Specialties
A neighborhood restaurant in the real Florence, fed by the market down the street.
We're in Sant'Ambrogio — ten minutes from the Duomo, a hundred metres from the market where Florentines actually shop. Every morning someone walks over and buys what's good that day: meat, fish, vegetables, truffle in season. That's the menu. It changes daily, and there's always something off-menu.
Bistecca alla fiorentina done properly. Handmade pasta. Whole fish of the day. And a few dishes you won't find anywhere else in the city.
Feeling brave? Try the Blind Tasting — five courses picked at the market that morning. Tell us your allergies, then let go.
About 80% of the menu is naturally gluten free. Full vegetarian tasting on request. Kids under nine eat free. Dogs welcome.
Open kitchen, art on the walls, a piano in the corner. The kind of dinner you'll still be talking about on the flight home.
History
Established in 2018.
La Chicca is where you finally eat real fish in Florence — and real Tuscan cooking beside it. At Via dei Macci 79 rosso — once the Maramao, one of Florence's best-loved clubs — there is now a restaurant in the heart of Sant'Ambrogio, ten minutes from the Duomo and a hundred metres from the market. Every morning the Chef walks to Sant'Ambrogio market: whatever arrives that day — fish, meat, vegetables — is what goes on the tables. Our menu puts seafood crudi and a proper bistecca alla fiorentina side by side with traditional Tuscan recipes, without embarrassment. That's why you'll always find off-menu dishes here: freshness isn't a marketing line for us, it's geography. Since we opened, we've offered the Blind Tasting: five courses chosen by the Chef that morning — you only tell us your allergies. Guests call it the best dinner of their trip to Italy. We never wanted customers. We wanted guests. Kids under nine eat free, always. Come and see what people smile at when they walk in.
Meet the Business Owner: Elvira R.
I'm Elvira, Guest Relations Manager and co-owner of La Chicca together with my husband Mario. I'm Norwegian, and my path here was anything but a straight line: I have a degree in jazz singing, and before Florence I spent years in London working in hospitality for Gordon Ramsay, where Mario and I worked side by side and learned what true standards mean. When we moved to Florence, we wanted to build something different: not a restaurant with customers, but a place with guests. My job is to make sure that from the first message to the last goodbye, you feel like you're being welcomed into someone's home. And music never really left — some evenings I sing in the restaurant with musician friends, and those nights are pure La Chicca: food from the morning's market, wine, and a room that feels alive. If you're celebrating something, planning a surprise, or just want advice on what to eat — ask for me. I'll take care of you.
