, savory baked goods, and several interesting & healthy options (like a black carbone/​charcoal croissant, croissant with 5 cereals/​grains, etc).
And ask for things heated up (caldo) before eating it! It’s delicious. Even with my limited Italian, the workers were friendly :)

Quaint little café on the way to san lorenzo or leather market! Stopped by for a delicious croissant and loved the friendly workers who helped us americans order in italian. Really good cappucinos as well along side some sandwiches and lunch items i didnt personally try but friends did enjoy !

Truly a hidden gem and I’m so glad I made it here two weeks before my semester in Florence was over. Pizza is sold by weight and there are tons of Italian delicacies lining the place, from pastries to more savory items. There is usually a sweet older woman at the counter who actually let me speak Italian to her unlike most places during tourist season. We actually had a legit conversation and I ordered in Italian without being shunned to English because I look like an American. Affordable and perfect for an outdoor walking lunch along the streets of Florence. Not far from the Academia either!

Stumbled across this place a few days ago wondering through Firenze! The women who work there are so friendly! And speak English, which is a plus for me. Everything is very reasonably priced and delicious! I can’t stop thinking about their berry croissant.

This is the best hidden gem in Florence, great food, amazing hospitality, the prices are great and you must try the white chocolate muffin. It’s incredible, along with everything in the place, I’ve never had a bad experience here!

I’ve walked by this place like 14 times over the past two weeks and was always intrigued by the crowds at lunch time and decided to stop in this morning on my way to school.
I had quite a few croissants from another bakery down the road and was ready for something a bit more savory. I may have a salame sandwich at 7:30, but it was wonderful and I think you too should order a salame sandwich at 7:30 AM too. Why? Because the bread was fresh, warm and the texture was perfect. I think this guy might be breaking the Tuscan tradition of not adding salt to bread, because this bread had good flavor. He also sliced the cold cuts to order, although I think later in the day the sandwiches are display in the bakery case. Also delicious, is the Pomodoro e Mozzarella Panino on some kind of brown/​multi grain bread. Fresh tomatoes and mozzarella that isn’t chewy. The brioche are also very good. I had a cream filled one, that was crunchy sort of like a french style croissant with prefect flaky layers.
The panino was also only a few euros (I think it was 2.50 but don’t quote me on that), and in my opinion much better than the famous 2.50 euro sandwich by the duomo.
So seriously, sandwiches for breakfast. Do it.

I discovered this hidden gem by accident while wandering around looking for a bite after seeing the David at the Accademia. Hands down this was THE BEST pizza I had ever had in Italy — the crust is perfectly crisp and moist foccacia style bread with the freshest aroma of olive oil. The cheese is fresh mozzarella and the tomato sauce and basil tastes super fresh and organic. The owner heats up the slices in her small oven and it’s like heaven to eat. We loved it so much we literally couldn’t stop eating. By the time we were done, we had gone back for seconds and thirds.
DO NOT MISS this place! Nothing at all like those crappy pizza places in tourist corridors. This is beatiful, in the know old school bakery for locals. Seriously one of the true finds of our trip.

This is a gem of a bakery/​pizza/​sandwich place near the Academia. We stumbled onto it and ended up eating lunch here every day it was open for the remainder of our visit to Florence. The pizza and sandwiches are very good. Try the pizza with vegetables – mushrooms, zucchini, tomatoes, olives, etc. It has the best crust I’ve ever tasted – crisp and light. We ate at many of these bakeries/​eateries while we were there, and tried several sit down pizza places and this had the best food. And it was a bargain in comparison! For two servings of ¼ of a large pizza+a soda, it was 10 Euros! We would have paid much more for such fresh and delicious food.
This modest place has only four seats, two high stools on each side, but we always found a seat when we went there. You’ll see the occasional tourist or study abroad student come in, but mainly you’ll see locals stopping in for bread, snacks, sweets, or pizza/​sandwiches on the go.
On top of the good food, you’ll find good service. We were waited on either by the mother or daughter, with dad working in the kitchen. While both were helpful, the mother was particularly friendly and cheerful. She always had a smile on her face (not common in Italian service!) and treated us in a friendly and warm manner.
We stayed in Oltrano during our visit, but made the 15 minute trek to this place each day for lunch because we liked it so much. It was never mentioned in any of our guidebooks and we considered it a little-​known gem – at least to tourists!