For a small Alabama city, Florence has a surprisingly good food scene built around the downtown blocks just south and east of Wilson Park. Southern soul food, Tex-Mex, and a handful of more ambitious independent kitchens dominate; chain restaurants cluster out on Cox Creek Parkway and are easily avoided.
Odette on Court Street is the most ambitious place in town — small-plates Southern food in a smart Victorian storefront, with a strong cocktail list. City Hardware, in the converted hardware store of the same name, is a good middle-ground option with steaks and pasta. Big Bad Breakfast for breakfast and brunch, Trowbridge's for the old-fashioned ice-cream counter on Court Street that has been open since 1918.