Vegetarian Restaurants in Florence

We're considering a trip to Florence and I've started to research vegetarian restaurants there. So far, this is what I've found.

For sending helpful email, thank you to Erica Pegazzano, Riccardo Piattelli, Giuseppe D'Alessio, Simon Clarke, Elisa Grandis (Corte Armonica), Carlos Rodriguez, Riana Haslund, Colin Barden, Deborah Feller, Jean-Michel Carasso (Gaugin), and Alberto Musacchio (Montali Country House).

Vegetarian Restaurants

• Vegetus, via del Leone 53/red, tel: 055 2382231
  We've opened a new vegetarian place in the centre of Florence. It's a small take-away with a few tables and we serve dishes mostly from the italian and tuscan tradition, some of them revisited to be completely vegetarian (for example lasagna). We are vegan friendly. We use almost all certified organic products and we have organic drinks and coffe. Our prices are fair. (EP)
• Gauguin, via degli Alfani 24/red, phone (055) 2340616, open only evening to 11 pm, all credit cards except Diners', price about £.30.000 a person wine included. They speak perfect English, too.
  Gaugin had good food but despite their "no smoking" section, the smoke easily filled the room from the smoking section next to it. (DF)
  We had a lovely meal at Gauguin, and would definitely go there again. (CB)
• Il Vegetariano, via delle Ruote, 30/red. No sign - look for a round sign with a red telephone over the door. Inexpensive cafeteria style meals eaten at communal tables. Good entrees, so-so deserts.
  Il Vegetariano was a life saver although they are laid back about opening time--usually 10-15 mins later than stated. Their "no smoking" section is totally smoke free. The prices are very reasonable and the food is good. Their cold steamed vegetables and salad bar was particularly welcome in a city that doesn't do much with vegetables. (DF)

Restaurants with Vegetarian Entrees

• Zoe, 13/5 via de' Renai, Tel# 055-243-111
  One good and inexpensive restaurant in Florence is ZOE at 13/r via de' renai. Tel: 055-243-111. The salads run from 6.50 euros to 8 euros, so relatively inexpensive. The salads were fresh and tasty and you can change/substitute the ingredients in some of them. It's in a very low key and local neighborhood across the Arno. Has a plaza in front overlooking the river. I would definitely go back with my eyes closed. Had a great mixed green salad with corn, sweet tomatoes and avocado that was SWEEEEEEETTTTT!!! (CR)
• Cafaggi, via Guelfa, 35/red - between piazza della Indipendenza and piazza San Marco. Plain looking restaurant with good food. Try the fixed price menù vegetariano, reasonably priced but only two courses. It includes wine or mineral water.
  Cafaggi was our attempt to find good Italian food but maybe the pasta with non-flesh ingredients is not native to Tuscany because there wasn't much of a selection although what they did have was quite tasty. The price was a little high. (DF)
• Maximillian, via Alfani, 10/red. The insalata mista, garlic-filled pastas, and grilled seasonal vegetables are recommended.
• The restaurant of the Jewish Comunity of Florence. "Dairy" menu based mainly on vegetable dishes, dairies and some fish. It will thus fit with vegetarian taste, and kosher, of course. Jewish Comunity of Florence, via Farini 4, 50121 Firenze, tel. (055) 245252.
  

You should be OK in regular Italian restaurants, as most will have a choice of meatless pasta dishes. Colin Barden writes "We ate at non-veg restaurants the other evenings, managing very well with local dishes such as beans in oil, spinach with garlic, veg. pizza and so on."

Watch out for the peculiar street numbering system in Florence: businesses like restaurants have red numbers and residences have blue numbers. There can easily be a house and a business, each in different places, distinguished only by the color of the number.

Organic Tuscany offers week-long "farm to table" cooking vacations in the Tuscany. Includes visits to local organic farms and cooking classes using organic ingredients. At least two courses a year are entirely vegetarian.

B&B Corte Armonica Relais Fiesole, via Bosconi, 22, 50014 Fiesole - Firenze, tel# +39 055 59334, is just 8km from Florence. They write: We serve biological breakfast and on request we organize biological/vegetarian dinners. It is also possible to attend one of our courses: 4 hours lesson, in Spring: “Discovering medicinal and edible plants of the local flora” ( a walk through the fields of the B&B to pick wild herbs that will be used as ingredients for lunch or for herbal infusions) 2 hours lesson : “Visiting our Biodynamic Garden” ( a short introduction to the biodynamic method used in the vegetable garden, in the fruit orchard and in the garden)

In the Umbrian countryside south of Florence (about 150 km), you can stay at Montali Country House. They offer vegetarian meals and also cooking classes. Another place along the same lines is Tasty Tuscany Cooking School, in Pisa. Also, check out Florence By Net.

Additions welcomed - send email.