Thursday afternoon in Florence, we popped in for a light lunch, thanks to YELP. We had tried to go to Sugar Blues, but it was closed for the afternoon 'Siesta'... so on to the Yelp AP! It was easy to search for nearby restaurants and be guided to our destination! We had to wait quite a bit before we had the server bring water to the table.... I never understand why bussing a table, when there is no one waiting for a table would take priority over the customers seated and waiting... and waiting.... However, the food was AMAZING. I had the pear, walnut and gorgonzola salad. (see photo) It was really fresh and exactly what I wanted! Our server was pleasant, and the prices were good. So travelers, bookmark this spot! read more

Vivanda - Pear, Walnut, Gorgonzola Salad - Italian Near Me - Florence, FI

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I went here for the first time about a month ago. LOCATION: It's located across the Arno, away from the busier areas of the city, but still not too far of a walk from it all either. 3/5 ATMOSPHERE: It's not too big inside, but it's not super small either. The decor is pretty simple, but not too boring. I mean, it's not amazing, but it has sort of a chill vibe, with white brick walls, dim lighting, and wine bottle-lined shelves on some of the walls. 3/5 SELECTION: On their website, their menu is described with, "Our menu is characterized by using genuine raw materials, preferably organic and seasonal products, it changes every month. You can taste both traditional Tuscan dishes that our personal reinterpretations." What I like most about their menu is that they use organic and seasonal products, and they have a good handful of clearly-labeled vegan options, but I will say that I wish there was a bit more variety in the vegan options, as most of them are soups and vegetables. 3/5 WHAT I GOT: I got the "Cous Cous o Riso al naturale con verdure a scelta dalla vetrina," which basically translates to "cous cous or rice with seasonal vegetables." I got it with rice. It was pretty good overall, and the one negative I have is that it was too oily -- like you can tell from my picture. But other than that, the actually quality of it all was good, and all the different vegetables tasted fresh, and they were thoroughly cooked. The rice wasn't under or overcooked either. Plus, it was a pretty good price (€8), as was most of the rest of the menu (reasonably-priced), especially for a restaurant that looks nicer than what you typically come across there, and that has higher standards (organic produce, etc.). 3/5 SERVICE: The service was pretty good. Our waitress seemed nice and friendly, and our food didn't take too long or anything to come out. The only complaint I have is that their website says they open for dinner at 6pm, but we went there at 6pm, and they said they start serving dinner at 7pm, which was annoying. But, we somehow managed to find some places nearby to look around at and whatnot while waiting. 3/5 read more

Vivanda - "Cous Cous o Riso al naturale con verdure a scelta dalla vetrina" (€8): cous cous or rice w/seasonal vegetables (I got rice) - Italian Near Me - Florence, FI

Omg this place have great wine they have they own label so of course I brought a bottle for home later! The pasta was amazing and my friend had the duck he loved it. I had panna cotta. I almost forgot to mention they make and cook the pasta in front of you. Amazing overall I have been pleased with all italy and they vegan and vegetarian options. read more

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Had an extremely enjoyable lunch here. Food was heavenly, service was great, and the wine was unique and went well with the food. Ordered the lunch special (2 items off the daily specials menu for €10) and a regular pasta dish, and that was enough for a light lunch for two. The lunch special seems to be a really great deal, as we got a white bean soup and a plate of gnudi for less than the buffalo ricotta ravioli with eggplant sauce (€14). The white bean soup was very hearty and flavorful, great for an overcast afternoon. Gnudi is like a ravioli without the pasta (just the filling), and they served theirs in an amazing olive oil sauce (use a spoon to eat this!). The ravioli in eggplant sauce was to die for - creamy cheese filled pasta with smokey eggplant and roasted tomatoes. Ordered two glasses of wine (€5 each), produced by the same people who own the restaurant from local varietals. The server was very knowledgeable about the wines, and we were very happy with our decision (the foglia tonda). Highly recommend this place!! Come for lunch! They also have classes (where you can learn to make pasta and have a lovely lunch of the pasta you made with wine!) and wine pairing dinners! read more

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This place is really cute and we dined here as a part of an Airbnb experience of dinner and opera. Dinner was fun as it was 3 couples from different places and it was fun to get to know each other. The first wine we were served was a red. Everyone at the table left theirs unfinished as the wine itself tasted unfinished. They followed up with a white that everyone agreed was very tasty. The food portions were generally pretty small, although artfully presented. I do tend to like meat or fish and this might not be a real go -to for someone like me. The evening OVERALL was quite lovely between the service, the company and the opera which we were walked to across the street after dinner. read more

Vivanda - Italian Near Me - Florence, FI

This tiny cafe was just what I was looking for one night... I mean, two nights seeing as we loved it so much that we went twice! It might have been the succulent seitan carpaccio or even the smoky tofu pasta. But in reality, it was the chocolate pear cake that I couldn't stop thinking about after that first celestial visit. The menu doesn't have a lot on it, but they do the few vegan items on there very well (note: there is a variety of non vegan items as well). I was so in love with the vegan pasta option, despite it being pretty basic. The tomato sauce was among the best I had all week and I loved how the tofu added a nice almost meaty texture to everything. The wine list features organic wines that they produce themselves, I believe. Excellently priced and the quality is quite good. A special nod to their bread basket w/full grain breads as opposed to admittedly my least favorite food in Florence: that damn pasty bread that can only be enjoyed as bruschetta! Vivanda's breads are phenomenal... even the croutons (which we admittedly could not stop eating!) Dessert, as I mention, is a highlight. That chocolate pear cake! I die. Ambiance - very cozy in here. Make a reservation and hopefully you won't mind how intimate the space is. It's warm and inviting and lovely. I can't wait to return! read more

We wandered in and found ourselves in a lovely inviting space. There were 5 of us, and we were seated immediately. We were the only ones in the restaurant, although they had some tables which were reserved, but we didn't see anyone. They helped us select the food and it was all lovely, delicious and perfect portions! They had the fresh olive oil, as it was the olive oil harvest season. And the food was largely vegetarian although they did have octopus listed as a vegetarian dish and we assumed it was pasta, but they quickly corrected us that it was a real octopus and mistakenly listed under vegetarian. The young man serving us was very kind and helpful and we enjoyed our meal immensely! read more

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This was my last meal in Italy and I was itching to satisfy my craving for vongole! I'm so happy I found this place because my dish tasted sooooo good. My only complaint was the service here. The server was not friendly. read more

Vivanda - Italian Near Me - Florence, FI

I was really looking forward to this restaurant because of the many good reviews I had read before. Unfortunately, my family and I were not satisfied because the portions were really small and generally there weren't a lot of options in the menu. On top of that I had a really hard time finding vegan food, (there were only two options). On the menu it said that one of the salads is vegan but it also said that there's feta cheese in it? I was really confused and then had to order the salad without the cheese. This was very disappointing. Also, none of the appetizers were vegan and generally, the place was really expensive for what we got. Nice decoration though and a cute place! Just not my favorite for sure read more

Great restaurant for vegans. They really know how to do vegan. Everything I ordered was yummy and healthy. Non-vegetarian husband enjoyed the food as well! LOVE the raspberry gazpacho with diced cucumber. Cool and refreshing. I've been craving this dish since. Loved the couscous served with 5 or 6 different vegetables including fennel, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower. Well seasoned. Yummy. White house wine by the glass was light and delicious. Carrot cake with pistachio was yummy. read more

Vivanda has the "we make our own food" concept. It is a place where they have their bread, their pasta, their wine and all the brands they buy from are attentively selected for their organic mold. We had a fantastic meal, they are quick in preparing food, but they take their time at each table in order to establish a relationship with customers. You will find different menus every season and they have this wide selection of bio-wines that you can actually understand only if you know you're way around it. We ordered purple cabbage and cheese balls, with lime mayonnaise and truffle fish appetizers, then a ginger and pumpkin soup together with their medallions with shrimps. Each plate was accurately well-finished and served with four different breads: soy, regular, brown and spinach. We also tasted two different juices and their white wine, this latter was very rich and you could taste the grape flavor. As an Italian, I don't understand why such places have a higher price than others, we live in Italy where it's natural to have organic food and in my opinion should cost less, while we tend to pay more for something that should be affordable by everyone and it's definitely not. But this is just my consideration. read more

Vivanda - Il locale colorato e tenue - Italian Near Me - Florence, FI

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This restaurant offers an air B and B experience just is not to miss. In a group of 13, we learned to make 3 variety of pastas across the street. Then we returned to this restaurant where the chef prepared our pastas and accompanied them with red wine and a delicious chocolate dessert. May great people from around the world and took home a cook book of the recipes we made. The price was right and the experience was fantastic. Highly recommended!!!!! read more

I would rate this place probably 3.5 if i'm being picky. We got the food to go because we were really tired from walking around the city. They do take out orders and the food is discounted for take away which is nice. We waited for the food inside and the ambience is very nice in the restaurant and the servers were actually very nice compared to others in Italy. read more

Vivanda - Italian Near Me - Florence, FI

After about 18 hours of travel from the Inland Northwest USA- we arrived at our rental flat and set out to find a spot for our first Italian meal. The menu on the door checked some dietary restrictions- gluten free and vegan besides having some intriguing items "onion flan?" We we're tired of traveling, not entirely starving and not agreeing on what to try. We decided to throw it to the wait staff and let them run with it. Best decision of the day! We started with the bread and right off were impressed- was the grains toasted in the dark brown bread? How did it get that flavor? Dip in some of the offered olive oil and delicious! We tried selections of items at his suggestion- Tris delle chef- with the aforementioned onion flan- to die for! Next up, a selection of vegetables with buffalo mozzarella and then tortellini with a most delicious tomato sauce. Fresh- organic ingredients. All vegetarian menu. Plenty of gluten free options too. For dessert- (I didn't want to share and we couldn't decide)- they served up a small slice of everything to try. Flourless chocolate cake to die for! read more

Vivanda - Menu shots - Italian Near Me - Florence, FI

This place is a true gem. Nested in the center of Florence, the restaurant is quite small but packs a very good punch when it comes to food and quality of drinks. It is a vegetarian oriented restaurant, I say "oriented" because there are some dishes with fish and meat, the chefs are really really talented and came out with a great menu that is nothing short of amazing. Drinks are also interesting, wine selection is good and offers "different" wines in touch with the bio-dynamic flair of the restaurant. Highly recommended! read more

If you're spending any amount of time in Italy, then finding places to eat that don't present you with the same pasta, pizza, seafood, and steak choices becomes important. Vivanda definitely fits the bill, and more importantly, serves really well-prepared food. The menu is great. it has many vegetarian, vegan, and gluten free choices or options, but also offers meat and fish. The offerings are seasonal, so you know that the chefs place an emphasis on what's good at the market at any given time. There's also an emphasis on organic in both the food and the wine. The presentation of the food also has a high-end touch that most other places we went to lacked. The main drawback we experienced was the lack of air conditioning, though I don't want to sound like a spoiled American, as many other places we went to did not emphasize AC, either. All of Europe was experiencing a serious heat wave when we were in Florence, though, and the little fan they had here was all the relief we got. It also, as in other places, made the red wine suffer, as it wasn't kept in a cool environment. Our waiter was personable, and knowledgeable about the food, wine, and general philosophy of the restaurant. Despite the heat, I decided to order their onion soup, as it was described as being based on a recipe which was centuries old, and very good. I'm glad I did, because frankly it was the best single dish that I had during my two weeks in Italy. I'm still reminiscing about its flavor! read more

Great vegetarian options. Ravioli was really good and it was clear that it was made fresh. Some of our other favorites: Ginger/Carrot soup and Camembert Croquettes. Some dishes can be a bit heavy (Gnuddi and Risotto) - so make sure you are hungry or have someone to share with. Great presentation. Wine is pretty good as well. The only drawback to our meal was that we went on a really hot day and the AC was not functioning well - so it was a bit warm in the restaurant. read more

Before a journey up to Piazza Michelangelo, we found this beautiful lunch spot. Healthy twists on Italian classics and a lovely setting. I got the beet barquette pasta stuffed with avocado and served on a bed of black bean puree. The pasta was perfect and al dente with the lovely pink hue of beets. The filling was creamy, but too heavy, helped from the fresh avocado. The black bean puree was flavorful and so welcome in a place where I didn't even know they did black beans. My friend got the gnocchi with mint and licorice and it was equally as delicious. The rich cheese sauce paired so nicely with the subtle mint and licorice tones and it was SO hot. So, so delicious. Another bonus? Free water and a range of delicious free bread as a starter. I can't wait to come back and try some of their other dishes. read more

Vivanda - Beet pasta "boats" filled with avocado on a bed of black bean puree. Very fresh and delicious! - Italian Near Me - Florence, FI

This is an exceptional place that serves their own homemade organic pasta with locally grown fresh ingredients. I honestly don't think it can get any better. If that wasn't enough, this place also offers a great selection of organic wines, including their own quality label. Personally, I highly recommend the "Ravioli Alla Burrata." It's to die for... *Note: The portions here are quite generous, so I also recommend to eat less prior to visiting this place. That's also because, you will definitely want to try their homemade delicious dessert :-) I wish to put an emphasis on the service: The girl that served me was great at nailing my needs and recommending the prefect things. This for me is very important, as I am someone who pays great attention to service. All in all this place deserves a high 5 stars!! You'll love it read more

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Great food and they make their own noodles!!! Vegan and vegetarian options too!!! A must when you are here. Gaia is an awesome waitress. Ask her for recommendations. read more

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We stopped here by accident and I'm quite happy we did! A 10 euro menu with a first course, main course, and coffee? Yes please! It's definitely the best value lunch if you're looking for a bio/organic sit-down restaurant. A bit cramped but cozy. For the starter we had a lovely cabbage soup that filled me up, and some fried vegetable balls with yogurt mint dip, and fried brie. The brie was a bit hard tasting and could have used a few more minutes in the oven. The accompanying sauce was surprising, a sweet tomato-ginger reduction. Second course was a smoked cheese ravioli with anchovy and vegetable sauce and I loved it! It was the first time I'd tasted something like this and I'm happy I did because it was so yummy! Wine was nice, standard. Great value and a good time, stop by if you're in the San Frediano area. read more

Vivanda - Italian Near Me - Florence, FI

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Stopped in for lunch--craving more vegetables and something a bit lighter than the local steak, cured meats, and heavy pastas. The menu is small-ish but very very inventive and everything is labeled for vegetarian or gluten-free if that's important to you. The menu surely changes w/the seasons, but on a VERY hot day in June, we started with the sformata di asparagi (a kind of asparagus-based custard or flan) served on a piece of slate w/a delicate sauce based I think on pumpkin and delicate lemon-ricotta light fritters (forget the term in Italian with myrtilla/blueberry and honey sauces on the side. To drink, I was recommended a light and not too sweet Succa de mele (apple juice) and my DC had a beer made just for them--very flavorful and not too sweet. We progressed to a tagliatelle al cocoa (yes--cocoa pasta) with smoked salmone and lemon ricotta dollop and a stuffed pasta (cappechetti or something) with spinach, capers, in a light tomato sauce w/nice bites of buccatini (fresh mozzerella) and basil oil. The flavors were delicate and well-matched, and the place is small but stylish without being fussy. They also have a large line of biologico or organic wines and teas and other options--and I'd trust the waitstaff's suggestions--this is a place that cares about food and its origins. They do close for the break between lunch & dinner, so don't try to get in for lunch after 2:30. read more

Excellent food matched by charming location and attentive service. We loved the organic and hand made pasta, and vegetarian cuisine.

I went there knowing that it was not all vegan/veg and was super happy to find that everything was clearly labeled veg/vegan/not. If I did have questions, a super patient staff was willing to help with the menu. Food was simple, clean, and flavorful; just how I like it!! I'm really happy I stumbled across this place while wondering the beautiful streets of Florence. Pros: well labeled menu, great tasting food, super clean read more

Off the beaten path, organic, local, delicious. Giulio owns the.pasta shop around the corner and makes all the pasta fresh daily. He also makes his own organic wine which is very reasonable priced. Ask about the pasta making class, it was a great experience! Ciao. read more

Found this Resturant while wandering down the street. The food was very fresh and well prepared. One great stop.

Went for dinner at this lovely place on the weekend. There was five of us and we all loved it! The service was excellent and so was the food. I found this place in my search for restaurants with gluten free options and as soon as I let them know about my intolerance on the night, they brought me two gluten free rolls before our starters and I also had plenty of options to choose from on the menu. The waiters were all very friendly and made sure everyone was enjoying there evening. The organic wine was also excellent! read more

After a wine tasting excursion in Tuscany got cancelled due to weather, i researched wine tasting events opportunities in Florence. I discovered a wine tasting experience offered by Vivanda. It was presented by one of the founders of the restaurant and their own winery Lapo. He is very knowledgeable, about all foods and is an advocate about organic production. Everything they serve is local and organic including their wine. Additionally, they hand make their pasta. Very great food and an incredible experience. read more

A small place with beautiful and tasty food. As a vegetarian had many options but I had Ravioli and Vegetarian pasta with Ricotta. Both were fabulous. The place also has great selection of organic wines, as they originally were an organic wine store. So, if you want to try sometime out of the normal give this place a try. It is priced very fairly at around 12€ mains. The best part was the personalized service which was a treat. read more

Vivanda - Ravioli with buffela mozzarella - Italian Near Me - Florence, FI

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Great wine bar for small plates and charcuterie boards with local, organic and slow food org approved foods and ingredients. The business produces their own wine and they have a good selection of organic and biodynamic wines to take away or drink at the table. Around the corner they have a fresh pasta shop and a little deli counter. Must have: the cheese and cold cut board, fried eggplant balls, wine and cheesecake for dessert. read more

Great food! A little hard to find; it's a short walk outside the busy tourist area. It's about the same price as other restaurants inside the tourist area, only better food (quality and taste). read more

I am staying in Florence for a month. I stumbled on this cute place by chance...one of the best meals I've had here. Organic & local. Crazy delicious!!!! They have take away as well. read more

Vivanda applies the philosophy of slow food, and you can feel it in the plate! I went there for lunch, and it was amazing! People there are really friendly and nice. They also have a large selection of wine, and have some of their own wine which is really good. It is also vegan friendly. read more

Vivanda - Gnocchi in Gorgonzola fondue with mint & black pepper - Italian Near Me - Florence, FI

The vegan cous cous and veggie dish was great, as was the bread. I also tried a glass of their house wine, which I'd highly recommend! Staff were welcoming and patient considering I can only speak English. read more

Just became a vegan and was trying to find a vegan restaurant and found my new favorite restaurant in Florence. The food was amazing they have many vegan,vegetarian and gluten free options. i got the cous cous with cashew mayo and the tartare with apricot its was great . and the best part was the vegan pear cake with chocolate. it was delicious. I highly recommend !!! read more