Take out or order-in food in Florence

Take out or order-in food in Florence

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Thu 12 Apr 2012 12:00 AM

‘Ordering
in’ or ‘getting take-out,’ that very American and British habit (or guilty
pleasure), might seem foreign in food-sacred Italy, with its traditionally
food-loving culture and hours-long family meals. Increasingly, however,
Florence eateries have been offering consegna a domicilio (‘home food delivery’), and surprisingly, the
emphasis is on quality. Here are just a few examples.

 

 

The (not so) usual

 

Let’s start with the predictable
sorts of take-out food: ‘fast food,’ brunch and Chinese food.

 

For a high-quality take on fast-food
take-out, try Principe
delle Delizie
(via dell’Agnolo 93r; 055/240350; www.ilprincipedelledelizie.it).
Always a great place for a quick bite, it also offers home delivery and
reasonable prices. Choose toppings and bread for your made-to-order burger,
order a pizza or try the tasty piadine.

 

With a menu focused on fresh bagels,
burgers, salads, muffins and the like, I assumed that the clientele of Panino Tondo (via Montebello,
56/r; 055/5385465; www.ilpaninotondo.it/eng),
which opened last year, was largely American. I was surprised to learn from the
owner that 95 percent of his clients are Italians. Panino Tondo uses the
healthiest and freshest ingredients. Orders are usually filled within 40
minutes and you can call earlier in the day to arrange delivery at a specific
time.

 

For those who love Chinese take-out,
I suggest Xing
Wang Rosticceria
(via degli Alfani 26/r; 055/2639182; no website, so stop by and pick up
the to-go menu). Try the spring rolls, soy noodles, chicken dishes and, yes,
the fried Nutella. Gallo
Bianco
(via Antonio Scialoia 4/r; 055/2476289; www.gallobianco.it) offers a variety of
meat, rice and noodle dishes, and soups at reasonable prices.

 

The aggregators: one-stop shopping

 

Florence is also home to some
businesses that coordinate and provide food-delivery services for a group of
restaurants. The
Food
offers delivery from restaurants that include Tijuana 2, Mama’s Bakery,
Kome Japananese, Niwa Thai, and even gelato and wine (055/6812477; www.thefood.it; fidelity card option for
frequent customers). Room
Service
offers delivery from local ethnic restaurants (Turkish, Chinese) as
well as Italian food; there is even a mini-market selection and DVD rental
service (055/6800460; www.roomservice.it).

 

Meeting you halfway: ingredients at
your door

 

Although shopping for food in
Florence is in itself a wonderful experience, those squeezed for time can avail
themselves of delivery services from the markets. Esselunga supermarket offers
a delivery service from Monday to Friday (6.20 euro/five bags; http://bit.ly/HGvVgk). For fresh fruit and
vegetable delivery, check out L’Orto@Casa, where everything
is available to order online (www.ortoacasa.com).
Have fresh Tuscan produce brought directly to your door with Fresco in Città, a group of
organic farmers, bioecological companies and social cooperatives whose goal is
to connect producers and consumers (055/7322620; www.frescoincitta.it).

 

 

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