Eating Abroad: Florence, Italy
- Gracey Bryant
- Jul 17
- 3 min read
Updated: Jul 24
Just take a quick stroll around any city center in Italy, and you'll be surrounded by more pasta and pizza than you can imagine. Known for their amazing cacio e pepe, hearty red meat sauce, tasty panini, delicious pizza, and irresistible gelato, it's hard to believe you could ever get tired of all the fantastic food! But after a week in Rome, indulging in all the Italian dishes we could handle, we were burnt out and way too bloated... and realized just how pricey it can get! Here I've compiled some budget meals we cooked at home or, if you're over pizza and pasta, some lighter and maybe healthier options we loved!
Grocery Stores
There are tons of small grocery stores scattered around the city, but for more variety, we usually hit up the bigger ones: Conad City & Carrefour.
Conad City is like a mini Walmart, offering almost everything you might need apart from food itself.
They’ve got toiletries, hair care stuff, feminine products, and household items all well-stocked.
Plus, there are big sections for cheese, meats, frozen foods, a bakery, and anything else you might be after!
Carrefour is a bit smaller, with fewer choices but all the basics. They’re practically on every corner, so super convenient!
Lots of options for fruits and veggies! 
The ice cream section was our favorite, we tried a new flavor each week! 
The bakery area has fresh bread and food everyday
Meals at home
By this part of our trip, we were trying to budget our meals so we could splurge on dining out in other cities. Here's a list of some meals that worked for us and were pretty cheap, around €12-15 for the two of us! (*Note: We bought the cheapest option for everything, usually the generic brand will be under 1 euro).
Burgers & Fries:
Burger buns, veggie burger (2 per pack), beef burger (2 per pack), ketchup & mustard, sliced cheese (4 per pack), frozen fries, and lettuce & tomato = €17.79 (we split each meal so €8.90 per person)
We could do this meal twice because there are two burgers per pack, and lots of fries!
Grilled Cheese & Tomato Soup:
Tomato soup, heavy cream, basil, sliced bread, butter, sliced cheese (using the extra cheese from burgers usually!), salt, pepper, & red pepper flakes = €15.42
Frozen Pizza & Salad:
Conad brand frozen margherita pizza, basil, mozzarella pearls, pre-made salad, and caesar dressing = €11.45
Tortellini & Pesto Pasta:
Spinach & Ricotta tortellini, pesto, mozzarella, pre-cut chicken, frozen veggies, and pre-made salad = €15.80
Breakfast:
Pancake mix, eggs (4 pack), milk, bacon, fruit (bananas), one large potato, sunflower oil, apple juice, chocolate bar (for pancakes), and syrup = €17.10
Our fav non-pasta places
Rosalía Salad Gourmet - Via dei Servi 37 R
This salad bar has some super filling yet light meal options! We hit it up at least once a week for the salad wraps. My go-to is the Hot Wrap, and Savannah loves the Vegetarian Wrap!
Los Chicos Tex Mex - Via dei Benci 15 R
This is our favorite hidden gem, a little Tex-Mex burrito spot! You can create your own taco, quesadilla, nachos, or burritos. Oh, and by the way, their frozen margs are the absolute best! It's one of those places we hit up at least once a week between classes.
We get strawberry frozen margaritas at least once a week!
Schiacciateria de' Neri - Via dei Neri, 18/r
This is one of the top sandwich spots in all of Florence! Just a heads up, the sandwiches are huge, but super tasty. They usually come loaded with meats, fresh veggies, homemade cheese, and a variety of sauces.
It's as big as my head, and this is only one half!!
Pokéria - Piazza Nazario Sauro, 5
This spot has awesome poke bowls with really fresh ingredients. I love making my own bowl with tuna and salmon, hummus, avocado, bean sprouts, tempura, and spicy mayo. Savannah is a big fan of the Vegan Euphoria bowl! It is across the river, so enjoy a nice scenic stroll on the way.
Another one of our after class favorites, its super quick and fresh!
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