Mercato Centrale di San Lorenzo
Two floors of edible Tuscany in one iron-and-glass 19th-century hall: downstairs, butchers and cheesemakers who have held the same stalls for generations; upstairs, a buzzing food hall where you can eat lampredotto sandwiches, fresh pasta, and Florentine bistecca without leaving the building. This is where locals actually shop.
The ground floor — serious food shopping
The ground-floor market is the real deal: whole porchetta hanging from hooks, mountains of fresh porcini, Chianina beef cuts labelled by farm, and wheels of aged Pecorino that you can taste before you buy.
Nerbone, a stall operating since 1872, serves the city's most legendary lampredotto (Florentine tripe) sandwich for around €4 — order it 'bagnato' (dipped in cooking broth) like a local. Arrive before noon or it sells out.
The first-floor food hall
The upper floor, redesigned in 2014, is a permanent food hall with around 30 vendors covering everything from raw-bar oysters to handmade tagliatelle, Sicilian arancini, and craft gelato. It runs until midnight, making it a reliable late dinner option.
Wine is sold by the glass from a central bar with a strong selection of Chianti Classico and Morellino di Scansano — both Tuscan reds worth knowing. The atmosphere is convivial and unpretentious.
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