Trattoria Sostanza, Florence

Trattoria Sostanza is one of Florence's most venerable old-school trattorias, founded in 1869 on Via del Porcellana in the Santa Maria Novella quarter, and affectionately known to Florentines by the nickname Il Troia. Little has changed here in well over a century: white-aproned waiters move between rows of marble-topped tables set close together along a single long, narrow room, and the cooking holds firmly to a short menu of Florentine classics prepared the way they have always been. The restaurant is famous above all for two dishes. The first is its butter-fried artichokes, carciofi al burro, available in season and considered among the finest versions in the city. The second is its pollo al burro, the celebrated butter chicken, breast cooked in a generous amount of foaming butter until rich and golden, a deceptively simple dish that has drawn diners for generations. Alongside these the kitchen serves bistecca alla fiorentina, the charcoal-grilled Chianina T-bone, and other Tuscan staples, all in the no-frills, intensely traditional style for which Sostanza is known. The atmosphere is part of the appeal, snug and authentic, with communal closeness at the tightly packed tables and a sense of stepping back in time, and the trattoria has long been a favourite of Florentines, artists and visitors in the know. Prices sit in the moderate range, good value given the quality and the history. Sostanza takes reservations and, given its small size and enduring fame, booking well ahead is essential, particularly as it serves limited hours, typically Monday to Friday for lunch and dinner. Cash has traditionally been preferred. For travellers wanting to experience the most authentic, time-honoured side of Florentine dining, Trattoria Sostanza offers a meal that is as much about heritage and atmosphere as about food, where the butter chicken and fried artichokes are rightly legendary. Eating here is to join a continuous Florentine tradition that has survived, almost unchanged, since the nineteenth century in the heart of the old city.