Babae - Full Menu

What a wonderful discovery! Original destination for drinks/apperitivi was closed. There was a crowd of people in the street with glasses of wine and spritzes i... read more What a wonderful discovery! Original destination for drinks/apperitivi was closed. There was a crowd of people in the street with glasses of wine and spritzes in their hands, so I wandered in that direction. Turns out there is one of the wine windows at the place I discovered was called Babae. I sat inside waiting for friends to go to a lecture and left myself in the capable hands of the waitress to select an apperitivi (Il Vegetariano) for me to have with my glass of Vermentino. Delicious! And the Vermentino was very nice! The interiors are comfortable and eclectic, with various types of seating, located on the main floor and an adjacent raised (and more intimate) room. Later my friend and I returned (after the lecture) to have a bit of dinner, and though we had no reservation, they tucked into a spot next to the wine window. From there we were able to observe the operations from the inside and had a lovely chat with the server who attended to the ringing of the bell. Note this wine window has been in service since the plague of the 1300 's so it 's the real deal. For food and drink we selected the Spaghettini with gamberi and the house red. Once again, delicious and a nice portion (just the right amount of gamberi). The sauce was delicate and flavorful, and the wine excellent. The people working at Babae were helpful and generous with their time and suggestions, even though they were swamped with customers. We will probably go back. Babae is located close to the Arno and a lot of the lovely shops and sights in the area, just one street down from the Lungarno, between Via Serragli and Via Maggio. Also, just a short walk from the British Institute Library (my shameless plug for that wonderful institution). Enjoy!

Found this place after watching Stanley Tucci finding Italy because it still has a working window to order a drink while walking the streets of Florence! We end... read more Found this place after watching Stanley Tucci finding Italy because it still has a working window to order a drink while walking the streets of Florence! We ended up having breakfast, AMAZING FOOD! Plus super cute interior.