Florence Evening Food Tour: Florentine Steak & Oltrarno

The steak comes at the end of the tour, not the beginning, which is why you taste your way through Florence first.

An evening walking food tour through Florence's Oltrarno district with a local English-speaking guide, covering 14 tastings at 4 stops before a sit-down Florentine steak dinner. The tour runs 3.5 hours in a small group of up to 12 people, starting at Piazza della Signoria and ending in Piazza Santo Spirito. Groups stay small enough that the guide can answer questions and adjust pace. The fixed route and timing mean you don't plan the evening yourself.

Step-by-step itinerary

Stops and time spent at each

1. Piazza della Signoria10m
2. Ponte Vecchio10m
3. Oltrarno45m

Florence evening food tour experience

• Begin at Piazza della Signoria
• Visit Buchetta del vino for snack and wine
• Stop at Via dei Neri for meats, cheeses, and pasta
• Walk to and cross Ponte Vecchio
• Dine on Florentine steak with wine and potatoes
• Enjoy artisan gelato in Oltrarno
• End tour at Piazza Santo Spirito

The experience

You meet your guide at Piazza della Signoria, the open-air sculpture gallery anchored by Palazzo Vecchio and a copy of Michelangelo's David. From there, the tour moves at a walking pace through the city's food landmarks, not the tourist restaurants, but the places Florentines actually eat. The guide introduces the local food scene as you go, so the stops make sense instead of feeling like a checklist.

The first tasting happens at a wine window, a buchetta del vino: a narrow opening in the wall where wine and snacks were once sold directly to avoid tavern taxes. Michelangelo himself bought from these. Then you move to Via dei Neri, a street lined with panino shops selling cured meats and cheeses, where you taste samples of local salumi, aged cheeses, tomato bruschetta, pappa al pomodoro (thick tomato soup), two paccheri pasta dishes, and a selection of orange mustard, balsamic vinegar and olive oil. The guide explains why Florence's cured meats taste different from the rest of Tuscany: a detail most visitors never learn.

You cross Ponte Vecchio, the bridge lined with jewelers now but once the center of the city's butcher trade, and enter Oltrarno. This neighborhood fills with locals in the evening and stays quieter than the tourist side of the river. The main event is a sit-down dinner in a trattoria: a thick-cut Florentine steak, cooked rare, served with roasted potatoes and local wine. After that comes gelato at an artisan gelateria, and the tour ends in Piazza Santo Spirito with the guide sharing tips for the rest of your time in the city.

What’s included

• A lively walking tour through Florence's heart.
• a friendly, local English-speaking foodie guide.
• 14 tastings spread across 4 stops (wine and snacks at a wine window, cured meats and cheeses on Via dei Neri, pasta and condiments, and gelato).
• a sit-down dinner featuring a juicy Florentine steak cooked rare, roasted potatoes, and local wine.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery day6 departure times: the first at 16:00, the last at 19:30

Book up to4h before

AgesAdult (18 and older) · Youth (7 to 17 years) · Child (under 7)

GroupUp to 12

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends at a different place from where it starts.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled if the minimum number of travelers isn't reached. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated today

Good to know

Moderate physical effortPublic transport nearby

Operated by The Tour Guy

Is this one for you?Book this tour if you have a free evening and want to eat the way locals do instead of planning restaurants yourself. The fixed route, timing and guide mean the evening is already arranged. You just show up hungry and walk.

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Top questions

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Youth (7 to 17 years); Child (under 7).

What exactly is a Florentine steak, and why is it cooked rare?

A Florentine steak is a thick-cut beef, typically from a T-bone or porterhouse, that is seared on the outside and served rare inside to keep the meat juicy and tender. The rare center preserves the rich flavor that makes it an authentic Tuscan dish.

Is the Oltrarno neighborhood really quieter than the rest of Florence in the evening?

Oltrarno comes to life at night and is mostly populated with locals rather than tourists, which is why the tour crosses the river to finish dinner there instead of on the main side of the city.

How many tastings do I get, and what are they?

You get 14 tastings across 4 stops: wine and a snack at the wine window; cured meats, cheeses, bruschetta, pappa al pomodoro, two pasta dishes, and condiments at Via dei Neri; the Florentine steak dinner with potatoes and wine in Oltrarno; and gelato at the gelateria.

What should I wear and bring?

Bring comfortable shoes (the tour is a walking route through the city), and an appetite. The tour runs 3.5 hours, so plan accordingly.

Does the tour include hotel pickup?

No, the tour does not include hotel pickup or drop-off. You meet the guide at Piazza della Signoria. Public transportation options are available nearby if you need to reach the starting point.