Living outside of Florence now, I don’t get back into town as much as I would like to explore and relax on my own. Often I am down to do a market tour or meet up with someone for an event.

My husband and I had some things to do and managed to be free for lunch in town.
Often downtown for a Florentine ( like my husband) means tourist food and most Florentine’s prefer to eat in their own neighborhoods.

I had an idea. Where my old bank was on Via Tornabuoni, in the heart of expensive shopping, Gucci, Tods, Tiffany’s etc is a fabulous hidden treasure. I had been there on my own and with clients and had always eaten well.

OBIKA’ is a mozzarella bar. Recently they also added pizza  and pasta to their menu.

Inner courtyard dining

The menu is based around the BEST freshest mozzarella and things to accompany the cheese.
Here is their tasting menu.

When they originally opened, next door was an elegant restaurant which they switched to a more normal menu including pizza and pasta, but what pizza and pasta!

The pizza here is made with flour from stone ground flour from the Molino Quaglia and left to rise 48 hours, which develops flavor and makes it easier to digest.

My pizza was the 4 soft cheeses, Mozzarella, Gorgonzola, Ricotta and Stracchino. It was perfect!

Thin crusted and not overloaded with cheese, I ate the whole thing!

Andrea had a salad with bresaola, an air-dried beef.

As you can see, the portions are large.

This is the perfect place for a light one plate lunch and a break from the classic Tuscan menu while staying in Florence. ( Obika’ has locations all over Italy and the world now).

Our bill was 31 euro for our two dishes, water and a coffee which is served with a Tuscan specialty, a tiny ice cream cube, bocconcino,covered in chocolate. Dai Dai is an artisan gelato maker from the coast.

They have a inner court, a small modern dining area at the entrance and then an inner dining room and even a tiny back room. Each has a different feel.

There is something for everyone.

The mozzarella is HUGE so when you order, you will probably only need one dish if it includes the mozzarella, but you can also order plates of pasta.

The next time I go I am going to save room for one of the desserts made with the ricotta from buffalo milk. It is so special! They have a cheesecake or a mousse.

OBIKA’ FIRENZE