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Italy

Steakhouses in Florence

Florence gives its name to the bistecca alla fiorentina, a thick T-bone cut from the loin, cooked rare over embers and sold by weight, and the city's steak tables are mostly historic trattorie rather than steakhouses in the American sense.

The bistecca alla fiorentina is cut from the loin (lombata) of a young bovine, with the T-shaped bone separating sirloin from fillet. Tradition sets its thickness at three to four fingers; Vasco Tacconi of the Accademia della Bistecca puts it at about three. It is cooked rare over embers, usually weighs 1.2–2 kg and is priced by weight, per kilo or per 100 g. The Michelin Guide describes it as Chianina beef cooked over the embers or on the grill.

Tradition links the dish to the feast of San Lorenzo on 10 August, when the Medici are said to have had beef roasted in the city's squares; the story that English guests called for “beef steak”, which became bistecca, is a popular etymology, not a documented fact. The steak has been an Italian traditional agri-food product (PAT) since 2020, and a request for EU Traditional Speciality Guaranteed status, prepared in 2023, was still awaiting submission to Brussels in April 2026.

Chianina, a large white breed from the Val di Chiana, is the breed most tied to the steak. With Marchigiana and Romagnola it qualifies for the Vitellone Bianco dell'Appennino Centrale PGI, which requires purebred animals slaughtered at 12–24 months. Florentine menus often list other breeds and origins next to it: Gambero Rosso notes Angus, Rubia Gallega, Wagyu and Kobe, and some steakhouses sell beef from Spain, the United States, Japan and Australia by the kilo.

Most addresses are trattorie in the historic centre (San Lorenzo and the Mercato Centrale, Santa Maria Novella, Santa Croce) and the Oltrarno, plus family trattorie on the city's western and southern edges. A Festival della Bistecca, organised with the Accademia della Fiorentina, was held in the Cascine park in 2022.

Listed by name, never by payment or score. Facts last verified: 20 Oct 2026.

Frequently asked questions

What is a bistecca alla fiorentina?

A T-bone steak cut from the loin of a young bovine, three to four fingers thick, with sirloin on one side of the bone and fillet on the other. It is cooked rare over embers and usually weighs 1.2–2 kg, enough for two or more people.

Is a bistecca alla fiorentina always Chianina beef?

No. Chianina is the breed most associated with it, and the Vitellone Bianco dell'Appennino Centrale PGI covers Chianina, Marchigiana and Romagnola. Many Florence restaurants also serve the cut from other breeds and countries, so the menu or the waiter is the place to check breed and origin.

How is the steak priced and cooked in Florence?

By weight, per kilo or per 100 g, with the whole steak brought to the table. It is cooked rare; some trattorie, such as Il Latini, state on the menu that they serve it only rare.

Why is it called bistecca?

A popular story says English visitors at the San Lorenzo feast asked for “beef steak” and the word became bistecca. No document confirms it.