A SATURDAY MORNING IN FLORENCE

following a shop up of tasty cheeses at the sant'ambrogio market this morning, we headed over to the teatro del sale for lunch (door handles of entrance pictured above). teatro del sale is the creative invention of fabio pecchi, owner of the famous cibreo restaurant which is an institution in florence that has been around for 20 years. you can find a great bio with information on fabio pecchi and the cibreo restaurant from "the diva" judy witts .
the teatro del sale is the newest venture of the cibreo institution and is situated in the "cibreo corner" of florence, directly off of the sant'ambrogio market, where the cibreo logo also runs a bar/caffe’, a restaurant and a trattoria. the teatro is an open space for members only offering pure food and interesting cultural events that range from theatrical and musical entertainment, to workshops in singing and cooking. when you enter you are immediatley drawn in by the warmth of the lighting, the colors and the store where they sell all sorts of yummy delights including everything from their homemade "sotto aceti" and jams, to candles. or, the famous cibreo glasses made from cut off wine bottles, honey, oil, wine, books and more. beyond the store is the reading area (packed with books and magazines) which connects you to the massive two storey space where the open kitchen and theater stage host you as you dine and, in the evenings, enjoy the post dinner entertainment. the meals are served buffet style. this might initially sound like a nightmare but it is actually a great way to enjoy the dishes that are made fresh everday with quality seasonal ingredients. they come out of the kitchen steaming hot off the “grill”. you can watch the chefs through the tall glass windows of the kitchen as they prepare the dishes which eventually arrive to the buffet table accompanied by introductions made by mr. pecchi in pure theatrical style. the meals include some staples like their homemade bread in the shape of oversized dog bones, polenta spiced with cinnamon, the best crunchy roast potato squares i’ve ever had, and super thin schiacciata dressed with lard or olive oil just to name a few. and then, depending on the season, they serve everything from tripe florentine style to pasta with fresh mussels. the next time you are in florence, you definitely want to spend an evening here. or, spend a morning doing your shopping at the sant’ambrogio market and then finish off with a lunch at the teatro del sale and a coffee at the cibreo caffe’.

teatro del sale is a private club with affordable annual membership of 10 euro per person (5 euro for foreigners)
it is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner
from tuesday to saturday
from 09.00 to 15.00 and 18.00 to midnight