Buca Mario
Founded in 1886 in a vaulted cellar just steps from Piazza della Repubblica, Buca Mario holds the title of Florence's oldest restaurant and earns it honestly with a menu anchored in Tuscan tradition: bistecca alla Fiorentina cut from Chianina cattle, ribollita thickened with day-old bread, and pappardelle draped in wild boar ragù. This is not a museum piece — the kitchen is alive and the wine list
What to order
The bistecca alla Fiorentina is the centrepiece — a T-bone from Chianina cattle, grilled over charcoal, served rare (al sangue) and priced by weight (around €6–8 per 100g). It is meant for sharing and arrives on a wooden board with nothing but a lemon wedge.
Start with crostini di fegatini (chicken liver pâté on grilled bread) — a Florentine classic that many restaurants have abandoned but Buca Mario still makes properly, with a generous hand of sage butter.
Finish with cantucci e Vin Santo: almond biscuits for dunking in sweet Tuscan dessert wine. Simple, perfect, and the correct way to end a Florentine meal.
Atmosphere and booking
The dining room occupies a medieval cellar with brick vaults and exposed stone walls hung with black-and-white photographs of Florentine life — atmospheric without being kitsch.
Reserve a table at least two days ahead for dinner; the restaurant fills quickly in high season. Lunch on a weekday is easier to walk into.
Ask for a table in the front room near the street-level windows for the best light at lunch — the back vaults are more atmospheric for dinner.
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