When in Italy you have to eat as much of the local cuisine as possible. There are simply too many amazing food options you cannot miss out on. However, there will be times when you miss American cuisine, and want a taste of home. Enter Rooster Cafe. Rooster Cafe has two locations in Florence and is cooking up American classics for breakfast and lunch. I’ll tell you what, the food is pretty damn good.
When looking at the menu, you will see many familiar items. I’ll admit I had a tough time deciding what I was going to get. One thing that caught my eye was the Bloody Mary. This isn’t your typical Bloody Mary. This Bloody Mary is topped with bacon, fried chicken, and cheddar cheese! There was a lot going on in this drink and I enjoyed every ounce of it. However, this was just the opener for the main attraction.
The food menu and the drink menu are elaborate and decadent. You can order items such as a french toast special with caramelized bananas and bacon, a slow smoked burger with bacon, smoked cheese and smoked baconnaise, and can even get an english breakfast. However, I went with the most American thing I could get and dummied down to Chicken n Waffles. If you happen to have an endless appetite like this guy, you can get the upgraded “Stoner’s Version” (yea, I went for it). Now this is a big plate of food. This dish is going to blow your tourist mind with fried chicken, 2 waffles, guac, cheddar, bacon, and two fried eggs. It was a lot, but I loved it. The chicken had a panko crust, and every bite was flavorful. The waffles were sweet and went well with everything on the plate. By the end of it, you will undoubtedly be in a food coma, but it is an experience eating the “Stoner’s Version”.
Takeaways: Rooster Cafe is a fun restaurant that is always busy. It serves up a real solid breakfast and lunch. If you are missing American food, or just want something else other than Italian, Rooster Cafe is your spot. Go crazy with your order, and try the Chicken n Waffles, why not? You’ll walk it off later, anyway.
Score: 7.5/10
a dude eats abroad 