Florence was full of amazing foods, with bundles of knowledge about gluten free food preparation, making eating out feel safe and far less stressful. Many gluten free spots had the Italian celiac association accreditation which was super helpful as it could easily be spotted on signs and menus. To make finding these restaurants even easier the Italian celiac association has a super useful app that gives both accredited food places to eat and places to buy food on the go i.e. in supermarkets.
I definitely found some favourite places to eat on my Florence trip, allowing my to try new foods that have become some of my favourites, so here are some details to everything I got to try.
1.Raw vegan Firenze
Starting off with one of my faveirote places that I tried whislt in Florence, this provided some amazing breakfast and snack options whilst I was there. It was a street away from our apartment so was perfect place to grab breakfast before exploring the city. I tried a couple different things from this cafe, which is both vegan and gluten free! They also had a range of savoury dishes including poke bowls, burgers, wraps and pizza which sounded amazing.
Protein Bar
This protein bar was covered in sesame seeds, and full of nuts and crunchy puffs of quinoa with a sweet date flavour. I really loved this bar, it was sweet, crunchy and satisfying. However I do recommended to store it in a freezer so that it remains solid and the dates don't soften to much especially if it is hot!
Smoothie
From the wide range of smoothie flavours, I tried the number 6 smoothie, which was thick and creamy with a banana flavour that had hints of the tropical fruits of mango and pineapple flavour. I really loved this one however the banana was quite strong so I don't think banana haters would enjoy it! You can also choose any of the smoothie flavours and ask for it to be made into a smoothie bowl.
Peanut balls
These were sweet, full of crunchy nuts and the flavour of peanut butter and chocolate.
Brownie
This brownie was almost moose like with a soft fudge texture and chunks of oats and nuts. It also had avocado and courgettes which I was super surprised to not be able to taste.
Ice cream
This ice cream had to be one of the best things I had in Florence, it was super smooth, thick and creamy. I off course had to try all the flavours, my faveirote was definitely coconut, and my second was chocolate with the lime and mint coming in third and the mango fourth. Each scoop is served with fruit and desiccated coconut (or cocoa nibs if you get the chocolate). Each flavour felt fresh, with a strong flavour and was super creamy and thick.
2. Babae
We stumbled upon babae as a hunt for there famous wine window, however after exploring the menu saw that it had some great looking food options to. Every dish on the menu was clearly labelled to be gluten free, vegetarian or vegan. We ate here for dinner twice in our trip as it was a super easy and delicious options that had a variety of options that could please everybody. Babae were also very prompt on knowledge about cross contamination, assuring me without being asked that care to prevent contamination would be taken in the kitchen. My dishes included:
Crispy cauliflower
This dish was coated crispy cauliflower served with a spinach hummus. It was full of flavour, the hummus smooth and creamy with the cauliflower being crisp on the outside and super soft in the middle. I ordered this with the side salad which was a simple mix of vegetables but still super fresh with a mix of crunchy vegetables. I also got the corn ribs, which were fresh and flavourful.
Tofu and cauliflower rice
The second night I tried the cauliflower rice in a turmeric and pepper coconut sauce topped with grilled tofu. Having never had cauliflower rice before I was dubious, however this was really good the cauliflower was cooked perfectly, the sauce full of flavour and the tofu was crispy on the top. Trying this in Florence has defiantly inspired me to try to recreate it at home!
3.Lorenzo de Medici
This restaurant was based in the considerably more tourist area of Florence, its a super convenient spot to grab a lunch or dinner whilst shopping and exploring. The menu was full of gluten free options including salads, fish,bread, pasta and pizza! I went here for dinner on my first night in Florence and enjoyed an amazing pizza and salad combo.
Pizza
Personally I love tuna on pizza so I decided to get the tuna and onion pizza. The base was relatively thick, however it was fully cooked and even got a 'this doesn't taste gluten free' by my sister who very much enjoys her gluten. The crust was crunchy on the outside and soft in the middle, with my only complaint being that it was slightly burnt and the base being slightly thicker than I generally prefer. The star to this pizza was the tomato sauce, it was thick and full of a seasoned fresh flavour. Topped with creamy vegan cheese, crispy tuna and caramelised onions this pizza gave me a wonderful first impression of the food Florence gf had to offer.They also served the gf pizzas on different collared plates to the normal pizzas which was very reassuring that my pizza could not be mixed up with ones with gluten In them.
Fresca Salad
Though simple this salad was super delicious, with fresh and crunchy vegetables including lettuce, sweetcorn, tomato and chicory. It was a great side to the pizza, fresh vegetables cutting through the warm doughy pizza.
4.La pepiniere ristorante biologico
Having found this restaurant in my search for restaurants online before going to Florence, it was a great place to go after we did a long night walk up to a central point where you can get an amazing view of the city. Going at sunset we got quite hungry by the time we made it back to the city, so this place was perfect. It was open till 11 and was full of gluten free options from polenta triangles to falafels to pizza it had lots to choose from.
Pizza
I went for the vegetable pizza which was topped with vegan cheese, mushrooms and green peppers. The base was thin and soft, with a really soft and fluffy crust. This pizza was full of flavour from the combination of the tomato sauce, cheese and vegetables. I definitley would have loved to try more of the food options from here whilst I was there.
5.Supermarkets
Aside from the restaurants the supermarkets also had a variety of options, full of amazing fresh fruit and vegetables and clearly labelled packaged foods and isles with gluten free foods. This included snacks like bread, crackers and biscuits.The supermarkets were helpfully located through the city in varying sizes making for easy places to pick up easy options.
Overall Florence for me was a great place to find some amazing gluten free options, and has definitely given me some inspiration for recipes i'd love to try to make in the future. My trip definitely inspired me to want to explore more of Italy and see the other food options it has to offer.
Thank you for reading, I hope this was helpful!
Ruby xxx
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