Stopped in for lunch after reading good reviews about this vegetarian cafe/shop. We both ordered from the lunch special which allowed you to get a pasta, a side and a special. The food was good but a little on the salty side. Still nice to have a vegetarian restaurant option! read more

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Brac is strong in concept but middling in execution. The idea of building your own plate (a 3 item bespoke sampler) is appealing but doesn't overcome the lacking flavor of the individual dishes. The green lasagna and chickpea tempeh were both surprisingly bland despite enticing descriptions. The big winner was the beet salad which I could have eaten three times that night. The service was friendly but the approach to the meal is overly theatric when they should just double down on great food. Right now they're style over substance. But major props for all vegetarian food in Italy! read more

Libreria Brac - Beet Salad and Chickpea Tempeh - Cafes Near Me - Florence, FI

Absolute must for vegetarians in Florence! Best seitan I've ever had. Small cafe with patio area. Dined 2x within my 4 days in Florence. Fantastic flavor, unique dishes and tucked away location. read more

Libreria Brac - Cafes Near Me - Florence, FI

I'm looking on HappyCow. I found this great little hole in the wall restaurant, which is actually located inside a book shop. Because of that, you may not understand we have to enter but go in where you see the books. We stopped by for lunch on a Friday and they were able to fit us in. Our first day we each ordered a Main and got a dessert. Everything was so delicious and well. Everything is vegetarian and they have lots of vegan options as well. We decided we liked it so much that we went and made reservations for the next day for lunch where we each got the special where you can get three items. Everything was so delicious and we would definitely recommend to anyone who is vegetarian, vegan or just wants delicious food. read more

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This restaurant was suggested to me while dining at a local cafe and it's a gem! I went for dinner, and knew, as soon as I walked in I was going to have an enjoyable experience. One side is a restaurant and the other is a bookstore. I sat at the bar and enjoyed my food...all of it! Oh the dessert options were in the bookstore, you must try! read more

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A favorite in Florence. Loved the ambience LOVED the delicious high quality, fresh, gourmet vegetarian food.

If you're a vegan or even if you're not COME TO THIS PLACE!!! Wow...best seitan I have ever eaten. You feel like you're eating some 3 dollar sign food with how professional, cute, and flavorful the food is and the price is not bad at all! Def make a reservation because there's not a ton of seating but it is super cool if you have a chance to come because it's like a hidden restaurant tucked behind a library read more

Libreria Brac - Cafes Near Me - Florence, FI

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Reservations are needed to eat here! However they were able to accommodate our walk in post 30 min wait. Everything takes really long because they prepare food from scratch. The have a beautiful ambience with books and plants. Unfortunately the dishes were quite a disappointment. They had almost no taste/flavor. Got the pasta with potato filling and the seitan masala. The latter was a bit flavorful but hated the texture of seitan. All in all, a time sink this place is. Really wanted to live this, but alas. read more

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Agree with all prior reviews about the piatto unico. Currently €20 for a three choices (l'insalata, primo piatto, secondo piatto). The beets were not vegan because of the Greek yogurt topping but pretty sure the rest were. The seitan was amazing -- texture similar to BBQ but not in a bad/creepy way. Wait staff spoke fluent English (though I wanted to practice Italian!) and it was altogether a chill experience for lunch at 1:30pm. Perfect when it's July and super hot read more

Libreria Brac - Piatto unico - Cafes Near Me - Florence, FI

Just had an amazing vegan meal here! Everything was absolutely delicious. Below is what we had, along with a slice of cake, an espresso and cafe latte. From the first bite, we were very impressed. We cleaned our plates and as I I looked around (table of four next to us, a few two seaters around us) others did the same! The dishes played with amazing collaborations of items with amazing creams and sauces that complimented the items. The waitress suggested an amazing dry white wine (sorry, forgot name) that I also enjoyed. I also have to compliment the waitress. She had a full house, but was extremely pleasant, engaging, respectful, and helpful (as we are visitors). Definitely go check out this AMAZING spot! Platto Unico: Mezze maniche al curry Carpaccio di avocado Involtini di melanzane Tortelloni di patate e zenzero Cavolo e mele Seitan masala read more

Hidden restaurant located within a book store. Combination of Italian and Indian dishes. A lot of vegan/vegetarian options. Good tasting food. read more

First full day in Florence Italy and looking for a light lunch. Our apartment owner recommended Libreriabrac, at Via dei Vangellai, 18r Florence: phone number +39 055 094 4877. Website libreriabrac.net. We came shortly after noon. This place is a bookstore, cafe and vegetarian/vegan restaurant. There is no signage outside so we were confused. We asked someone and turns out we were right in front of it. We had no reservations but luckily we got the last table. The restaurant is inside just past a small garden. We were very pleasantly surprised. Every table comes with bread, crackers and a small cup of carrots and cucumbers. I ordered the three combinations plate for 18 euros. My husband ordered a pasta dish. I was told the combo selections are much smaller and all in one plate. Not true. The portions were hardy and they even gave me a doggy bag for my rice dish. The food was freshly prepared and delicious. I highly recommend you try it. read more

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My husband and I got this recommendation from our airbnb host. A lovely and unusal place for an aperitivo and a delicious vegetarian or vegan dinner and a bottle of wine. Go there and enjoy a 3 course dinner served on one plate in a relaxing and friendly atmosphere. We had a beet root salad , an avocado capaccio and a saitan special ( with black ruso), very tasty, sophisticated and very interestingly seasoned. A lovely experience in a great setting. read more

We walked by this place at first. Then, seeing there really is no other business storefront on the street we walked back. They were just opening for supper and they led us from the café counter through a small courtyard into the dining room. We went with their "proposal" of three selections for €14. And excellent choice of just the right amount of food and really good taste. I went with their pear catpaccio and then their pear tortelloni before finishing with some sort of crusty thing I no longer recall what it was. However, it was all delicious. It is a small place so either come at opening or better yet, make a reservation. read more

Libreria Brac - Library setting - Cafes Near Me - Florence, FI

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This is a very cute vegetarian cafe in Florence. You're in a library, surrounded by books, which sounds like it could be stuffy but it's so airy and nice. We walked in before they opened and put our names down for the only table they had available that night. If you have your heart set on eating here, I highly recommend making a reservation beforehand. Instead of the normal appetizer, first course, second course, they highly recommend you order the combo plate for 15 euros, in which you can order all of those things and they'll come out in smaller portions on one plate. We wanted to order al a carte, sharing a salad and having our own pasta dishes. Instead, we were given combo plates with bigger portions of salad and pasta. It ended up being more expensive, which is a little annoying. I think they just expect that everyone will want the combo plate that it's hard for them to switch gears. The food was wonderful. The salad was so fresh and crisp, and all the veggies had so much flavor. I had spaghetti with breadcrumbs, which was drier than I expected but it was cool to have the traditional Italian dish and know for sure it's all vegan. We loved the wine so much, we bought a bottle to take back to our Airbnb. Even the wine was labeled vegan, which is so cool. If you're in the mood for fresh salad and pasta, Libreria Brac will absolutely hit the spot. We left not feeling overly stuffed, just pleasantly satisfied. read more

I loved this restaurant! Great food and helpful service in a bookstore/art space/greenhouse scene. I loved just being in this atmosphere and ordered the lunch special for 16 euros that included three things, all delicious and attractive. And of course the wine was good too! A really lovely experience. read more

A speak easy down the street recommended this place. Probably one of the best meals we had traveling in Italy. What they can do with vegetables is out of this world. They were really busy but got us in at the bar, which was fine. Great vibe and the kitchen was jamming out to some American tunes which made it even more fun. Highly recommend. Oh, and by the way, I'm not a vegetarian. I just thought the food was awesome and would go back again in a heartbeat. read more

Libreria Brac - Cafes Near Me - Florence, FI

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After two days of what seemed like nonstop carbs in Rome, my body needed some vegetables. Not a platter of them dipped in breading then deep fried. No. I mean a salad. A big cold, crunchy, vibrant salad to balance out the carousel of croissant, coffee, pizza, pasta and wine that we've been riding since we got here. This place was the answer! Shortly after arriving by train to Florence, my husband and I sought out this little gem of a place and sat down in a quaint room of books and ordered ourselves an Aperol Spritz, a Mediterranean salad and a pesto salad with green beans and tomatoes. The waitress recommended the homemade seitan and we got that too! The food came out fast (good thing because we were starving) and we ate it equally fast (because it was tasty!). We'd return in a heartbeat. We may eat lunch here everyday on our stay. read more

Be aware that this place is inside a book store and not obvious from the outside. Really cool once inside so was a nice respite from the hot weather. This is one of the best vegetarian/vegan meals we have ever had in a restaurant and we've been vegan/vegetarian for about 5 years now. They have quite a few options and it was hard to choose. Our family of 4 ate there including our 16 and 11 year old and we all loved it. I had the lasagna for the pasta and it tasted amazing! The seitan was also excellent. The service was also excellent. Highly recommend this place. read more

No complaints here. The place is a cute coffee shop/library separated between a front, outdoor and back section. The place isn't super packed and we grabbed a seat right away. The decorations are very cute and the cappuccino that I had was good as well. read more

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The vegan food here is absolutely amazing. I got the lunch special with 3 different dishes. Each had a unique flavor combination that was unlike anything else I ate in Italy. The setting in the bookstore is also really cute. read more

It's a caffe! No, it's a library! No, it's a restaurant! No, it's a bar! WAIT.... it's..... all four! Seriously lovely. This place is super unique and different. A husband-wife owned vegan-vegetarian restaurant that unless you're actually looking for it, or are super curious and go all the way in thru the first part of the bar that looks more like a very small bookstore.... you'll never know what's behind on the other side! Sasha is the chef and his wife Melisa is behind the counter making sure everything goes smoothly. I went there with a friend, we sat at the counter for lunch because we did not make a reservation in order to sit on the other book room (NOTE: make reservations). We ended up talking with the owners who worked there, and their family members who were there, all very cool people. Another reason I love small family owned restaurants! Sasha's mom, Pinky, was there taking care of Sasha & Melisa's newborn baby. She was well around 90, and extremely hilarious. She is a well travelled young-spirited lady, who STILL travels by plane! Such a pleasure to talk to during our lunch. We had the pear carpaccio with parmesan and balsamic, you'd never think they would go well together but they do. Greek salad is superb, and of a reasonable size. I also had the eggplant crispy dish (eggplant on top of a thin crispy layer of pastry), but it was way too crispy for me and it all came apart when I cut it. They're open til midnight and look forward to coming here to get a cocktail and chill in the patio! They also have books and two MAC desktop computers. AND free wifi. What a find! read more

Libreria Brac - The patio inside - by danella - Cafes Near Me - Florence, FI

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I went here for the first time about a month ago. LOCATION: It's a little bit of a distance from the hubbub areas of the city, which is nice -- but it's not too far, walking distance-wise, from it all either. Also, it can be hard to miss because there's not like a huge sign or restaurant front for it -- it's literally just like one small door with a small thing that says its name. So yeah, just be on the lookout for that. 3/5 ATMOSPHERE: It's a cute restaurant. You walk in and it looks like a quaint little bar, but then, unless you're sitting there, you walk forward and enter a little decorated patio area. You're either seated there, or you go to the other little room off to the side, where there are walls lined with bookshelves full of books. It's quite a unique and cute place overall. The vibes are charming. 4/5 SELECTION: It's all vegetarian, but they have a lot of vegan options too. The menu has some nice variety of different dishes too. I just didn't understand why the menu in the restaurant didn't have the labels for which items were vegan, while the one online did, so I had to look online for that info (it was basically the same exact as the one in the restaurant but with the little designations for the vegan ones). 3/5 WHAT I GOT: I got their "riso fiorito," which translates to "flowery rice." It's basically basmati rice with seasonal vegetables. It is basic, but I like basic, and it was the best meal I had in Florence. The rice was nicely cooked -- not over or undercooked. The vegetables so vibrant in taste, color, and quality overall. It looked like just a little mound of rice with a few veggies mixed in, but it was actually a smaller mound of chopped veggies on the inside that was surrounded by a slightly larger shell of rice seasoned with herbs, spices, and whatnot. Plus, there were more vegetables on top of it all and on the plate. It was a nice portion overall. The only negative aspects were the oil they garnished it with (I don't like oily food -- but at least it wasn't like a lot that they used), and the fact that the vegetables could've been a tad bit more thoroughly cooked. But despite these drawbacks, like I said, it was the best meal I had while in Florence. 4/5 SERVICE: The staff was friendly, but our food took such a long time to come out, and it wasn't terribly crowded or anything. 3/5 read more

Libreria Brac - "riso fiorito": basmati rice, seasonal vegetables - Cafes Near Me - Florence, FI

My experience in this library bar has always been great. Today for the first time I tried their Sunday brunch menu which it's different from all the dishes they normally have, and wasn't disappointed. First let's appreciate the calming colors details this place offers, drawings, books, computers for people that need internet access, free wifi wooden furniture, a cascade of light coloured stripes over your head in the courtyard, fascinating machines, music. The regular menu has two options, you order à la carte or a mix plate with 3 tastings in it (appetizer, main course, veggies), all freshly made, express, with high quality season's ingredients, amazing ginger centrifuge drinks, healthy desserts, bio coffee and a selection of different milk kinds. We ordered a cabbage and potatoes cream soup, a Sardinian lasagna crispy bread filled with pumpink, red caramelized onions and leek, veggies rice with dal lentils. Meat lovers were actually talking about asking seconds. Just saying... read more

Libreria Brac - Some of the brunch experience - Cafes Near Me - Florence, FI

This place is delicious in every sense. This is one of my favorite places to eat lunch or have a late afternoon tea. The food is exquisite at this vegetarian restaurant. The first time I came in, I walked past the tables that already had their food and I saw a wide variety of delicious plates. By the time I was seated I was filled with anxiety,how am I going to be able to choose just one dish ? So what are you to do ? Bring your friends and then you can sample multiple dishes! I recommend getting a piatto unico, which is a combo plate of 3 different choices from their menu. You choose a salad or carpaccio (in this case a thinly sliced fruit), a pasta or rice, and a vegetable/cheese choice. The best meal I had here is when I came with my sister and her friend and we ordered two piatti unici and shared them. So we basically ate a sample of 6 of their dishes.... our plates were completely clean after we were through. My favorites were the tortelloni with ginger sauce and the avacado salad. I also recommend the chitarre pasta that consists of spaghetti with sun dried tomatoes, parsley, hot pepper and crunchy breadcrumbs. Brac is also a library, so the dining area is surrounded by books that you can browse and look at while your waiting for you food. The ambience is really chill here, if you want to stop buy just for a cup of tea or coffee they have a beautiful courtyard with big comfy chairs where you can sit and relax with a book or chat with a friend. The prices are pretty reasonable as well. €12 for a piatto unico, €6-8 for a meal. Don't forget to check out their assortment of wines as well. Whether you are a herbivore or omnivore, you'll be coming back to Brac again and again for their scrumptious meals. read more

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5* ambiance; 5* service; 4* food. This restaurant looks like a bookstore from the outside, and it is also a bookstore. Those who know order the 3-dish combo platter. For 14EU, you can choose one salad, one pasta or rice dish and one flatbread. For 2EU extra, you can substitute a second salad for a flatbread, as I did. I highly recommend the pear salad (thinly sliced very sweet pear with lots of cheese shavings) and the spinach lasagna (a lot of spinach and not so much ricotta). The Villagio salad of beans and tomatoes was a little too vinegary for me. The avocado carpaccio, which the next table ordered, looked excellent and I wish I had ordered it. The day we visited, the carrot cake was bad. It had been in the oven too long. read more

Place is pretty great but there are some hits and some misses. Aubs and I shared 6 things, in order of best to worst we shared: pear pecorino, spinach lasagna, spinach flatbread, cabbage salad, tagglietela vegetables, and then the eggplant flatbread special. Pear salad came with shaved pieces of pear and pecorino cheese drizzled in sweet balsamic. Very refreshing and a great way to begin a meal. The spinach lasagna was awesome, not to heavy and very flavorful, I'd highly recommend these 2 items. The spinach flatbread was very good, the flatbread tasted more like a toasted pita chip and the spinach was moist and in long strands. Cabbage salad salad was good, it consisted mostly of cabbage but also came with walnuts and mushed white beans. The taggleateli didn't have much flavor it was very plain and came with julienned bell peppers and some pieces of broccoli. I didn't like the eggplant flatbread, nothing seemed to go together. The eggplant au gratin tasted very plain. The flatbread was actually a large pita chip that was great by itself and then it had a large sphere of mozzarella on top that didn't seem to fit in. Regardless, this place has too many great dishes to subtract a star. read more

Libreria Brac - Tagleitti spinach flatbread and cabbage salad - Cafes Near Me - Florence, FI

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If you're a vegan and need real food after eating nothing but pasta and gelato for a week this is the place! Lots of vegan options, and non-vegan as well for your loved ones or whatever. It's delicious and you'll feel like you've had a real meal. Picture of my triple meal plate and husbands non vegan meal which he enjoyed. read more

Libreria Brac - 3 meal plate - Cafes Near Me - Florence, FI

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So hidden away that we gave up trying to find it on night one, this place is worth the search. It is very Florence--artsy, unique, and international, as well as book-ish (Florence has a multitude of bookstores, and this restaurants happens to be one of them). Brac would be incredible judging from ambiance alone, with colorful books and artwork lining the walls of the main room, chalkboard menus, a patio with a reading space and a decorative motorcycle, and a dining area tucked in the back. The food is out of this world. All vegetarian, so you can feel good about what you're eating, even while consuming a huge portion size (for a very low price!). We got spinach lasagna and pesto pasta with asparagus, and in all honesty it was one of the best meals I've ever eaten. All of the menu options were creative and interesting. I would return to Florence just to visit this place again. read more

Libreria Brac - lasagna with spinach - Cafes Near Me - Florence, FI

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This was probably my favorite meal in Florence. I got the unico with all vegan options and left incredibly full. I highly recommend Librería! Definitely call ahead to reserve your spot for dinner. read more

A must try place in Florence. Seeing a vegetarian menu with so many cool options was a thrill to my eyes. The ambience is of an enchanting bookstore with comfortable seating area. It is different and arresting. They are very innovative with their menu. We ordered the combo platter - combination of pasta / spaghetti, salad and wrap. Everything tasted very fresh and the amount of portions were good. You will definitely feel full if at all you are able to complete your platter :). The chocolate cake was delicious, a perfect ending to a wonderful dinner. This place does not have any banner / boards outside. It is a bookstore with no fancy depictions but once you enter you will realize you are in a different aura. Do make a reservation, it is a busy spot. read more

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Very nice vegetarian restaurant. Good choices in the menu - fantastic food! We were here with 3 people and everyone was impressed with the food - very tasty! Friendly staff, fast service, nice and cozy location. We had a great time and will come again. Thank you! :-) read more

Hidden gem. Found this place while perusing through Yelp on our Italian honeymoon. So far, we've sadly been generally disappointed with the food in Italy!--tourist ridden restaurants with oversalted, heavy food seems to be the theme. But this place was the complete opposite. The place is really magical. Trendy small bar that leads into a small garden then into a "book shop" restaurant area. Prices are more than reasonable...we chose the "price-fixed" option which lets you choose 3 things from each part of the menu. The food was fresh, delicious, not overly salted or too heavy. read more

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Nice little restaurant filled with books, or perhaps it is the other way around :). I had the combo (see pic): it was delicious! Reservations recommended. I lucked out on Sun eve around 7:30p and they gave me a seat by the bar area. Some of the others who arrived after 8p were not so lucky. Also: it is adjacent to a steak house with a similar sounding name, so go into what looks like a bookstore if you want to go here :). read more

Libreria Brac - Cafes Near Me - Florence, FI

My favorite restaurant in Florence. They only serve vegan/vegetarian food and went there last year; went back again this year and did not disappoint! The €15 platter is great and gives you the chance to try out different things. The huge tortelloni stuffed with different cheeses and with a tomato sauce is my favorite, so is the avocado carpaccio and the millefogle. They have great iced coffee for €1,50 too. read more

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Cheap drinks, very peaceful cafe in the town center. Not many tourists are here. a little bit hard to find this cafe as it has no shop name on the door read more

Libreria Brac - Cafes Near Me - Florence, FI

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great spot for vegans. the food was amazing and the water is included in the service fee. your meal also cooked with bread. i really enjoyed my time at this unique spot! read more

Libreria Brac - vegan pasta with pesto - Cafes Near Me - Florence, FI

Came when literally no one was there and would not seat us w/out reservation? Wtf bunch of askholes. Skip

A very good find for dinner. the menu is extensive and all vegetarian. The staff are friendly and keep the atmosphere upbeat. We sat at the bar and enjoyed a view into the kitchen. the back of house staff all appeared to having a great time turning out the plates. I had a flarbread with vegetables and poached eggs as well as a fennel salad. All was excellent. read more

Wow. I never would have thought something of this magnitude existed in Firenze. But it does, and I am so grateful my girlfriend brought me here for lunch! We came around 1ish on a Monday afternoon and fortunately for us, it wasn't packed. The first half of Libreria resembles a bar, to grab un cafe or due cafe. Going through the door, takes you outside to an area with chairs to lounge, books to read and a decor color scheme that screams organic, all natural and serene. Mi piace, molto. And then you enter the back of the place, where there are tables set up in the middle of a room engulfed in books. Books and books and books. Oh how I love to read. Oh how I love vegetarian food. Oh how I love Brac. I had a late breakfast, so I opted for the avocado carpaccio and my gf ordered the grape risotto. Mine was basically an avocado sliced thin with a drizzle of olive oil and some type of dipping sauce, that was pretty good and a side salad. It was perfect for my stomach. My gf's risotto was excellent. Next time I come though, I will order the combo plate, where you can choose three items. I really can't wait to come back to visit and eat here again. mangiare felice. read more