Crowded, smelly, meh-quality, over priced and unhygienic food prep at the veggie/vegan place. Walked upstairs to the food court and walked around to check out the different places and settled on the veggie burger place and pre-made foccia pizza stalls because of the shorter lines. It was after 2, so we were surprised by the crowds. The pre-made foccia pizza was okay. We got a veggie pizza with eggplant and a ham sliced piece for $12 euro. I had the misfortune to choose the vegetarian stall which offered a veggie burger with roasted potato wedges or a bowl. I regretfully ordered a cheese veggie burger, that was a far cry from the sumptuous looking picture on their menu, and potato wedges. The potato wedges were pretty good. They don't come with ketchup or sauce and there are no condiments available other than salt, pepper and basalmic vinegar. The patty was a pink, gritty, and tasteless mush on a dried-out toasted roll with mayo, cheese, lettuce, unripe tomato, gherkins and sour pickled onions. I ditched half the roll which was soggy with sour, pickled onion juice and the patty folded my crumbly top over and ate that with the potato wedges. Not a great meal for $11 euros. There are no drinks served at the restaurant stalls. You have to get drinks from the big wine bar, beer bar (I think they have sodas there) or a juice bar. While waiting for the veggie burger, the guy chef? working there was making a "poke'" bowl or more accurately a Budda bowl. (The bowl looked like it would have tasted better than the burger.) After getting my ticket he decided he was going to take a break. He ate something off the food prep area, chatted on the walkie, fussed around with the register and eventually left for awhile. (Someone else eventually took over and began to make my food or rather reheating it up in their toaster oven.) He was still wearing his gloves and came back wearing his gloves. He took one glove off and was carrying the other. He put it back on then went back to making someone else's food. I was silently repeating, don't touch my food, don't touch my food, which seemed to work. Although this grossed me out, my dislike for the food was not based on this gross hygiene failure. Overall, I would look for another place to eat. This food court seems to be a novelty not worth your euros but is an interesting place to check out for the market itself. read more

All of the food at Mercato Centrale is amazing especially the rice ball cart (they also have the most amazing cannolis I've ever had in my life)!!! read more

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This market is wonderful. It is the most Italian thing you could ever imagine! Go to the truffle stand. This family is selling aged balsamic, truffles, pesto. They will give you samples of everything. The sweetest people ever. read more

Mercato Centrale - Food Court Near Me - Florence, FI

TL;DR - I wish my home town had a Mercato Centrale! I absolutely LOVE this place. The downstairs is a true market hall which is exciting to explore in its own right, but the really exciting thing is the upstairs where a huge variety of food and drinks are available. The premise is simple - wander round, see something you like and order it. Once it's ready, there is ample seating so find somewhere to settle down and enjoy. The atmosphere is casual, friendly and cool... they play great music... there's art by Ai Weiwei. If you want something a bit more formal, one venue on each side also has a further upstairs area with table service. I love it here so much, I've found myself trying most of the stall at one time or another: - The pizzas they make are fantastic. You can go to Naples for "the best" pizza in the world, but here they're pretty damn close. - The pasta is also amazing, and you can tell that they really know their produce. Staff here were super friendly and helpful. - Too much meat and carbs? Try the vegetarian burger joint - super tasty and easily as satisfying as a meat burger. - Speaking of which, the regular burger joint turns out some amazing burgers. There are also drinks options, there's a cocktail bar which I've not tried yet but the other bar does beers, all of which I've tried and really enjoyed. There's also a wine merchant with a huge selection of wines and their staff will happily help you choose a wine which pairs well with what you're eating. Also, if you're getting the wine, it's a great deal to buy the whole bottle (the cheapest wine is €5 a glass, or you can get a bottle (~6 glasses, depending on how you pour) for €15. Most dishes come in at under €10, and most drinks are around €5, so you can get a really great meal here for under €20. Since Florence is such a compact city, it's hard to justify not visiting this place! read more

Definitely one of my favorite markets in Italy. Downstairs, you have a number of vendors that sell a variety of foodstuffs that could double as great souvenirs (truffle, pasta, olive oil, etc). In addition, they have raw meat and a popular sandwich/pasta spot downstairs. Upstairs you have the food court that has everything from a truffle spot to pasta to pizza to a wine shop. Great place to grab a quick bite, though there are some solid pasta and steak spots next door to the market. Be aware of hours since they close in the afternoon. read more

Such an Awesome Market here in Florence. The Market is very large, organized, and most importantly delicous. It is such a great expeirence at the market meeting and trying genuine Italian foods and specials. - on the first floor you find cheap raw foods and drinks ranging from fresh Cheese, Salami, Lemoncello, pastries, and even Rabbit! - The second floor is a bit more expensive where you can find restraunts and a bar. Cant go wrong at the Market whether you indulge on the first or second floor, just depends what youre feeling on a given day. read more

This place is pretty damn awesome. Not too far from the center of Florence, but there are so many good food stalls here, that it's not hard to find something delicious to eat. Highly recommended. read more

Many options to choose from. I had the most delicious seafood lunch at Pescheria Ultima Spaggia. I had the mix plate with calamari, fish and shrimp and a glass of wine, all for 11 euros. They cook it in front of you, well, actually they fry it in front of you. This seafood place is on the ground floor but there are many other choices, more gourmet style on the second floor. Even vegetarian food. read more

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This place is certainly overwhelming but there are so many unique stores and places to buy wine, pasta, oil, etc. The second floor food court has plenty of seats and attentive staff which is very impressive for the chaotic nature of this place! I enjoyed some delicious gnocchi and bought a few bottles of wine to bring home. read more

Mercato Centrale - Food Court Near Me - Florence, FI

Reviewing this whole market in one go is a bit difficult due to the numerous vendors and items available here, but overall it's worth noting that the atmosphere, customer service, options, food/drink quality, and patrons are great. We came here twice, once during the afternoon for some house wine by the glass, a mozarrella cheese and tomato plate, and a cannoli, all of which were reasonably priced and very tasty. The second time we came for breakfast, and had an espresso, a macchiato, several pastries, and the a fried risotto ball? All in all, really nice place to visit with both great food and lots of options for drinks! The entrance can be a bit hard to find and perhaps a bit shady with all the street vendors, but once you get to the escalator it's a whole different world (whole foods feel, with better food and better prices) read more

Absolutely love the market! Purchasing fresh produce here is so much cheaper than at the super market and more variety. Upstairs they have amazing restaurants, had one of the best vegan burgers ever at Veg & Veg upstairs. Also had an interesting ice coffee and a cannoli from the coffee shop right in the center and both were really good. The variety of different restaurants for both food and dessert is exceptional and I'm excited to go back and try some more things! read more

Mercato Centrale - Food Court Near Me - Florence, FI

This place is not to be missed. We came here to see the leather district where all the merchants are nearby. However, this is a great place to see an indoor farmer's market. There are 2 floors which separate the traditional marketplace from the restaurants on the top floor. We meandered around to look at produce, meat, pasta, and bakeries. Afterwards, we took the stairs to figure out what to eat. The upstairs restaurants are pretty fancy so it looked more like dinner to me. So, we decided on Pasta Fresca which has a take-out area for fresh made pasta as the name implies. You basically take a look at the daily menu on what's fresh then order your dish. After paying, you wait in a line until your number is called. I ordered a thin noodle with mushroom while my wife ordered a local pasta dish with some ground meat. We walked upstairs and found a table to share our dishes. This is quite the walk from our hotel Pierre so just make sure to make the most of your commute. read more

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A trendy food court above the fresh food market. We arrived into Florence late in the afternoon so the market was already closed for the day. Display cases are nicely decorated, but prices appear to be on the higher side because it's a tourist spot. We decided to try the tapas at L'Enoteca - they were delicious (price was pretty good too) And the staff gave us great recommendation for wine. We also tried an Italian bock at the bar located in the center of the market which was very good. read more

Clueless American again: one stop shop for food paradise! It's like a foodie mall with everything my fat face could ever want all under one roof. It's crowded with locals - always a good sign - it's cheap, and it is delicious. Choose from barbecued pig, to fresh mozzarella and pomodoro (tomato) panini, to pizza by the slice, to desserts that will make you want to throw your insulin in the trash and eat your way to heaven's pearly gates. I recommend starting with a beer or wine so that you can walk around and come up with your pregame strategy. Then step up to the counter of your choice, look the clerk right in the eye and order fast. If you are shy and hesitant they will go right past you to the next customer. For me, grunting and pointing worked well, pressing my sticky finger to the glass while breathing heavily and in an instant I had mouth watering treats in my hands. Hardly any communication needed. Almost like they could read my mind. Going for lunch? Be prepared to wait outside since there will be a crowd and they only let so many people in at a time to prevent rioting and mass hysteria. Then once inside you will be pressed flesh-to-bone as the hunt for seating forms people into lethal, wolf-like packs hunting for valuable table space. Don't be afraid to ask about joining in on a partially filled table, but you may be turned away by cold, uncaring eyes with a wave of the hand that presumably suggests an imaginary friend off to forage, before some poor foreign traveler like you takes pity on your homelessness. Also good for a quick dinner since you either forgot, or couldn't figure out the right time to make reservations at the nicer restaurant on the other side of town. The lines aren't as bad at night and seating is easier to come by. Just tell the family it's cultural immersion and it's good for them. read more

Mercato Centrale is amazing. You can go there for literally anything and find something delicious! My first day in Florence I had the best gnocchi ever from a little pasta place in there. I've also had pizza that was great, mozzarella, cannoli and a veggie burger. The Veg and Veg place is a little expensive, but still really good. The best thing at the market, however, are the delicious cannoli. Find them at the wine bar in the center. A glass case is filled with just cannoli shells. Once you order they fill them in front of you. I've had one two days in a row now. read more

Mercato Centrale - This is the veggie burger I had. - Food Court Near Me - Florence, FI

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I love alot of things about this concept. Fresh food market downstairs, with a high end food court upstairs thats open till midnight, with beer, wine, apps, meals, desserts and high end wine, cheese, balsamics, oils, etc. We ate at a Steak bar upstairs with a delicious Fiorentina, and a vegetarian Oreccete pasta that was solid as well. Wine choices at our restaurant were fairly priced for great quality. Don't skip on the Canoli from the dessert vendor! read more

So awesome to go here. Eat prepared food. Buy semi prepared food and cook at home like ravioli or just buy all raw ingredients to cook at home. read more

We came on a Sunday. The market on the ground floor was closed, but the food court on the first floor was opened. Buzzing atmosphere, with a mozzarella artisan pushing his trolley and advertising his freshly made cheese. There are stalls for truffle risotto and pasta (excellent), thick-crust pizza, fried stuff (popular but batter is way too heavy), meat and tongue sandwiches, salads, a cooking school, wine, beer, even Chinese steamed dumplings (xiao long bao?), bistecca (but don't order the Fiorentina steak: the knife was low-quality, and we saw some customers struggling to cut their meat). Prices can be higher than at the mid-scale restos outside, but worth visiting for the great atmosphere. read more

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We stopped here on our last night in Florence for dinner. It definitely reminded me of Grand Central Market here in LA, but less crowded and not as pretentious. There were tons of options for snacking or a full meal and we settled on the steakhouse there that had a variety of meats and a counter to sit at. We got a variety plate of their cooked meats and it was so delicious, especially the chicken and lamb. We started with the lasagna and the squid ink pasta, both made right in front of you by a super friendly chef staff. We love open air kitchens and this was a great example of a comfortable place in a busy market setting. Definitely will be back! read more

Came here after a long day exploring. When you finally find the entrance it looks sketchy, but looks can be deceiving because the inside is magic. Beautiful decor and aromas all around and so many choices. From meats, cheese, wine, fresh pastas, seafood. The list keeps going. Our party had the bolognese and pesto from the fresh pasta selection. The pasta is made fresh along with your dishes. Very good for 9€ a plate. The rest of our party had the free range chicken, fried chicken popcorn and ribs. All very good. The fried chicken was more of a miss. Skip if you can. Also there is a cooking school right where we were sitting so we could see students cooking. Very fun. Lots of space. Something for everyone! read more

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The food is good, the prices are reasonable but there is a lot of self service. The pizza place makes a great pizza called Capri. The wine restaurant has a great selection by the glass and gourmet appetizers. It's best to go when it's not very crowded. There is a version of this market in Chicago called Eataly, it's a great spot to visit as well. read more

Mercato Centrale - This is a great pizza called Capri! - Food Court Near Me - Florence, FI

Great options that can please everyone. Grab a little from each shop! The rotisserie chicken in the back and the gelato upstairs were delicious read more

Mercato Centrale - Food Court Near Me - Florence, FI

Mercato Centrale has many great options and is located in a central location. It always feels clean and has a fun atmosphere. It blends traditional Italian cuisine (and some Asian food) with a modern open floor plan. The bottom floor acts as a market and has more restricted hours than the restaurant area upstairs. Most recently I enjoyed a pizza from the Pizzeria and the employees were so fun and pleasant. It is located conveniently a few stations down from a gelato place and across from the bar! read more

Mercato Centrale - Food Court Near Me - Florence, FI

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We love visiting here for the activity and fun way to rest while walking around Firenze. The vino is well priced at 4.00 per glass. It is great to grab some wonderful food from the counters (such as the new vegetarian spot) or the great pizzeria and enjoy with the vino. The Wi-Fi is solid, so it is a nice spot to upload photos from the day. It looks like they have a cooking school, so we would love to take classes some day! read more

Yum yum yum to this market!! I came here on Easter Sunday in between site seeing and I had an amazing experience here!! I came here with two of my friends and we all got glasses of red wine and gnocchi! The red wine was delicious, it was nice and sweet and tasted like perfection. The gnocchi was unreal..hands down the best gnocchi I have ever had. It just tasted like heaven. I really liked the vibe of this market. It is super open and beautiful. There were tons of seating options and also tons of different food stands you can get food at. Even though I can't remember what food stand I ate at, they all looked amazing to me! Also, this is really close to many tourist stops so it is the perfect place to stop for a meal! read more

A must-see in Florence! Filled with authentic food and produce; the first floor contains neat and diverse rows of produce vendors for anything from meat to dried fruits and nuts to biscotti. The second floor resembles a food court, with a seating area lined with an-again diverse selection of vendors. I had the most delicious pizza I've tried in Italy here, and my sister loved the truffle pasta. Would recommend the cappuccino as well. Would've loved the chance to come back and sample all the options. Highly recommend for anyone who loves markets and street food. read more

Mercato Centrale - Everything was delicious - especially recommend the pizza in the middle and the truffle pasta on the right! - Food Court Near Me - Florence, FI

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This is a must do in Florence. You can get whatever you want and feel the vibe of the market!

It looks like a food court setup but it seems like it is one big restaurant with many choices. We ate there several times during our stay in Florence. The food is fresh and the choices are many. It is also a good place to meet friends. Tables are easier to find when it is not peak times. read more

Mercato Centrale - Food Court Near Me - Florence, FI

The Mercato Centrale Firenze is very much like a really good food court. We had several courses for our meal and all were very good. It was crowded but well worth it. We shared the plates and the prices were decent. I would definitely go back again. read more

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The fact that places like this exist make me wish I lived in Italy!! I was in Italy with my family of 7. It is always hard to find places that have room for 7 people and find a place that all 7 people are excited about. Mercato Centrale is a 2-floor market hall with things for everybody. I recommend going upstairs if you are looking for a meal (downstairs has more vendors that are selling grocery type items). I specifically recommend trying the vendor that is making only pizzas. The pizzas are delicious. Mine had fresh tomatoes, cheese, and the most delicious tomato sauce. I literally dream of this pizza on a regular basis. They also have lots of other options like an upscale pasta bar. They have lots of open seating too, but if you go during prime lunch time you might have to wait a little to find a table. read more

A great spot to try out different dishes in a cafeteria style setting, albeit with a more chic atmosphere. We had a nice arancini stuffed with eggplant from one stand, shared a bowl of fried seafood from another, and finally split a margarita pizza with a thick crust and classically flimsy center. Servers flowed through the tables asking if we needed drinks, giving the whole experience a more restaurant-like feel. While a fun experience, the food left just a bit to be desired, with the pizza deeply over salted. Regardless, I recommend this stop for lunch, whether you're craving dumplings, antipasto, fresh gnuddi, or fried polenta. read more

Mercato Centrale - Food Court Near Me - Florence, FI

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Central market is an absolute gem! It is so fun to walk around to all of the shops as a tourist. There's practically everything you need in here (souvenirs, flowers, meats, fish, nuts, produce, prepared food, bread, oil, limoncello, wine, pesto, dips, sauces, truffles, balsamic...the list goes on and on!) I've come to Central Market both times I've been in Florence to bring home a specialty balsamic vinegar. There's also great oil and wine at reasonable prices at certain shops. I've also purchased limoncello, pesto, and eggplant caponata at different booths to take home as well. Worth a trip here if in Florence. There's a full upstairs area if you want to grab lunch before or after shopping too. read more

A must-see for anyone visiting Florence. Basically an Italian food court, situated above a market of local vendors. While strolling through the isles browsing meats, cheeses, veggies, and pasta from the locals, one works up quite the appetite. We ventured up the stairs and were greeted with an interesting sight. All along the perimeter of the food court are various booths offering pizza, steak, salads, meat/cheese plates, desserts, etc. In the center is a full bar offering a wide variety of drinks. If you manage to find a seat near the bar, you'll most likely have a server to wait on you and grab you a dish from any of the food places on the perimeter. This place was an amazing find, and definitely somewhere to visit if you want to sample food from the Florentine locals. read more

This food court is great, and offers a variety of food options - especially if you need a break from typical Italian food. I had some vegetarian steamed dumplings from I Ravioli Cinesi, and my husband had some wood fired pizza from La Pizzeria Sud. There are a few bars inside as well. There was a good amount of seating throughout but it probably gets packed later at night. We picked up some dried pasta to take home at a shop that carries things like sauces, candy, etc. (I think it was called Eataly?). I recommend checking it out. read more

It's like I died and woke up in Italian food heaven!!! This place is amazing!!! (for lack of a better word). Go to the 2nd floor where there's a large gourmet food court. There's delicious seafood, pasta, pizza, wine/beer, and desserts. With so many options to choose from you can't go wrong with eating here. It's perfect for groups if everyone wants to eat different things or wants to try a variety of food. I loved the seafood place in the corner. We had the mixed fried seafood plate and it came with a variety of fish and shrimp and was so good that we came back the next day to get another plate. The truffle pasta from the truffle place is to die for! If you're a truffle lover, you've gotta get the pasta here. The only thing I thought was just average were the bratwurst sausages from the meat place in the back corner. Also avoid getting dessert at the bar. I had the tiramisu and it gave me a terrible stomachache that kept me up all night. I thought it was strange when the guy threw the first one away and picked a different one to give me. They were probably old. read more

Want a variety of foods and crowd!!! This is a must visit for visitors like myself!!! The food and atmosphere were great!

If you're in Florence and it's raining...go here. If you're in Florence and it's sunny...go here. Just go here. The food selections are fantastic, there is an enoteca where you can buy a bottle of wine to enjoy in the Mercato, there's a bar for beer, a bar for coffee, and a grocery area. I had some great pasta at the place next to the wine shop and a very good pizza from the place next to the pasta place. Outstanding value on top of it just adds to the experience. read more

My husband and I liked the pizza we had here best of all the ones we had while visiting Italy. Lots of options upstairs for food, but can be hard to find a seat. read more

Overrated. Yes, it is a lot of fun to walk around and check out the different food stalls. However, the food and drinks are overpriced and every worker I encountered and tried to talk to, either to ask a question or to *order food from them and give them money*, was very annoyed with me. I'm sure there are locals who shop and eat at Mercato Centrale, but the ones I wanted to hang out with shopped at smaller outdoor markets, like the Mercato Sant'Ambrogio. For a less claustrophobic feel with nicer vendors, more fresh produce, and just an overall more fun experience check out a local market, not the Mercato Centrale. read more

Delicious food! I've been to my share of food markets in America (Ferry Building in San Francisco, Packing House in Orange County, Chelsea Market in New York) and Mercado San Miguel in Madrid, but this one takes the prize. Everything I ate here was absolutely delightful! I started by doing an initial walk through to see what all that the vendors had to offer. My first stop was at the wine shop (L'enoteca Chianti Classico) by the exit. You can order wine by the glass 4-6€ or bottle and enjoy it throughout the food court. If you order a bottle, just let them know how much you want to pay for it and they can help you pick one out. Next was the truffle shop (il Tartufo Luciano Savini) where I enjoyed a plate of risotto with shaved black truffles 18€. Then I moved onto a lampredotto plate 5€ at il Lampredotto Lorenzo Nigro, which comes with bread. The plate has more lampredotto (the smooth side of tripe) than the sandwich so order this if you're sharing. Next was a bruschetta 3,5€ with mozzarella, tomatoes, arugula, and balsamic from the cheese shop (I Formaggi Franco Parola). Finally we finished off with a mixed seafood skewer 12€ and fritto misto (mixed fried seafood) 8€ from il Pesce Fresco Maurizio e Paola Rosellini. The skewer was a bit overpriced for the amount of food, but it was cooked well and yummy. The fried seafood was my favorite thing! The little fried shrimp heads were so good! Oh, and on our way out we picked up a cannoli 3€ from the cannoli stand. I'm not a huge fan of cannolis so I won't comment too much here. And now I'm back here the next day for lunch. Tried 0.63 kilos of the florentine steak 26.5€ (45€/kilo). First you order it from the butcher and then it gets passed over to the next station to be cooked. Florentine steak is cooked rare and then olive oil is drizzled on top with salt and pepper. Go to the Savigni San Lorenzo shop. read more