Photo from Ina Dayle – http://inadayle.blogspot.it/

Though I wouldn’t necessarily go out of my way to eat at a vegetarian restaurant in Florence, Italy – I heard about Bveg and stopped by this week for lunch with a friend. Known as a cute place to eat – they are also open for aperitivo & dinner and they serve vegetarian {and some vegan} dishes along with artisan-made beer. Located in a could-be-unsavoury area behind the Santa Maria Novella train station – I doubt it’s the kind of place that gets normal foot traffic but is a more passaparole or “word of mouth” kinda joint. Just by glancing at the photo above {taken by Ina Dayle} you can somewhat see the vibe but it’s when you enter that you see how cool it really is.

Upon entering the restaurant I was pleasantly surprised/no rather kinda shocked about how nice it was inside. It reminded me of Libreria Brac {cool vegetarian bar/restaurant by Piazza Santa Croce} and felt for a moment like I was back in Los Angeles. Wood floors, long bar with pretty green tiles and a contemporary interior that one rarely get’s to see in this area of Florence.

I can’t lie, it really felt like being on a pinterest pinboard, indeed there was also a “Christmas-book tree” that I saw just a week before on the famous social site. The rest of the interior radiated warmth and felt inviting, complete with beautiful antique lamps and even a guitar settled behind one of the tables. T-man would appreciate it for that note alone..

The staff was friendly and attentive, the menu handwritten with not-so-many options but that is usually a mark of a place that specializes in their dishes – just find by me! Although tempted to order the zuppa di legumi {Bean soup}, I opted for the chickpeas burger {ceci} and a glass of white wine. My friend ended up going with the bean soup and assured me it was just as delicious as it looked. My burger was really really tasty with soft hamburger bread. The chickpea patty – perfectly cooked and just thick enough to feel like a real burger. They make their own mayonnaise and a barbecue ketchup which was phenomenal. Along with the burger came some veggies, all of which were fresh and crunchy.

I wish I would have tried dessert, they had a yogurt with honey concoction that sounded delicious – I am a honey addict! I also spied the dessert tray and saw a pretty nice-looking chocolate cake as well..

The one con is that the dishes are a bit pricey – we were there for lunch and the soup cost 7 euros while my chickpea burger was 9 euros which is more than I normally spend per dish during lunchtime.

We didn’t try the birra artiginale {artisan-beer} but they did seem to have a great selection and I would like to bring a beer-fan with me next time, or just finally grow to enjoy beer myself.

I admit, I was still a little hungry after eating but I also think that lately, I have been used to really big portion sizes so maybe this was a normal “correct” amount of food.  Does this place get my vote? Oh yes! And next time, I’m getting dessert ;-).

Bveg. Via Orti Oricellai 6R
50123 Firenze

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