This lively, out-of-the-way Oltrarno osteria serves extravagant fillet steak and grilled tuna in the evenings but weekday lunches are a great deal - and the place is often packed. The menu changes daily to include dishes like spaghetti alla trabaccolara (with a garlicky seafood-and-tomato sauce), or farfalle with baccala (salt cod), smoked scamorza cheese and artichoke terrine and succulent roast beef, plus inviting homemade puds, such as pear-and-pinenut tart. There's always a choice of three or four wines by the glass (€3) but the long and interesting wine list offers temptation from all over Italy, if you feel like a treat.

Located in the heart of Florence in the San Frediano area, this restaurant has been offering an excellent choice of traditional Tuscan dishes since 1986. The restaurant is divided into three rooms with exposed beams, natural wood and shades of yellow and is always packed with people. But Il Guscio’s extensive wine selection is also its forte – with a list of 70 wine labels from various regions and a special focus on Tuscan wines, including Sassicaia and Ornellaia.

Set on a residential street in the southern reaches of the Oltrarno, Il Guscio is a new-generation trattoria where the kids have inherited and updated their parents’ traditional restaurant. At the front, you’ll find a small bar area with a hissing coffee machine and shelves stacked with wines; in the back are two cosy rooms with stone-topped tables. It’s a real neighbourhood hangout that’s always buzzy and always packed.

Also on via del orto you will find two of my personal favorite lunch spots, Il Guscio (the winner) makes wonderful pasta prime and cheese tarts, It’s also a nice little sit-down place so you won’t feel rushed to leave. Trattoria Orto is also a close third for the lunch deals that feature a delicious and traditional Tuscan menu.

Via dell’Orto, 49/A Florence Ph. +39 055 224421 (Closed Sundays). This is a go-to spot for many people living in the city of Florence. Located in one of the most untouched areas of Florence, San Frediano, this restaurant is Fiorentina through and through and offers dishes that your Italian grandmother would make.

Il Guscio is my top pick for visitors to Florence who want to try classic Tuscan dishes with a spin. For example, the local cinta Senese pig breed to make a mean pulled pork. The menu changes periodically and you can expect to find daily specials that are even more interesting.

A homestyle dining establishment called Il Guscio is located in the center of Florence. Being in the city center, you can witness the true essence of Italy. It is also one of the oldest in the city.