Beppa Fioraia

A garden osteria just outside the San Niccolò walls, pouring Tuscan wine over big salumi boards, handmade pasta and charcoal Florentine steak from Macelleria Soderi on the way up to Piazzale Michelangelo.

Beppa Fioraia is named for Giuseppina Caciotti, the nineteenth century flower seller who handed out blooms and smiles on Florence's streets. The osteria sits on Via dell'Erta Canina in San Niccolò, with a leafy garden beyond the old city walls on the climb toward Piazzale Michelangelo. The kitchen keeps things homestyle and Tuscan: generous boards of prosciutto, finocchiona and pecorino with fried dough, handmade pasta such as maccheroncini with Cinta Senese ragout, and Florentine steak cooked over charcoal with beef from Macelleria Soderi. Themed evenings revisit historic Florentine recipes, and the list leans on Italian labels.

Best for: Summer dinner in a garden