Florence's Top Chef, Alessandro Cozzolino's, Favorite Restaurants in The Tuscan Capital
The Relisher is where the world's top chefs reveal their favorite spots in their home cities. This week, we spoke with Chef Alessandro Cozzolino, the Executive Chef of La Loggia di Villa San Michele, widely regarded as one of Florence's leading fine dining restaurants.
The restaurant is located inside Villa San Michele, A Belmond Hotel, Florence, one of the most breathtaking hotels in Florence.
“I come from the south of Italy, but I'm truly in love with the products you can find in Tuscany. It's a region rich in resources, full of beautiful, unique products and vegetables that you can only find here. My daily routine revolves around creating dishes that showcase the best of what nature offers each season. This is the true beauty of this land and its food culture.”
Chef Cozzolino has honed his culinary skills at premier Michelin-starred establishments, including two-Michelin-starred Arnolfo in Tuscany, two-Michelin-starred Il Mosaico in Naples, as well as serving as Chef de Cuisine at the legendary Grissini restaurant in Hong Kong. Below, the renowned chef shares his favorite dining spots in the capital of the Tuscan region. (Note: A Google Map with all locations listed is provided at the end of the interview.)
Dinner Restaurants: A Mix of Creative Tuscan Cuisine & A Traditional Seafood Eatery
Monday is my day off so during this time I go to my favorite restaurants. The truth is that there are so many restaurants that are excellent in Florence, so I actually want to share the last three restaurants that I visited that I highly recommend.
For fine dining, I recommend Borgo San Jacopo, a Michelin-starred restaurant housed within the Ferragamo family's Hotel Lungarno. Helmed by Chef Claudio Mengoni, a Tuscan native married to a Neapolitan. The restaurant's cuisine is infused with a special Mediterranean touch that really elevates traditional Tuscan dishes. The highlight dish for me was his creative pasta featuring cauliflower, mantis shrimp broth, and sea urchins.
Another excellent fine dining restaurant is the Michelin-starred, vegetable-focused Saporium, located in the beautiful Borgo San Pietro hotel. This restaurant grows all its vegetables on-site, using seasonal Tuscan produce, and creates unique flavors by fermenting ingredients in their own workshop. What impresses me most is their ability to showcase incredible creativity while working almost exclusively with vegetables.
I love seafood, you actually see a lot of seafood in my menu, and this is why Fuor D'Acqua is one of my favorite restaurants. What sets this place apart is the exceptional freshness of their seafood, considering Florence's inland location and that we're not near any coast. When dining here, I order the crudo di mare, or raw seafood platter.
Quick Bites: Florence's Top Pizza, Tuscan Focaccia & Coffee Shops
If you're in Florence, you must, of course, try pizza, and I highly recommend Giotto Pizzeria. Marco, the chef and owner, has a deep respect for Tuscan tradition. He exclusively uses local products and supports regional producers, while employing an innovative approach to traditional Italian cuisine.
For example, my favorite pizza here, the 'Napoli A Firenze' pizza with anchovies, is the perfect combination of Neapolitan and Tuscan ingredients — the pizza style comes from Naples, but the ingredients are purely Tuscan.
Another must-try dish in Florence is the traditional Tuscan focaccia with cold cuts, called Schiacciata. The best place for this is Schiaccia Vino — you can feel the love that they have for this bread. My favorite is the Schiacciata with sausage, stracchino cheese, and turnip greens. They also have a wonderful selection of Tuscan wines.
Ditta Artigianale is a casual, all-day café popular among young locals, and in my opinion, they serve some of the best coffee in Florence. The owner sources beans directly from South America and roasts them in Florence. I typically order the Finca El Paseo Colombia espresso coffee (which has a pleasantly sour taste, as good coffee should), along with avocado toast and sweet potato fries.
While there are a few locations, my favorite is the one in Piazza Ferrucci. It features beautiful Italian-style umbrellas, creating a beach-like atmosphere in the heart of the city. It's great for a relaxing coffee break or a quick bite.
Sweets: Local Tuscan Biscuits & Gelato
Leonardo Firenze is a beautiful bakery that resembles a jewelry shop. While there, you must try their local Tuscan biscuits called Cantucci (similar to Biscotti) — my favorite flavor is dark chocolate and cherries. These biscuits are a perfect way to take home a piece of Italy. Just be prepared, as the bakery can get quite busy.
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