Martini Temples

Harry's Bar, Firenze

'Harry's Bar' is since decades synonymous with 'Martini Cocktail', and, though I personlly loathe the little square tumblers used in the Venezia bar, we must admit that the name is still quite romantic and evocative of better times, when a cocktail was for the selected fews and gentlemen dressed for dinner.

In Firenze, Harry's is a great classic and the young, very cultured bartender Thomas Martini (nomen omen...) mixes an excellent Martini, that I asked to base on the Williams gin and was excellent. The fried 'sandwiches' were a pleasant memory of when Harry's in Venezia was such a pleasant place and was not catering only for overweight tourists drinking orange juice in the main room.

The style of the Harry's in Firenze is also due to the maintaining of some classic details like the old-fashioned drawings on the menu and other printed matter. A nice eponymous book about this establishment is a very pleasant read about the history of this bar, of vintage Firenze and lots of other very nice things as well

And for a great Bistecca nearby, try 'Olio Restaurant' in Santo Spirito....

Thomas Martini serving the extremely good 'Bloomsbury', a rare premium variation on the classic Tanqueray theme. Not many places in Italy can offer this superb gin, and look at the ice on the bottle! This is how it has to be offered for a proper Martini....

Harrys is one of the old classics in Firenze and the manners of the staff is impeccable. Even a simple hamburger can be a delicacy here

'Caldo Ristorante' is what makes Harry's in Firenze a true Harry's Bar. Other places with the same name will not serve you anymore this delicacy of fried cheese and ham, whose thickness, apart from being delicious, will coat your insides before another Martini

The really nice thing is seeing that very few tourists come here pursuing some clichés; it is mostly a place for Fiorentini, Firenze-born wealthy bon vivants with class and money (old money, and lots of it, as Ian Fleming would say...) that enjoy of the few places in Firenze where we all speak our language and all like the same things, be it an excellent Martini, a vintage Bentley, or the finest Cashmere coat. And the house is packed....

5 June 2020

Is there a better way to celebrate the end on the interregional lockdown than to sit down at our favourite corner table at Harry's and having a Martini (or two) and their Steak Tartare....?

The 'new' Harry's Bar (2026)

Sadly, the classic Harry's Bar closed in 2023, following a legal dispute with the owners of the building on Lungarno Vespucci where it was located since 1963.
After more than two years, Harry's reopened in a different location, next to the Villa Medici hotel, using much of the historic fittings and the same color scheme. A delight for fans of the classic Martini, which has its undisputed temple here. Welcome back!

Alongside the Martini cocktail, the "Caldo Ristorante" is a must, a hallmark of the historic bars of the past. They once offered that at the Posta in Cortina, but, regrettably, no longer...

HARRY'S BAR FIRENZE 1953

VIA IL PRATO 54/r

50123 FIRENZE

TEL +39 055 2396700

direzione@harrysbarfirenze.it