Dining in Italy: Italian Cafes

The small and quaint town of Greve in Chianti is about one hour south of Florence in the beautiful Italian region of Tuscany. It is a must visit for any traveler in this area. Caffe Le Logge is a small but familiar eatery located in the town's main plaza, piazza G.Matteotti at number 32.

The family home feel of the café is what might make you step in, but it is the service and especially the food that will make you stay and come back for more. This establishment is capable of satisfying the most economically concerned customer, as well as the most cultured food aficionado.

It is open in the summer as a small café for breakfast, at 12 noon to 4pm for lunch, and from 7 to 9pm for dinner, which is only by booking for a minimum of ten people.

During winter they are only open for lunch from 12 noon to 4pm. For breakfast, the drink of choice is of course a cappuccino, along with a jelly-filled croissant, as the servers who are also the cooks will joyously make you a cup.

For lunch and dinner, the choices include all of the classic Italian dishes sprinkled with several classic Tuscan dishes, such as the famous cabbage and bread soup and strips of beef in Chianti wine. Their pasta is made exclusively with durum wheat and made by the town's local pasta maker.

There are also cheese platters that will most likely involve cheeses that even a well-traveled customer might not have tasted before.

When it comes to wine, the café is the best choice in the town, with their personal cellar along with wine tasting tours. The bar is well stocked with every wine option for lunch and dinner meals.

If you would like to ask, it is possible to get a recommendation and reservation for important wineries that are located throughout Italy. So if you happen to be traveling through Greve in Chianti, the Caffe Le Logge is a must visit for any meal.

Café Bacchino is a small but excellent place to spend a meal for the more economically concerned traveler, and a charming but quaint destination for those who search for authentic cuisine. It is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner depending on the season, and I recommend eating there for every one. The hours of operation are Monday to Saturday, 7:30am to midnight, closed on Sunday.

And for July there are shorter hours out of the busy season, when it closes at 8pm. On Friday and Saturday there is happy hour until 7pm.

When you walk in, an unbelievably content shopkeeper will greet you with surely double the amount coming back. On your right they have all types of drinks in a freezer along with a healthy supply of coffee and alcohol at the bar to the rear.

In the morning, the cappuccino is the favored drink of choice as the waitress can't pour it quickly enough. The pastries on display are a good complement to any coffee. For lunch, there are plenty of fresh and homemade panini sandwiches with meat or just tomato and mozzarella.

There are tables set up for dinner with menus on display, which contain many variations of pasta for the knowledgeable customer and for dessert there's a cold gelato table with all of the popular flavors.

Customers can sit inside with the locals, or outside and enjoy the small open plaza. A note for paying; it is customary to pay after you have finished your meal, which is fairly cheap for about 2 or 3 for a panini;2 for a cappuccino, and 1 for a drink from the freezer. Café Bacchino is located on the corner of via Pugliesi number 17, and I recommend you step in and order.