Where to Eat: Turin and Florence, Italy - Athens and Santorini, Greece

Bryan and I are not what you would consider foodies. Sure, we love a good meal as much as the next person, but we also believe we can find a good meal without breaking the bank. And in Italy and Greece, it's hard to find a BAD meal. That being said, we wanted to eat well on this trip, but going to the best rated places was not our intention.

Before we even left, we did what everyone would and should do - asked our friends for recommendations. I had a list and a Google Maps layout of so many suggestions. Our thought was, if we happened to be near one of those places, we'd eat there, but we weren't going to go out of our way many stops.

There were so many great places we ate at - I'm just going to run through the summaries and our recommendations below. Keep in mind, these aren't all of our stops. We made several quick visits to cafes for breakfast, quick pizza joints for a slice, etc. These are the places we sat and experienced and enjoyed the ambiance and hope that you do also.

Turin:

Check out the burrata in the background!

Bottega Baretti. Known for their pizza and happened to be two blocks from our hotel. We liked this place so much we went back a second night (and also, a lot of places were closed since it was a Sunday). Get anything with burrata, you won't be disappointed. I dipped my crust into it, it was so good. And we dream of going back there the first chance we get.

100 Montaditos. Translates to 100 Sandwiches. A chain restaurant you can find even in the States, but the sandwiches were true to the region. I only include this one in the post because it was a great stop when a lot of places were closed for Sunday church. Super inexpensive but very tasty!

Del Cambio Pharmacy. We came here for apertivo so can't make a recommendation on food. But it is a great stop in the middle of the square, perfect for people watching.

Florence:

Gnocchi

Osteria Santo Spirito. Known for their gnocchi which we got as an appetizer. We even overheard some exchange students saying they had waited all semester to come and try the gnocchi. Make a reservation because it fills up fast - and ask for a seat on the patio. They will provide blankets.

Acqual Al'2. Known for their blueberry steak. I didn't want to get steak because we're in Italy, why not get pasta everywhere you go?! However, this day I hadn't been feeling well and really needed some protein, so went for the steak. It didn't disappoint. Even Bryan was jealous he didn't try it. Make a reservation here also, because it gets slammed. Even with a reservation we had to wait about 20 minutes.

Blueberry steak

Mercato Centrale. An open air market, similar to the food halls that are popping up in Denver. The first floor is a traditional market where you can buy whatever food you need. The second level is a food court with all sorts of delicacies - Italian, Chinese, you name it. This is near the train station, so a great stop before you leave town, or if you need a place to grab some food before heading out on a tour.

Golden View Firenze. This place I found on Instagram, their pictures will make you dream of going to Florence. From their dining room, you have a great view of the Ponte Vecchio in Florence, and if you are eating dinner, you can sit on the open air patio staring at the bridge. They have brunch, lunch, dinner and everything in between. We went for an apertivo and did a flight of wine tastings. 

Il Vivandiere - Cantina Vinicola. This was the place that wasn't meant to be. Returning from Cinque Terre, we spoke with our tour guide, Sarah, who lives in the Santa Croce neighborhood (where we were staying). We asked for recommendations on a good place to eat that wasn't super fancy or wouldn't require a reservation and this was her recommendation. She said she goes to it all the time and the owners know her by name - they serve smaller plates. Well, we tried to find it, but just couldn't. There wasn't a name on the outside so we got lost and were tired and hungry. Looking back we realized we HAD found it, but the place looked fancier than we expected, so we figured it couldn't be it. I add this to the list, because a local recommended it as one of her faves. Go check it out for us!


All'Antico Vinaio. Last but certainly not least. Everyone knows of this sandwich joint in Florence. We were staying close to it, so made a pit stop right when we got into town. Be prepared to wait in line, but the line moves fast. But then make sure you're ready to order! The sandwiches are enormous, cheap and delicious. I think it's a rite of passage that you have to stop here at least once!

Santorini:

Ammoudi Fish Tavern(Oia). Right on the water, seriously. Their menu is expensive and prices change with the season, but you can't get seafood any fresher than this. They catch their seafood every day and the options are all over the place! We made a reservation ahead of time, which cost 20 euros, but that could then be applied to our final bill. Depending on the time of year and day you plan to go, a reservation probably isn't needed, but we figured better safe than sorry.

Pitogyros (Oia). Think Greek fast food. After all day on the boat, we wanted some more grub before heading to bed. This came recommended to us by friends, and our bus driver. They have a walk up window you can order at and they call your name when the food is ready. A large selection of meats to include in your gyro also. And don't let the fact that it's 'fast food' deter you - it is delicious. It also helped that we took it to our private hotel patio and enjoyed the view while eating. :)

Athens:

Monsieur Barbu. I found this restaurant on a list of top new joints in Koukaki (the neighborhood we stayed in). We got to them right when they opened and had a great lunch on the patio. This was our last meal in Athens so we topped it off with our last liter of Rose of the trip.

Yum!

Kalyvas. When getting a ride to our AirBnB, our driver told us he lives in the neighborhood we were staying in (Koukaki), so we asked him for a recommendation on where to eat. He recommended this spot as a family owned, fast casual restaurant, but one of his faves. It happened to be across the street from our house, so we tried it at. This place is not to be missed. The food was amazing and the price was unreal. Seriously, we thought they forgot to include something. We ordered stuffed peppers for an appetizer (stuffed with feta and tomatoes) and gyros. Both orders were bigger than our heads. Add in the half liter of rose (which was also delicious) and our tab was only 13 euros. Unbelievable! And one of the many menu items we've tried to recreate.

Happy eating!