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Recommended Reviews - Mercato Centrale
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Fun marketplace where you could pick up anything from spices to fresh fish to lunch or dinner or just simply enjoy a cappuccino and pastry. There are plentiful vendors and a plethora of choices. The sounds and the smells fill the vibe. We are staying at an apt within a 1 min walk. We'll be back during our stay.
Central food hall in Florence. A must visit. First floor is bulk ingredients and 2nd floor are the restaurants, food shops, and wine bar. It's open seating so park then take turns getting your food of choice from the many vendors. Pizza, pasta, sandwiches, chicken, steak they have it all. Come hungry leave happy
Cool market with food courts and shopping. The food we had here was good, there is plenty of food to choose from. On the outer part of the market, there leather vendors and other vendors. Will be back here on my next trip trip to Italy.
This is the coolest market in Florence! It's a big market on the bottom floor and a big food hall on top! We stopped in for coffee and a pastry in the morning and went back for dinner! Easy ordering and paying using a QR code on the tables. The pasta places all looked delicious. We shared several different items. Very affordable prices! Packed with locals. Very cool experience! Do not miss this.
Such a cool spot! Mixed watering hole for locals and tourists. Don't let the aggressive vendors surrounding the market scare you off. Once inside there are TONS of great food options. A lot of the vendors offer free samples which I recommend trying because everything has such great flavor. There's a full bar in the middle and other food vendors sell wine/ beer too. Strong drinks- $9 for a spritz but it's strong and good flavor. You can get food wherever and eat at any table then get a drink at the middle bar. The building is so cool. The decorations above are great and the restored historic building adds to the cool vibe. There's a cooking school inside where you can sign up to take classes.
This is an amazing place to go where you can find an abundance of different food options and cuisines from all over. It is quite busy and crowded but I ended up going back multiple times. The sandwiches at La Schiacciata are some of the best you will ever have. Massimiliano is very nice and a great chef. We tried one or two other places such as the pizza and they were very good as well.
There are plenty of options for food. We had the chicken, pizza, hamburger, and pasta at the Mercato. You can't go wrong with any of the selections. Save room for the desserts. Lots of tables to sit and enjoy your meal. All of the foods were cooked and served quickly. I would go back again.
This is a great spot to go for browsing/buying fresh food, to eat lunch at dozens of different restaurant stalls, or for buying a variety of food products such as truffles, balsamic vinegar, etc. We wound up eating here multiple times and every experience was positive. It can serve any purpose from a quick snack to a filling entree. Or, you can easily assemble the makings of the best picnic of your life!
Cool spot to check out if you're visiting as a tourist! It was nice to just see the market. It was extremely crowded when we went around lunch time on a Sunday. There's multiple different food options including pasta, pizza, meat skewers, and more American food. Food here can be hit or miss, next time I'd probably just eat elsewhere else in the city for something more authentic. We ordered gnocchi, which had a great texture, and a carbonara dish which was extremely salty and hard to eat. Meat skewers were good but nothing out of the ordinary. It's first come first serve in terms of sitting at the tables.
Such an amazing market. We got to try some amazing pastries, tried some great truffle products and dried chiles, and even got to eat at 3 different restaurants on the 2nd floor. Highly recommend to those looking to purchase unique gifts.
OBSESSED with this place! This is a must visit place when in Florence. There are 2 floors and the main floor has local produce, meats, etc. This floor is more of a super market vs the 2nd floor is full of different restaurants. The 2nd floor is a very casual spot that has everything in 1 building. Italian food, Japanese food, green food, etc. there are several dessert spots as well. Once you place your order in with any vendor there are TVs that will have your order number and place of restaurant displayed when your items are ready to be retrieved. This is a great spot if you're looking for something on the quicker side. Keep in mind that this does get busy however I think this is still a quicker and more plentiful option compared to a sit down restaurant.
Mercato Centrale is a must when visiting Florence. Yes, it's touristy but it's worth the visit. Outdoors, you have dozens of stalls selling souvenirs, and questionably real leather goods. I did buy a few things with the expectation that they may be fake but I was okay with that. Just make sure you haggle! Inside the market is where you'll find all the food. On the first level, you have some small (but delicious) food stalls, produce, meat, and gifts (think olive oil, balsamic, etc.) for sale. On the second level is a modernized food court with a few sit down stalls. Yes, the food is slightly more expensive than what you would find outside the market, but it truly is a feast for the eyes. If you're going with a group of people, everyone is bound to find something they like to eat here. We visited the market multiple times during our stay - once at around 1 PM, and another time when it was almost closing at 3. Both times were pretty crowded but close to closing was the most crowded. Best way to avoid all the people is to probably visit when it opens. While the food stalls in the market close at 3, the leather goods outside are around until maybe 7 or 8. So the best game plan is to go in first and grab a bite, and then you'll have energy for all that shopping!
We didn't make it here early enough to have a look at the market on the first floor, something I'll regret until I can come back to Florence one day (which might never happen since it may not have been my favorite city, after Rome, on this trip.) We did, however, make it to the second floor to have dinner. I love me a food hall. I try to find one in every city I visit and this one did not disappoint. I hadn't realized it was a bit of a chain (we went to the one in Rome as well) but that didn't matter because the food was good, the drinks were strong and there was plenty of seating. There were a lot of different kinds of seating, some high tops, some low. Some communal tables, some separated. The building itself was beautiful, the ceiling was nice to look at. There are plenty of stalls to choose food from. There are many local specialties sold here, like lampredotto, black truffle in everything and Florentine steak. There are also a lot of general Italian and some other foods, like sushi or kebobs. The tableside service, which we didn't really use, seemed to be fast and efficient. The same servers were clearing tables and they were pretty on top of it.
3 years ago
Visiting Mercato Centrale is a great way to try many different Florence food staples while going easy on the budget. Not to mention, it's also a great spot for hanging out and watching the crowds. I highly recommend a visit to both the downstairs vendors and upstairs food court area. Pro Tip: Pay attention to when each floor opens and closes. read more
When we arrived in Florence, the first thing we did after settling into our hotel was to locate the Mercato Centrale Firenze (or Central Market). The Mercato Centrale is a well-known landmark located at the heart of central Florence at San Lorenzo's market. It is a two-tiered open market (1st level farmers market, 2nd level butcher shop-cook-to-order, bars, foodie stalls and small ristorantes) that houses a cornucopia of gastronomic delights from various vendors. They are also one of the few places that remains open during the hours of 12noon to 7PM when everyone else closes and reopens. If you're looking for a spot that offers pretty much everything you'd want to try to eat (and drink) in Firenze, this is the must visit place you set your GPS to. read more
8 years ago
Gotta stop by here if you ever go to Firenze! My cousins and I actually accidentally ran into this place when we were looking for another place to eat. It was 2 minutes from our hotel. This place was amazing! We only went to the second floor because the first floor was being renovated. (I guess that's what happens in the off season) Nonetheless, I am so happy we stopped in, because the place was so alive. They had live music, the people were friendly and there was SO MUCH FOOD. We had a lot of fried seafood on our trip, but the little place in this market was probably my favorite. And such a good price! I definitely recommend it. It was nice to sit back and relax and enjoy the night in Firenze. read more
1 year ago
Head upstairs for the great food hall consisting of pizza, homemade pasta, sandwiches, fried goodness, sushi and much more. My husband and I ordered the Napoli (cheese, capers, anchovies) and the Capri (tomatoes and burrata). Both were fantastic but the Capri was pretty special with the mix of the caprese on top. Neapolitan pizza is similar to New York pizza. Thin but a good chew on the crust and not crispy. Definitely check it out if you're looking for an afternoon of sight seeing. read more
This place was absolutely packed and focused on food and drinks on the 2nd floor. It was crazy busy and well worth the visit. I purchased a lot of little items to try Italia food and walked around with a great glass of wine too! Definitely suggest visiting read more
4 years ago
2 years ago
This place is a foodie's dream, and apparently there is a whole upstairs area with food stalls that we missed. Sad! Downstairs is a market comprised of everything your heart desires for cooking. Spices, uber-fresh meats and cheeses, wine, noodles, and too much to list. Treat it as a grocery store. We picked up some packaged spice mixes to take home as gifts. There are a few food stalls downstairs, and we were drawn to La Primeria because they have a large window into the kitchen where you can see them making the fresh pasta. On one side you can pick up pasta to take home and cook on your own, and on the other there is a small window where you can order a super affordable dish (around 6 euro) to eat there. You choose your noodle and sauce and they will cook it up in 5-10 minutes. I went with spaghetti noodles with a mushroom sauce, topped with fresh parmesan. THOSE NOODLES were the freshest I have ever tasted. You can really tell a difference and I was in heaven. I feel like we missed an opportunity by not spending more time here and completely missing the fact that there is an upstairs. Don't be like us. If you're a foodie you'll want to spend a few hours here just perusing the market, and even more time eating from all of the various stalls. Come hungry. read more
3 years ago
An absolute MUST for any visit to Florence! The most amazing fresh food market I've seen in my life... we ate at a sublime fresh fish stall and took away a ton of fruits and veggies for a picnic. Surrounding the food market are hundreds of artisan stalls selling leather goods, linen clothes, and souvenirs of all types. Great prices and even better if you haggle. read more
Cute little market in the heart of Florence (Firenze). You will pass by several shops/vendors on the way TO the market, selling things such as scarves, belts, and purses (stop and look at some of them, it's worth the experience alone!). When you finally arrive at the market, the first (bottom) level of the market offers several raw ingredients- to both tourists and locals- such as meats, cheese, spices, pastas, and jams. The top level has several restaurants (open late) that sell sandwiches, wontons, pizzas, and more (great variety)!! Really fun experience with really great food!! read more
4 years ago
4 years ago
I wanted to love this place but it was too busy. The food that I saw in person didn't live up to the hype compared to all the YouTube travel videos. Bummer. read more
Once upon a time, all of my favorite foods appeared under one roof. In true fairy tale fashion, I felt as if I needed a pinching to realize if I was actually experiencing what I was experiencing. Contrary to a very similarly laid out market in Barcelona, this massive space is completely indoors. There's live entertainment, a first floor produce market, and a second floor Italian food hall filled with different vendors specializing in various food items. Warning: you are about to enter the realm of food coma. Soppressata Sandwich - Dried Italian ham sliced paper thin, piled high in between warmed up bread via Panini press. That's it. It was one of the top three sandwiches in my life. I couldn't believe it. Selfishly, I tried to figure out how in the world can a sandwich so simplistic, so elementary in theory, taste like a clashing orchestra of rich, succulent, meaty umami? And it cost six euro! Four Cheese Gnocchi - Pasta made fresh right before your eyes. The chefs prepared the dish in a hot pan with melted butter and sage. Again, the Italians and their simplistic values. Served on a paper plate with a plastic fork with a small side of Parmesan cheese, these delicate pillows popped in my mouth like little bursts. The flavor was so intense I couldn't keep myself from continually drowning my tongue with these mini bites of heaven. Panna Cotta Gelato - The flavor notes have escaped me, but the look that my girlfriend and I shared when diving into this cup of gelato was more romantic than the first time we laid eyes on each other. Gelato in Europe is a serious game, however, this was creamy, rich and my favorite of our entire expedition. There you have it, friends. A culinary paradise where senses are tested and appetites are cured. It's definitely an overwhelming adventure that questions your decisiveness. Pro tip: starve yourself for days before visiting the Mercato Centrale. read more
3 years ago
This market has something for everyone at a variety of different price ranges. Want pizza? Come here. Want sushi, pasta, dessert, cheese board, cheese, wine, etc. etc --come here! We were overwhelmed by choices and settled on a pizza, homemade spinach gnocchi and salad. All were delicious and we were able to enjoy time there without feeling rushed with a bottle of wine. The tables were all open seating. The space is really neat and fun to walk around. It can accommodate a single person or very large group. read more
Great market on the first floor and food court on the second floor. Lots of fresh produce and meats. You can buy travel sized gifts and products to bring home. The food court is pretty much the same thing as all the other train station food courts (however, this market is not in the train station). We love getting an espresso shot at the bar in the morning, it's very creamy and bold. Right outside of the market is a large area where there are vendors selling mostly leather. read more
3 years ago
Mercato Centrale is one of the best markets that I have visited. This place sells everything from wine to pizza and lampredotto, which I ate. There is plenty of seating as this market has three levels. I would recommend this market to any visitor who comes to Florence. read more
7 years ago
This bustling indoor market in an iconic 1874 building of the same name in Florence (designed by Italian architect Giuseppe Mengoni) is notable for an airy open vibe with wrought-iron ceiling and soaring glass windows; however, Mercato Centrale is more about the food and the shopping than the architecture. Plan to stroll, browse, and eat. Mercato Centrale Firenze (aka Central Market of Florence) is a destination for Florentine locals and lots of tourists either rushing in for just a quick bite or to wile away a couple hours exploring the food and culture of Tuscany. Luckily, it's open 8:00 a.m to midnight 364 days a year so coming more than once is a good option, too. The ground floor is packed with food stalls and vendors including butchers, fruits & vegetables, fishmongers, wines, meats, cheeses, olive oils, breads, truffles, and much more. We grazed from space to space trying foods and getting others to go. Italian food was on my mind and my mind was on Italian food the whole time. Up on the second level is a massive food court with seats for 500 people served by 12 restaurants selling popular Italian cuisine like fresh pasta, truffles, charcuterie, mozzarella, fish, fried foods, pizza, baked breads, vegetarian options, wines, chocolate, and gelato. If you like European markets with variety, energy, and food ... lot's of food ... then consider adding Mercato Centrale to your itinerary for a quick lunch, diverse dinner, or to eat your entire afternoon away. read more
2 years ago
It felt like a very kind atmosphere. We got dessert and barbecue for dinner. Both were very delicious and I felt like the cuisine had a wide variety so everybody was happy. read more
3 years ago
Imagine if you will, the perfect food hall. Now book your flight to Florence and watch your vision come to life. Except in photos, I never saw the ground level portion of Mercato Centrale Firenze. Those photos look amazing and I'm sorry to have missed the marketplace of food vendors inhabiting it but upon both visits that portion of the market had already closed. The part I most wanted to visit though, is open from 8 a.m. 'til midnight and that was everything. Everything. The beauty of Mercato Centrale Firenze is the selection, price point, hours, environment, and the food itself: Everything. The square layout is lined with food and drink vendors along its perimeter and in the center of that square, another block of vendors creates even more options. It's a challenge to survey the space entirely without succumbing to a purchase as everything looks so damned delicious. You can sit yourself down and order a glass of wine as we did then follow that up with some Arancini (very filling and very cheap) and a round of fresh pasta. You can ogle the offerings in the place specializing in truffles. You may make room for some Bruschetta, a cheese platter, and a plate of cured meats. It's an Italian bonanza in here. I've no doubt someone out in the blogosphere has journaled their attempt to visit Florence and eat their every meal at Mercato Centrale Firenze; it wouldn't be difficult. The constant stream of customers make Mercato Centrale Firenze a perfect place for people watching as well as an escape from any inclement weather. Were I returning to Florence it's a guarantee that I'd be returning here as well. Whatever you may think of food halls, this is definitely one to check out when you find yourself in Florence. read more
3 years ago
3 years ago
What a great market! We stopped here today to pick up what we needed for a fairly large cooking class. They had everything we needed. Pork loin cut off the bone and retied to it. Tomato's, ground beef, pine nuts, bread and so on. It's a great place to stop in and just browse! read more
2 years ago
3 years ago
If you're an Italophile with a penchant for Italian food, this is a fun place to peruse. There are two levels here. Don't miss either, as they're very different. The downstairs is more produce and meat-focused, while the upper level is essentially a large glitzy food court with popular Italian foods geared towards tourists. While I enjoyed both levels, my preference is for the lower level and where we shop. The lower level has a more "down-home" feel with many locals shopping for their grocery staples alongside tourists. Mercato Centrale has been our go-to for fresh fruits and veggies. It's like a farmer's market here every day (except they're closed on Sundays). You can get decent fruits and veggies in local markets, but I've yet to come across another place here in the heart of Florence that can beat the freshness and variety you'll find here in the Mercado. Hubby came here to purchase all the fresh veggies for a vegetable soup that he makes at least once a month when we're at home in the Bay Area. Check out my photos to see all the makings for a great soup!! The vegetable soup, however, almost didn't happen. Hubby wanted to add two ingredients into the soup he brought back. When I saw them, I asked him what he thought those were, and why he wanted to put them into his soup. He said they were tomato paste and dried basil, which he sometimes used. I quickly stopped him as he was opening these items, and told him that the tomato paste was actually anchovy paste and that what he thought was dried basil, was actually dried mint! It was clearly written in Italian, but Hubby doesn't read or speak a word of Italian. The funniest thing is that Hubby is completely adverse to eating anchovies on anything, let alone put gobs of it in his soup. And the combination of anchovies and mint sounds totally inedible to me. Well, it all worked out and we had a great meal with all the ingredients purchased at the Mercado. They have virtually everything you'll need for a nice home-cooked meal away from home! read more
I'm a firm believer that when traveling in Europe and Asia, one should always seek out the local markets to sniff the soul of the city. So of course this famous market was on my list for my first morning in Florence. Wow! When visiting Florence, even if it's only for one day, David and this market is a must. Sadly, even I could not try everything, but between my family of four adults and two kids, we managed to get a delicious taste of the best of Florentine cuisine. It was all good...antipasto, pasta, pizza, gelato, cannolis, etc. Everything. Just walk around and pick out anything that looks appealing. After happily stuffing ourselves, we went downstairs to shop and stock up on everything truffle to bring home. We also got good deals on leather backpacks and soccer sweatshirts for the kids. read more
3 years ago
7 years ago
PROS: - large space - great food options and variety - something for everyone - vegan, gluten and veggie options - large bar area - fair prices - hood quality food CONS: - gets packed and can get hard to move around They have great food shops and some great vegan and vegetarian options. This place is huge but also very popular and gets super-packed! Despite that, I highly recommend to try it out in the mornings or evenings when the crowds have subsided. Food prices are very reasonable and I love that you can basically customize your entree by going to different food vendors. read more
2 years ago
3 years ago
More info about Mercato Centrale
Piazza del Mercato Centrale 4
50123 Florence
Italy
Santa Maria Novella
Directions
055 2399798
Call Now
Visit Website
https://www.mercatocentrale.it
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