Raw
Take-out

Raw vegan gelateria and patisserie. Has over 10 different flavors of ice cream and sorbet made with Italian almonds. Also a large range of raw, gluten-free, vegan pastries. Next door to the shop you can see in to “the laboratory” where the pastries are being baked. Teas and coffees also served. A second retail opening from Vito Cortese just a few hundred yards south of Ponte Vecchio. Open Mon-Fri 08:30-19:00, Sat 09:00-19:00, Sun 09:30-19:00.


Venue map for Cortese
© OpenStreetMap contributors

49 Reviews

First Review by JP22000

gaffer

Points +100

Vegan
26 Nov 2025

Loved it

Excellent selection of vegan snacks and sweets. The raw chocolates and tiramisu were brilliant.

Updated from previous review on 2025-11-26

Pros: Service, Atmosphere

Cons: A bit expensive

mycoffeeheart

Points +398

Vegan
15 Nov 2025

Vegan cafe

Good vegan cafe. They only had almond milk option, but the pastries with vegan cream and jam were very good !! A lot of vegan sweets as well perfect for tea

rb_br

Points +50

Vegan
15 Nov 2025

An oasis of sweet treats

After some fomo on a trip around Tuscany, Cortese was the jackpot of Italian pastries. Italian hot chocolate and gelato as well, all vegan, raw and gluten free. The staff were great too, and said that they make their own almond milk for coffees fresh everyday.

absoluteleighx

Points +69

Vegetarian
07 Nov 2025

Most delicious truffles

The treats available were wonderful, and there was lots of variety! I indulged in a creamy truffle with hazelnuts (not too dissimilar from a Ferrero Rocher, if not much better), and my partner enjoyed a raw cookie. €5 for us both to have a little sweet treat and tasted top-notch!

Update: it was so nice, we went the next day too! Two cappuccinos with their own almond milk, a beautiful cornetto each with chocolate and a few more of those delectable truffles; all for only €15,60! You'd be a fool to miss it.

Updated from previous review on 2025-11-06

Pros: Entirely plant-based

chels2ocean

Points +1675

Vegan
01 Nov 2025

Vegan and gluten free

The cornetto was not flaky but it had a delicious buttery flavor and I liked the custard filling. Also one of the few places to offer a vegan affogato!

Susi_Toastbrot

Points +438

Vegan
25 Oct 2025

Really good

Visited the shop twice and was totally happy about this delicious snacks :)
They offer a lot of vegan ice cream, not just fruit sorbet!

Updated from previous review on 2025-10-25

Clara_D_M

Points +22651

Vegan
23 Oct 2025

Gorgeous

Although their croissant is not “flaky” (no puff pastry since it’s gluten free), the filling was incredible. Highly recommended

Sampholland8

Points +312

Vegan
16 Oct 2025

Incredible raw sweet delights

Fantastic raw sweet treats, the standout being their signature emblema.

Their cappuccino with house made almond milk is also as advertised- best coffee we had in Florence.

Finally, their gelato- belissimo. Also the best we had in the city. Cappuccino, and blueberry/wild ginger were extremely good.

Super friendly service, especially in the branch near the Duomo

Pros: Gelato, Emblema, Cappuccino

delmei

Points +58

Vegan
11 Oct 2025

Amazing

All vegan and gluten-free, very good coffee with home made almond milk. Pastries and ice cream was also good! Nice interior seating.

Heavenlycow

Points +242

Vegan
07 Oct 2025

Supersweet

Einfach wunderbar, vegan, glutenfrei, fröhlich!

lassecorleone

Points +364

Vegan
29 Sep 2025

Alles Vegan und sehr gut!

Alles hier ist vegan und sehr gut. Sehr zu empfehlen!!!

JillKeb

Points +235

Vegan
14 Sep 2025

ALL VEGAN! Mostly Gelato & sweets

Close to Pritti Palace (Boboli Gardens are a Wow!) This gem of a place has many flavors of Italian Gelato as well as other baked and raw sweet vegan snacks

Pros: High Quality of gelato and desserts , Very friendly staff, Lots of options

BellaCiclista

Points +157

Vegan
30 Aug 2025

Great espresso & desserts

The people were nice, the espressos good and the pastries delicious. Unfortunately we were looking for lunch so were disappointed in just snacks, but that was our fault for not noticing they’re a patisserie!

Pros: Nice people , Great espresso , Good variety of sweets

filippodibari

Points +1883

Vegan
30 Aug 2025

Great cappuccino

I did not try the other raw patisserie. But the cappuccino was so good that I will be back. Lucky me as florentine

Updated from previous review on 2025-08-30

oszum

Points +768

Vegan
25 Aug 2025

Better than expected

I was really craving ice cream, so even though I don’t usually go to raw places, I decided to give it a try and I have to admit it was soooo good! The cashew ice cream was absolutely delicious, and I was surprised by the wide range of flavors! I also noticed lots of other nice-looking sweets, so I’ll definitely be coming back to try them next time.

lraivn

Points +662

Vegan
15 Aug 2025

Amazing gelato

There were many gelato options available, and I went with cappuccino and salted caramel. Both flavours were amazing and reasonably priced (€3.80).

I would definitely come back if I ever visit Florence again.

Pros: Variety of aromas, Friendly staff, Vegan heaven

killerqueen

Points +172

Vegan
11 Aug 2025

Crudo e buono!

Buonissimi i dolcetti! Consigliato per una colazione raw, vegan e gluten free!

magdalenaenya

Points +76

Vegan
26 Jul 2025

Really tasty!

We stopped there for a quick breakfast. Everything tasted really good. The portions are rather small, so it is possible to share a few of them. Coffee was really good as well.

joel_laun

Points +3174

Vegan
20 Jul 2025

Great coffee next to boboli

Nice all vegan and raw cafe with sweets and ice cream. The coffe was very tasty (with their homemade almond milk - 3,5€), we also had a brownie and an energy ball, which were both good. They also sell their own chocolate bars and chocolate spreads (which are pretty expensive though). It's a nice option if you want to visit boboli gardens :)

Pros: All vegan, Homemade almond milk

Cons: Rather expensive

Barajas

Points +24

Vegan
02 Jul 2025

Delicious vegan deserts

Stopped by for a quick coffee and picked up a few deserts to try out. The mango cheesecake was a standout. Staff was extremely friendly and highly recommended Santo Falafel which is on the bucket list here in Florence.

Pros: Mango Cheesecake, Pistachio desert, Great place to people watch

PiselloPatata

Points +287

Vegan
01 Jul 2025

Very good raw vegan patisserie

A must try! I had the vegan cheesecake, very good! I had the impression, though, that desserts have all similar bases made of nuts and dates (typical of raw patisserie).

Pros: Reasonable prices

MakanMakanMakan

Points +639

Vegan
11 Jun 2025

Extraordinary & Exceptional

Cortese is both Vegan and Senza Glutine (gluten-free)! Not only that, but as a bakery, chocolatery and gelataria it is mind-blowing excellent at all three. Across a short stay in Florence we visited multiple-times - the food here is just excellent, and we wanted to eat it all - we could not get enough! It has two locations in Florence, but the one south of the river is more spacious and accommodating!

Both café-settings are expansive, modern and upmarket. It definitely feels a bit gilded and your wallet will agree.

However, this is truly something unique and extraordinary. We have rarely come across something like this in the world of Veganism, and it is truly worth the effort to go here and we don't think the cost is misaligned to the quality!

In short:
- Gluten-Free Vegan Croissant; as good as one could ever hope for as a gluten-free product
- Tiramisu; not a standout, but a solid example
- Brownie; drier texture, but plenty of flavour
- Gelato; awesome - the fig flavour they had was sublime
- Quiche-style pastry; an absolute stand-out. We had to get a second
- Chocolate; great!
- Coffee; pretty good and they use their own home-made almond milk

Pros: Gluten Free, Gelato, Sweets and Pastries!!!!

Yamiryou

Points +784

Vegan
26 May 2025

Incredible

I tried two desserts and coffee at Cortese Café, and honestly, they were some of the best desserts I've ever had in my life.
The “Emblema Pistacchio” and “Crostatina Pistacchio” (both pistachio-based) were absolutely amazing. Saying they were perfect almost feels like an understatement.
I also read great reviews about their ice cream, but we were way too full to try it.
Even if you're not vegan, I highly recommend giving this place a try. The quality and flavour speak for themselves!
If you're in Florence and love delicious, plant-based treats, this café is a must-visit.

EarthPilgrim

Points +114

Vegan
26 May 2025

Your lunch venue sorted

Go here for real, properly made & absolutely delightful food. This place is the antithesis of fast food, or just the ubiquitous lunch foods on offer everywhere. It’s all vegan, even all the amazing looking chocolate pastries & treats. Delicious savoury stuff available too, plus the best sorbet ever. Food as it should be, but seldom is. Very pleased to have stumbled upon this place.

Pros: Friendly helpful staff, Great venue , The best of food on offer

Cons: None at all

Katinka1

Points +1270

Vegan
26 May 2025

Recommend this place!

A really nice find with all vegan, raw and organic options. You can order coffee with homemade almond milk, although it seems that’s the only option - no oat or soy. They have an extensive selection of pastries, cookies, bites and some savory options as well. There is seating upstairs (you have to order & pay downstairs first). Our non-vegan friends were really impressed and excited about this place!

Mari_Anzol

Points +28

Vegan
14 May 2025

Incredible!

Lovely desserts! They are incredibly good. I almost didn't because it was raw and gluten free but I've been there twice and was not at all disappointed.

Pros: The pistacchio desserts, Friendly staff

ZoRah

Points +132

Vegan
09 Apr 2025

Amazing

What a find. I'm vegan but not raw or gluten free and was perhaps a little bit sceptical beforehand, but everything we had here was absolutely delicious. The ice cream was out of this world (all made with cashews), with over 10 different options. The pistacchio was the best we had during our whole trip. We also enjoyed some of the filled croissants, as well as a pastry, and everything was fantastic. Really recommended!

Pros: Amazing Gelato with huge range of flavours, Great croissants, Modern clean interior




This page has been viewed 3596 times.