La Ménagère in Florence, Italy

I’ll admit that a place that bills itself as a concept restaurant/bistro/cocktail bar/florist/shop sounds a bit chaotic. And it could be, if it isn’t done just right. Fortunately, La Ménagère in Florence has absolutely nailed it.

I think it was the wall of flowers that drew me in, or maybe it was the people outside who were so clearly enjoying themselves. Whatever the reason was, I’m glad we stopped.

When I entered La Ménagère for the first time, I wanted to spend the whole evening there exploring every nook and cranny, taking pictures and stealing design ideas for my dream house.

“La Ménagère” means “housewife” in French. That was the original name of Florence’s first kitchen supply store, which occupied the location from 1896 until about 2005.

In its place, the team behind the new Ménagère has created an inviting, laid-back space to have  food and cocktails and admire the flowers, lights, and other lovely decor.

Food at La Ménagère

On our second stop at La Ménagère (yes, we went twice in two days), I noticed some Gambero Rosso stickers in the window, which is an indicator of good food. We didn’t actually have the chance to eat anything there other than the snacks we were given during the aperitivo (I had already booked at a few restaurants since we were in town over a holiday weekend, and I wanted to make sure we would get tables at good places), but the stuff we saw coming out of the kitchen looked great.

Check out their inventive menu here.

Cocktails at La Ménagère

The cocktails at La Ménagère were delicious. We sampled a few and were happy with each one. I like sweet, gingery and/or citrusy cocktails, and Jeremy likes bitters, so we ordered according to our tastes.

I had the Passioni Piccanti, with rum, house-made passionfruit syrup, fresh lemon juice, egg white, and ginger beer, which was served with half of a fresh passion fruit and sugar on the rim.

I also tried Dal Mediterraneo ai Tropici, which was also rum-based, but with a house-made melon/basil syrup, fresh lime juice, cedrata (a soft drink made from cedar fruit), cucumber and dill.

Jeremy went for an Old Fresco, with Maker’s Mark, Cointreau, fresh lime juice, house-made mint syrup, a house-made berry and peperoncino bitter, mint leaves, and lime zest.

For round two, he had Il Cedro Innamorato, which was made from vodka, cedar fruit liqueur, house-made berry syrup, prosecco, and had a dusting of salted coconut sugar on the rim.

The Shop at La Ménagère

As I mentioned above, La Ménagère was Florence’s first kitchenware shop. This tradition has been kept alive through the small shop that sells modern, decorative pieces for the kitchen.

The Florist at La Ménagère – Artemisia Flower shop

Like I said, the plants certainly catch your eye as you walk by La Mènagère. The wall in the small front room that’s bursting with soft-hued stems is hard to ignore.

The florist, which is called Artemisia Flower Shop, is open daily from 10am until 10:30pm. You can by single flowers, entire plants, or even order flower arrangements for a special event.

On their website, it says that the idea behind combining food and flowers was to create a space where you can choose your blooms while sipping a coffee or a cocktail, and where you can find a corner of spring at anytime of year (dove trovare in ogni momento dell’anno un angolo di primavera). 

Although it combines many concepts, La Ménagère has blended them seamlessly into a quirky, cozy, contemporary space that’s hip without being pretentious, and romantic without being cutesy. Don’t miss it on your next trip to Florence.

Address, opening hours and website

Via de Ginori 8/R, 50123

Open daily from 7am – 2am

www.lamenagere.it

Want more Florence?

Check out this post on my favorite places to eat in Florence!