Breakfasts & Brunches: Top 3 Places To Eat In Florence, Italy

1. Floret

This super trendy spot is located on a covered balcony within the high-end LUISAVIAROMA store. The gorgeous interior, with brightly colored chairs, cozy wicker couches, and live plants, foreshadows the excellent meal that is to come. Serving breakfast, brunch, and lunch daily from 10.30 am (11.00 AM on Sundays) until 7.30 PM, Floret is just around the corner from Santa Maria del Fiore, making it the best spot to eat brunch after an early morning spent photographing the Duomo sans crowds.

At Floret, you’ll find a menu with Instagrammable food options such as avocado toast, ricotta cheese pancakes with fruit, open faced sandwiches, and smoothie bowls. I really enjoyed their beetroot hummus open-faced sandwich that was topped with organic greens and their pancakes served with berries. These light meals will keep you feeling full, but won’t make you feel weighed down - perfect if you want to taste some of Florence’s great gelaterias while out and about.

Note for harried moms: Floret is also a great spot to eat with babies and toddlers, who might need to eat outside of the typical Italian meal hours (i.e., 1.00 PM to 2.00 PM for lunch and 7.30 PM at the earliest for dinner).

2. Mama’s Bakery

Mama’s Bakery recreates American favorites in a cute eatery amid the scenic, hip Santo Spirito neighborhood. Just south of the Arno River, at Mama’s Bakery, you’ll find a mix of old and young diners digging into French toast served with fresh fruit, bagels with cream cheese, and sandwiches on thick slices of homemade bread. I highly recommend their French toast and unique sloppy Joe grilled cheese. Help yourself to their freshly brewed coffee, which is ‘perfetto’ if you are suffering from jet lag.

Mama’s Bakery also has a small play area for children, which is rare to find in Florence, and a book-share area where you can leave a book and/or take a book for free. Do note that the bakery is particularly busy on weekends, so it is best to visit on a weekday. Opening hours are from 8.00 AM until 5.00 PM during weekdays, and 9.00 AM until 3.00 PM on weekends.

3. Le Vespe Café

Le Vespe Café is immensely popular with the under-25 college student crowd, as it is located near university buildings with classes for foreign exchange students. The café uses locally sourced, organic produce when possible to create their healthy Canadian breakfast options with menu favorites, including English breakfast, eggs Benedict, huevos rancheros, and breakfast wraps. Numerous vegan and vegetarian dishes are also offered at Le Vespe Café. They also have excellent brewed black coffee, and their vegan, gluten-free brownie is to die for.

Le Vespe Café is open on Monday to Friday from 9.00 AM until 3.00 PM and on Saturday and Sunday from 10.00 AM until 3.00 PM. Please consider making a reservation in advance, as this popular café is often crowded at all times during the day.