RFK Rankings · Florence
Best Rooftop Restaurants in Florence 2026
Rooftop dining · Florence · 6 tables ranked · Updated June 2026
Compiled by the Restaurants for Kings editorial team · Published June 15, 2026 · Updated June 15, 2026
The Bistecca di Cosimo, a Florentine steak carved tableside seven floors above the Arno, is the dish that settles the argument about Florence rooftops. The best-known terrace in the city, the Continentale's Ponte Vecchio perch, serves only cocktails and a snack. The roofs that actually cook are a smaller, quieter set, mostly atop five-star hotels in the Centro Storico, and they are the ones we rank. Florence has a real Renaissance-skyline rooftop tradition; the trick is sorting the kitchens from the aperitivo bars. For the city's ground-floor rooms, including its Oltrarno trattorie, see our Florence dining guide.
1.Cosimo Rooftop Restaurant & Bar
Florence's highest rooftop restaurant, with a kitchen to match; book it.
Reopened in summer 2025 after an 18 million euro renovation, Cosimo is the former SE·STO on Arno atop The Excelsior, now redesigned by Martin Brudnizki and billed as the highest rooftop in Florence with a 360-degree view. Executive chef Marco Migliorati stayed through the change, and his signature Bistecca di Cosimo is a Florentine steak carved tableside with full gueridon service. À la carte runs from appetizers at 28 euros to second courses at 42 euros, with signature cocktails at 28. The room overlooks Piazza Ognissanti and the Arno. This is the rare Florence roof that is a restaurant first.
Reserve at cosimorestaurant.com.
2.B-Roof
Duomo-and-bell-tower panorama with a tasting menu behind it; reserve ahead.
B-Roof, the rebranded Terrazza Brunelleschi atop the Grand Hotel Baglioni since 2017, puts Brunelleschi's dome and Giotto's bell tower at eye level from the fifth floor, two minutes from Santa Maria Novella station. Chef Richard Leimer cooks reinterpreted Tuscan dishes, with a four-course "Carattere Toscano" tasting menu around 60 euros and a steak-led à la carte. It runs lunch and dinner seven days a week, which makes it more reliable than the seasonal terraces. The view is the headline, but the kitchen holds up, which is why it sits second. Ask for a dome-facing table at dusk.
Reserve at b-roof.it.
3.Angel Roofbar & Dining
Four terraces over the red rooftops near Mercato Nuovo; go for the sharing plates.
Angel spreads across four terraces atop Hotel Calimala near Mercato Nuovo, with sightlines to Palazzo Vecchio, the bell tower and the brick-red roofscape from nearly every seat. The kitchen relaunched its menu in 2025 around southern-Mediterranean sharing plates: a butcher's tagliere (34 euros), a beef tagliata (18 euros) and tagliolini with garlic, oil and prawns (24 euros), with the Angel Mule cocktail at 17. It leans toward an aperitivo-and-share format rather than a long sit-down dinner, so come for the plates and the four-terrace wander. Lunch runs Wednesday to Sunday, with dinner daily.
Reserve at hotelcalimala.com.
4.Aria Rooftop by Iside De Cesare
A Michelin-starred chef on a Duomo-view roof; fly in for it while the season lasts.
Aria sits on the sixth floor of the Tivoli Palazzo Gaddi with a 360-degree Duomo view, and its draw is the cook: Iside De Cesare, chef-patronne of the Michelin-starred La Parolina in Trevinano. Her signature "Bolla" is a crisp spherical pastry filled with seafood carpaccio, meat or vegetables, listed around 5 euros each, with sharing plates at 15 and cocktails from 18. It runs seasonally, roughly May 1 to November 1, evenings only, so it is a warm-months booking. Among Florence roofs, this is the most ambitious cooking with a serious pedigree behind it. Reserve while the terrace is open.
Reserve via tivolihotels.com.
5.Loggia Roof Bar
The Oltrarno alternative over Santo Spirito; try the truffled burrata.
Cross the river to Palazzo Guadagni on Piazza Santo Spirito and the Loggia Roof Bar trades the Duomo crush for the leafier Oltrarno, looking over Santa Maria del Fiore, Santa Croce and the Ponte Vecchio from a historic loggia. The food is light but real: a truffled burrata with Tuscan cured ham (16 euros), a Loggia tagliere for two (32 euros) and signature cocktails from 18. It runs daily through the day, which makes it an easy lunch or sunset stop rather than a formal dinner. As the best rooftop on the quieter side of the Arno, it earns the trip across.
Details at palazzoguadagni.com.
6.DiSopra
A converted-convent roof near the Ponte Vecchio; save it for a gourmet aperitivo.
DiSopra crowns the Hotel degli Orafi, a former 13th-century convent near the Ponte Vecchio on Borgo Santi Apostoli, and it has opened its roof to non-guests. The format is light: a gourmet "AperiVista" of a drink plus fingerfood (around 40 euros) and an "AperiOrmanni" with three Chianti Classico labels (around 50 euros), plus boards, pasta and soups through the day. Treat it as an aperitivo-with-a-view rather than a destination dinner, and you will not be disappointed by a quieter, less-touristed terrace over the Arno. It rounds out the list as the easy-going golden-hour pick.
Details at disopra.it.
Avoid for a rooftop dinner
Great view, wrong room for dinner
La Terrazza at Hotel Continentale. The single best Ponte Vecchio rooftop view in Florence, but it is a cocktail lounge serving only bar snacks, open into the evening. Ideal for a sundowner, wrong room for dinner; eat elsewhere and come up for a drink.
Divina Terrazza at Grand Hotel Cavour. An intimate terrace pressed right against the Duomo, open through the day, but it is primarily a bar with cocktails, wine and snacks rather than a full restaurant. Great for a close-up of the dome, not for a meal.
How to book a Florence rooftop
Florence rooftops divide into year-round hotel restaurants and summer-only terraces, so check the calendar first. Cosimo and B-Roof run through the seasons and take direct reservations; book a week ahead for a dome-facing or Arno-facing edge at dusk. Aria by Iside De Cesare is seasonal, roughly May to November and evenings only, so it is a warm-months plan. A key warning for 2026: the Continentale's famous Ponte Vecchio terrace and the Cavour's Duomo terrace are drinks-only, and Empireo at the Plaza Lucchesi now serves poolside bites on the roof while the real cooking, chef Tommaso Calonaci's, is downstairs at Segno. For ground-floor rooms across the Centro Storico and Oltrarno, see our Florence dining guide and the RFK rankings index.
Frequently asked
Which Florence rooftop has the best food?
Cosimo Rooftop, the former SE·STO on Arno atop The Excelsior, has the strongest rooftop kitchen, under chef Marco Migliorati, with the tableside Bistecca di Cosimo as its signature. B-Roof at the Grand Hotel Baglioni and Aria by Michelin-starred chef Iside De Cesare are the other serious cooking picks.
Which Florence rooftop has the best Duomo view?
B-Roof at the Grand Hotel Baglioni and Aria at Tivoli Palazzo Gaddi both put Brunelleschi's dome at eye level, and Cosimo claims the highest 360-degree panorama. For the Ponte Vecchio specifically, the Continentale's terrace has the best sightline, but it serves drinks only.
Are Florence rooftops open year-round?
The hotel restaurants Cosimo and B-Roof run year-round. Aria by Iside De Cesare is seasonal, roughly May 1 to November 1, evenings only. Lighter terraces such as Loggia and DiSopra are best in the warmer months, so confirm hours before an off-season visit.
Can you have a full dinner on a Florence rooftop?
Yes, at Cosimo, B-Roof and Aria, which are proper restaurants. Angel, Loggia and DiSopra lean toward sharing plates and gourmet aperitivo rather than a long sit-down dinner. Several of the most famous terraces, including the Continentale's, are cocktails-only.
How much does a Florence rooftop dinner cost?
At Cosimo, à la carte runs from about 28 euros for appetizers to 42 for second courses. B-Roof's Carattere Toscano tasting is around 60 euros. The lighter roofs are cheaper: Loggia's truffled burrata is 16 euros and DiSopra's gourmet aperitivo is around 40.
Which Florence rooftop is best for a quiet evening?
Cross the Arno to the Loggia Roof Bar at Palazzo Guadagni on Piazza Santo Spirito in the Oltrarno, or DiSopra at the Hotel degli Orafi. Both are calmer than the Duomo-side terraces while still delivering a Renaissance-skyline view.
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