"The canonical Buca Lapi is the kind of spot where you can rub shoulders with well-heeled Florentines and global dignitaries (former Japanese emperor Akihito dined here) over tender steaks, old-school buttered pasta, bitter greens, homey soups, and fine wines. “Buca” means hole, and venues with the name served historically as underground wine cellars, but they now tend toward white tablecloths. Buca Lapi has been serving locals and visitors since 1880 under the palace of the Antinori family (who named the space after the original innkeeper, Orazio Lapi) between the Duomo and the main train station. Advance reservations are a must and smart formal dress recommended." - Coral Sisk