I have a completely hot take: Florence is overrated.

On my most recent trip to Italy, I stayed a few nights in Florence for a wedding taking place just outside the city. This was my second time staying in Florence, the first time being about 7 years ago when my husband and I were still in grad school. I remember my first time in Florence being underwhelming for one main reason: it was overrun with American tourists. And yes, I know we are also American tourists but it honestly felt like being in the Italy pavilion at EPCOT. Don’t even get me started on the one time an obnoxious US tourist accidentally spilled red wine on my husband and then sent us a tiramisu to make up for it.

This time around, I was hoping things in Florence had changed. After all, ZTL rules had been put into place and I had read articles about the city cracking down on tourists (like being fined for eating on certain streets). My Tiktok algorithm somehow knew I’d be going to Florence soon and started suggesting all of these “must-try” places filmed by budding influencers. I had already seen the major sites in the city last time so I figured, why not? Let’s try the 3 trendiest places in Florence recommended to me by Tik Tok influencers. Was it worth the hype? Keep reading to find out!

Trattoria Zà Zà

This restaurant has a whopping 28,000 reviews on Google averaging 4.5 stars – that’s pretty decent, right? I’m always hesitant to try a place with that many reviews, an almost 10-page menu, and translations for the multinational tourists. How authentic can a place like that be? I tried to go in with my best foot forward though, and here’s how it went:

Trattoria Zà Zà Review – 6/10

Getting a lunch reservation was pretty easy for peak tourist season in June. You can only make an online reservation request up to 30 days in advance, and truthfully we didn’t even need to make one as there was no line when we got there. The restaurant is massive – I mean multiple themed rooms and a large covered outdoor patio. It felt like a labyrinth and my husband joked that those who don’t find their way out of the restaurant become part of the staff.

We met up with our friends and were greeted by a server who spoke great English but was clearly very busy. They have a multicultural staff here who can speak various languages and they all wear very serious secret-service-like headsets. The menu is 9-pages long with so many options. We ordered Zia Giuliana’s Tagliere (an antipasto platter), Zà Zà style Bruschetta (it had a cheese spread on it), fettuccine bolognese, and truffle tagliatelle. I also had a Hugo spritz, which was surprisingly very good.

All of the food was mid – nothing special. The portions were large, which was great, but the flavors were lacking. The antipasto platter had a nice variety of cold cuts, a small portion of cheese, and weird tasting sauces. Both pasta dishes lacked seasoning and just tasted… meh? For a restaurant that has reviews saying the food is “spectacular” and it’s “the best restaurant in Florence” I couldn’t say I felt the same. This restaurant would be great for tourists and families, especially those with picky eaters or need a menu in their native language.

Vivoli Gelato

The affogatos from Vivoli just look so cool. I saw them on Tik Tok and thought, “yep, I’ll enjoy that.” For those who don’t know, affogato is espresso with ice cream or gelato, and in Vivoli’s case they strike a fine balance between that sweetness paired with the bitterness of the coffee. You can get affogatos in many gelato shops across Florence, but what makes Vivoli stand out is the quality of their gelato and their specific pattern of smearing the gelato in the cup. This is what the Vivoli experience was like:

Vivoli Gelato Review – 10/10

Vivoli Gelato is about a 10-minute walk from the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore (the iconic Duomo) and you’ll know your there when you see crowds of people either in line or enjoying their affogatos and gelatos right outside. There are two sections of Vivoli: the gelato section and the affogato section. Both areas serve the popular affogatos, and the staff kept coming out to pull people from the affogato line into the gelato shop with no line to get their affogatos. So if you’re averse to waiting in line, head straight into the gelato shop!

We waited in line in the affogato area and the line moved pretty quickly. We came up to a single touchscreen where we placed our order, paid, and took the receipt to the baristas. It’s important to note that the touchscreen is in English, and it was super helpful to scroll through the menu items, but the payment system was a little confusing. The staff was constantly stepping in to help people.

My husband and I got an original vanilla affogato and a chocolate affogato (I got mine decaf!). The chocolate version was a rich dark chocolate gelato dotted with chocolate chips, while the original was a creamy and subtly sweet vanilla gelato. My goodness they were both so good! The original vanilla was my favorite though as it had the perfect balance of sweetness to soften the bitterness of the espresso. The chocolate was great but it was bitter on bitter which wasn’t as good. That said, it was delicious, cute, and hit the spot for a pick-me-up. The affogato section has standing room only (but with AC!) so most people sit outside to enjoy their treats.

La Giostra

I want to preface my review of La Giostra by saying this is a restaurant luxury hotels regularly recommend. They put out high quality Italian food in a lovely dimly lit ambiance, and it’s a great date night spot. Tik Tok influencers recently picked up on this place and now it’s a not-so-hidden gem anymore, but the food is still good!

La Giostra Review – 8/10

This restaurant is about an 8-minute walk from the Duomo area and it’s tucked into a narrow side street. Reservations online are easy to make, but in our case there wasn’t anything available on the day we planned to dine here. I emailed the restaurant directly and they secured us a reservation close to our requested time. When we arrived, we checked in with the hostess and were asked to sit at the bar until we were called. The alcohol selection at the bar was pretty impressive!

We were sat pretty soon after in the main dining room with sparkling fairy lights on the ceiling. The dining room was dimly lit and eat table had a real tapered candle lit. Despite the sultry ambiance, the music playing was classic rock. We were promptly served bread (it was bland) with olive oil while we browsed the menu. Unlike Trattoria Za Za, the menu was a humble 5 pages with dishes listed in Italian and English.

We ended up ordering cacio e pepe pasta and a pecorino and pear ravioli to start. For our second, we decided to share the osso bucco and then we ordered a tiramisu to take back to our place. Each table received a plate of small bites complimentary to get started. The plate was filled with crostinis, seasoned vegetables, and a fried ball of some sort. Our pastas came out quickly and they were pretty good! My cacio e pepe was a little on the salty side, but my husband’s ravioli was a hit.

The osso bucco came out next and it was tender and hearty. In fact, the young British couple next to us said that they ordered the same thing after seeing our dish come out. The portion sizes at La Giostra were perfect, and the service was quick. There were a lot of young people dining here, probably thanks to the social media attention. The tiramisu we brought back to our room was good and hit the spot. We spent this evening on our balcony drinking white wine, eating tiramisu, and admiring the Duomo. We’d come back to La Giostra again!

Kat’s Final Thoughts

I mentioned at the beginning of this blog post that Florence is overrated, and I totally stand by that. Yes, it’s cool to see the Uffizi and the Duomo is a truly spectacular sight. The shopping is great, the Mercato Centrale is a fun time, and seeing David at the Accademia is a bucket list item. But do you need to stay in Florence to experience all of that? No, you don’t. I would much prefer to stay in Tuscany at a gorgeous hilltop property like Castelfalfi and then do a day trip to Florence.

The thing is, it’s tough to appreciate the beauty of Tuscany when you’re only in Florence. There are so many Americans walking through the streets of Florence that it barely feels like Italy at that point. We had breakfast at a local bistro our last morning in Florence and got sat next to a chatty couple from Boston. Everywhere we turned we could hear English being spoken. If you want to experience the authenticity of Tuscany, stick to a Florence day trip, and use the rest of the time to explore the rest of the region. Or better yet, reach out to me to plan your trip for you.

If you do find yourself in Florence though, I definitely recommend hitting up Vivoli and La Giostra. The hype is real with those. I’d skip Trattoria Za Za unless you have picky eaters and want a large menu. Definitely add a stop at Caffe Gilli to your itinerary for delicious pastries and a quick espresso. Thankfully, Florence is so easy to navigate that you can easily keep it spontaneous and step into a restaurant that catches your eye.