Not enough good things I can say about this place. What mall food courts should be. Variety but not at the expense of quality. An extremely varied selection of different foods (Italian and others) that are deliciously wonderful. Despite the high quality the pricing is perfect. Similar meals in a traditional restaurant can easily be 3-5x. A must visit if in Florence. read more

Really like an Italian food court. Go into the building and take the escalator to floor #1. Great selection of anything an everything. From street food to prosciutto to roast chicken to pastries, pasta, seafood, etc. You name it, they've got it. Such a great place for lunch or a snack. There is so much variety and each of the restaurants are inexpensive and unique. The atmosphere is bustling and is packed full of Italians. So legit! recommended to us by a local. read more

I loved the food in this market so much I went back 3 times to eat at different stalls. Make sure to eat pasta downstairs because it is amazing. But all of the options upstairs are incredible too; you can't go wrong read more

A really cool old fish meat and veggie market! Lots things to eat and buy too! Note: cash no credit cards... so have fun drink eat and be merry! read more

Even as a tourist who couldn't buy any fresh meat or fish to take home and cook, I still loved just roaming around Mercato Centrale di San Lorenzo and seeing its offerings. The market was pretty crowded, but very enjoyable. A couple companies even offer tours and cooking demonstrations in the market. If you're not looking for dinner, there were several stands to grab an espresso, a bite to eat for breakfast or lunch, or get fresh fruit or a snack. We also found some great gifts to bring back for our family like dry pastas and spices. If food isn't your thing, vendors are set up all along the outside of the marketplace. Great leather goods, along with ties, scarves read more

If you can look past the long lines and frustration of Italians Culturally slow service you will come to realize you are in one of the best food halls in the World! Forget standing in line for hand made pasta you can find great pasta in most restaurants in a Florence. The meat stand is outstanding and the set menus are fast and divine. David Bedu's Bakery is a must the pizza by the slice is divine just like tasting your favorite Pizza in downtown Naples. You can't go wrong anything you taste at this stand is top. Ambles lovely street food stand is Fab for a quick bite. The most decadent sit down place is at Savini Truffles where you will most likely find a seat any hour. Coffee is excellent at the Bar you will also find wonderful Sicilian takeaway treats like Arancini. Craft Beers are also excellent. Raw fish stand is superb although if you can not be bothered waiting head downstairs (open for lunch only) to Fried Fish stand at the Fish market for a prosecco with delicious and fresh fried squid, shrimp & fish. The down stairs market has become a little inundated with fluorescent Limoncello and bad quality Dried Funghi Porcini stands! Although the meat, fresh veg and Fish market a well worth a walk through you can still find one of if not the best Specialties Food Stand in Florence - Baroni divine Wine & EVO selection along with Cheese, Balsami Vinegar, Hand made knives from Scarperia.... The list goes on. If you are staying in an apartment in Florence be sure to buy fresh pasta from the stand next to Baroni it is fantastico !! read more

Mercato Centrale - One if not the best Bakery in Florence - David Bedu' - Food Court Near Me - Florence, FI

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This was a our first stop for food after we settled in our hotel. The downstairs market was closing up. 2nd floor had numerous options for lunch. From Sushi to Pizza and snacks. Good for a quick bite to eat. We will be back to try it again. read more

Excellent place for dinner and/or dinner. So many choices, food is very good, fresh and flavourful. We had the grilled branzino, grilled fish skewers, fresh rigatoni rage and arancini. There is a small stall by the stairs that sells cannoli and arancini. The cannoli were SOOOO....good! Highly recommend. Must try!! read more

Love the market! Lots of variety and options to chose from. It's your one stop shop for apps, main dishes, dessert and beer& wine. read more

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This was by far our most favorite place to eat on our trip through Italy! Try the Arancini balls and the cheese stuffed gnocchi! There were SO many choices for food. I'd recommend going with anything Italian even though there was sushi and dim sum. Seriously...what kind of magic is in those gnocchi??? read more

Fantastic market not far from the Santa Maria Novella train station and great for tourists and locals alike. If I were a Florentine I'm sure I would do all my shopping here. The market has everything including produce, meats and cheeses, wine, flowers, and even some sweets and packaged goods. Downstairs is where the traditional market is located. You can do all your shopping for the week or just get enough meat, cheese, and grapes for a short outing. Upstairs there is a cafe with several food stalls and high end takeaway items. If you're visiting Florence and need to stock your kitchen, or just your bag for the day, I highly recommend a stop in the market. Many of the vendors speak at least some English and I found all were happy to converse with me despite my intermediate Italian. A lovely place to spend some time and get some of the best food you've ever tasted. Pro tip: The Market is used to tourists and can vacuum seal meats and cheeses for you. Wine sellers will also expertly bubble wrap any items you are traveling with. read more

At Mercado Centrale there are the biggest, ricotta-filled cannolo with crumblings of pistachio, dusted with icing sugar, made fresh before your very eyes. And that's only the beginning. Absolutely everything I had at the market was incredible. - The beetroot and spinach burger with slaw, the fresh juice, the glorious cannolo, the juicy, succulent burger and the coffee. - Oh, the coffee! So many smells and tastes and people; both locals and tourists. It's such an exciting place to be with some of the very best foodie options in Florence all in one place; all offering a genuine taste of Italy. You just to have visit! read more

On our second night in Florence, we decided to check out this place. Mercato centrale is like a food court in a typical U.S. mall only way better. You would likely to find best dishes of Tuscany in this place. The prices are very reasonable. In my opinion, this mercato is smaller but better than the mercato centrale in Rome. The place is just about 5-7 minutes walk from the Duomo. read more

Best market ever!!!!! Basically can find all kind of cheap possibly fake leather bags outside of the market. There are some stores around that have great leather goods but there are also stands with cheap bags and they all seems to work for one person selling almost all the same thing. On the bottom floor inside the market, you can find basically all kind of seasoning, fresh pasta, fresh produce, meat, all kind of cured meats, and all kind of snacks. The pricing is not bad and good quality of food. Top floor has food places which are average (things I've tried upstairs: pizza, cheese plates, calamari, some fried mini fishes) but it is a very nice place to grab a snack, coffee, and beer. Very nicely decorated on top with wifi. Great place to rest, sit, and have some snacks. read more

The first time walking through this market I didn't know if I should cry because I found something so amazing, or because there was nothing quite like it in Southern California that I could go to! The bottom floor is full of amazing vendors selling meats, fish, produce, cheeses, oils, truffles, pastries and more! If you're flying back to the states, many of them will vacuum seal their products for you and wrap breakables. I highly recommend taking home cheese, sun dried tomatoes and dried mushrooms! All local ingredients, which I appreciate greatly. The second floor has many different restaurants. Good luck deciding where to have your first meal there! Some of my favorites were the eggplant pizza. I kid you not, it was the best pizza I had throughout my two week stay in Italy. Savin Tartufi has some of the best truffle dishes I've ever had. I also had a lard and truffle panini from them three times. Yes, it was that good! There is a huge bar in the middle, where you can order wine, liquor and amazing local artisanal Italian beers. What's convenient is there are employees walking around the entire floor taking drink orders, so you don't even have to get up from your table to order a drink, most of the time. If you go on a Saturday or Friday night just be patient, because this place gets insanely packed! I had a meal in the market almost every day during my week in Florence. It's great to know you're going to get a delicious meal no matter which vendor you choose. Oh, I almost forgot! The zucchini flowers from Pork's are to die for, so be sure to try those. You'll die and go to heaven when you try the pastries, so buy those by the pound. My mouth is literally watering as I type this! Also, if you're interested, there is a culinary school in the market where you can take a cooking class. If I had the extra time I would have done that. I could honestly go on about Il Mercatocentrale for days, but it's definitely a place you just need to experience for yourself. read more

Mercato Centrale - Lard and Truffle panino - Food Court Near Me - Florence, FI

We went here 3 days in a row. We felt very comfortable in this environment and everyone was very friendly; a shock whilst in Italy! The food was great and had so many varieties. Pizza, hamburger, sushi, pasta...everything and anything! The best part is the chefs cook everything in their stations right in front of you. It's a real treat to see your meal prepared in front of you. The coffee, beer, and wine selections are great as well! And when you have room, try one of the ice cream filled cannoli. Sooooo yummy! read more

Very busy spot with a million options for everybody. Coming here on a Saturday was a zoo but fun nonetheless. I ended up with a vegan burger and fresh pressed juice that was pretty good. read more

Mercato Centrale - Food Court Near Me - Florence, FI

This place is the hotspot of Florence! If you're from Southern California like me, this in like Anaheim packing district, but cooler with more drinks and a better hangout spot. Mercato Centrale is like a huge warehouse with restaurants lining the outside walls and seating and a bar in the middle. Food can be ordered from any of the restaurants and you bring your food to a table anywhere and start eating. Beer can be ordered from one side of the bar, while wine and cocktails are on the other. Waiters that work for all the restaurants are on the top of their game, scooping up trash and cleaning tables as soon as they're emptied. You can even order drinks from them to have them delivered to your table! Food options are varied so everyone is happy! Each restaurant specializes in a kind of dish. We tried pasta, truffles, pizza, cheese and meat. read more

Just found this place and thought it was closed for the night but realised that there was an escalator upstairs which opened up to a food court of different cuisines. Amazing food full of Italian and international cuisines and a lot of seating (provided you get there in time). Food is very tasty and reasonably priced. Some of the store keepers don't speak English but that's not too much of a bother. I would definitely recommend pizza from the pizzeria. Also, the meat courses from the steakhouse are also very delicious. No need to add condiments to anything as they are all generously spiced prior to purchase. All in all, a fantastic Italian experience for those looking to have an easy night out with friends or family and wanting some tasty food and some great alcoholic (and non-alcoholic) beverages to wash it all down with. I would definitely bring my family here to share in my experience as well. Perfetto! read more

I would recommend this to anyone visiting Florence. The first floor is full of vendors. We grabbed some of the fresh pastas and sauce. Perfect to make it at home and delicious. The second floor is perfect for visitors. All the food vendors we tried were good quality. They have very adventurous food as well as burgers and salads. Easy to order and great for people watching. Our favorite was the cheese shop! If you have a picky family everyone can order from a different stand or there's restaurants with service. We did not do the cooking classes but the space is very professional and they seemed to be having a good time. read more

This place has a really cool vibe and a lot of different variety. Nice place to check out if you're not sure what or where you want to eat. It can get a little busy with seating hard to find. But I am addicted to one of the places tagliatelle! Cool convenient place to come eat. read more

I don't have other words to describe the Mercato Centrale : I love it. This historic building is just magnificent in itself : just have a look above your head to admire the iron work of the ceiling. If you are hungry, just stop to one of the different "restaurants". They say to have the best pizza of Italy. I tried one and its dough prepared the night before is exceptional. If you life truffles, this is also the place to be to try different meals prepared with this exquisite ingredient. My favourite one is without any hesitation the white one within risottos or with buratta and a bit of olive oil. But a Mercato must stay a Mercato and of course you can find fresh vegetables, local wines or pastas downstairs. Situated in the Center of Firenze some merchants don't hesitate to sell some (bad) products to attract tourist. Be careful. And check the prices before buying. read more

This is a review for Mercato Centrale (5 stars), with a subsequent review of the tripe sandwich at Lorenzo Nigro (L. Nigro) located in the Mercato Centrale upstairs food court (3 stars). MERCATO CENTRALE - love it, 5 stars! We arrived around 4-5pm in the afternoon so only walked around the upper/food court level. This place was a joy to peruse! It had high ceilings with natural lighting, the space was open and clean. It reminds me of a toned-down version of the Ferry Building in San Francisco. There were stands with fresh produce, meat, pasta, and many different types of food (pasta, sandwiches, pizza, wine and cheese tasting, desserts, etc) that you can grab with a beverage to enjoy at the seating area. The seating area has different kinds of seating: bar height tables, long rectangular tables for groups, and smaller tables for two or four. It was not crowded while we were there, so speaking for that specific time of day (4-5pm), it was a very comfortable environment for enjoying food and leisurely strolling around the stores. I had read that many travelers high recommend the cooking classes here and saw that the space looks amazing! We did not have time for it this trip- just another reason to go on over to Firenze another time! :) TRIPE SANDWICH at Lorenzo Nigro: A-Ok, 3 stars. Bf and I arrived in Firenze by train and were starving our butts and our last nerve off, so we decided to check out Mercato Centrale for a quick bite. Tripe (lampredotto) sandwich, a must-try in Florence, seemed like a good idea! First, the ordering process was confusing, especially for two bumbling travelers who are not fluent in Italian by any stretch of imagination. It seems that at certain stands at the food court, you do not order at the stand, but at a cashier near the stand (the one closest to L. Nigro was at the alcohol bar to its left). After paying, you bring the receipt to where the food is made/served to order and pick-up the food. Standing at L. Nigro, our noses were immediately met by the aroma of the broth used to bathe the tripe, and as we watched the tripe being sliced, our eyes widened and our mouths watered...what fools we were! Ok, that may be a little harsh, but biting into the sandwich was nothing like the experience of watching its construction. Here's what imagination vs. reality was like. Imagination: biting into a soft, airy, moist bun that would soak up the broth still dripping from the buttery tripe, culminating in an explosion of flavors from the long hours of tripe simmering in that aromatic broth, sending our minds into nirvana. Reality: dry bread that is denser than it looks...and where did all that aroma from the broth go? Certainly not into its intended recipient! So the bread did soak up some of the broth alright, but what was the point when it basically tasted like low sodium store-bought broth? I guess life really is all about expectations? Anyway, we tried this with some chianti wine from the wine bar (probably would've chosen a white wine if we'd known the sandwich would have such elusive flavors). The whole meal was still somewhat decent for two ravenous travelers. If this is your only chance to try out lampredotto sandwiches, I would not recommend going here, especially since there are other options nearby. read more

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The pizza is amazing here. Probably the best pizza I have ever had. Definitely try Il Magnifico. The arancini were also amazing! We came here on a Sunday and it was so packed that we couldn't find anywhere to sit. We came back Friday afternoon around 3:30pm and the crowds were not that terrible. Come hungry! read more

Get a seat first, go to the first stand and get a bistecca a la fiorentina, get your wine and then your pasta for a meal out of this world, at a incredible price. This place is heaven, upstairs and downstairs. read more

The food offerings are very good. But the market itself is dirty, and the help is about as burned out and unfriendly as I encountered in my three weeks in Florence. I went once and never returned. read more

Quick bite while waiting for our next tour in Florence Italy. The pizza was delicious. Saul the long line and you we must stop. The price was right on point, and if you say it was made to order, with a soft Siri press. We also enjoyed a delicious draft beer all while people watching in the loud eclectic market saw the long line and knew we must stop. The price was right on point, and it was made to order, with a soft chewy crust. We also enjoyed a delicious draft beer all while people watching in the loud eclectic market. read more

The whole place really felt like the packing house in LA. All of the stations had the same signs which were all in Italian so I really had to go off looks. The place was packed with people so it was a bit difficult to really decide what we wanted to eat much less find a place to eat it. We did find a stand with salads and fresh juice which was refreshing after all the pizza and pasta we've been eating. The prices weren't anything abnormal just took a bit to figure out that the only drinks you could get were at the bar in the middle. We are actually going back today for more fresh food and will now know a bit more of what we are doing. Would definitely recommend to other people coming into town. read more

I love going to this place just to walk around, watch, look, smell, find... everything. When I studied abroad in Florence we would go here all of the time for groceries. And the new times I have been back, we go for great souvenirs, fancy foods, and causal lunch. I don't know what the name of the stall is but they have something called an "orgasmic sandwich" - which is such a typical tourist thing to order but we got it anyway - along with a plethora of other munchies. They have some stools and a bar to the right, which we grabbed as our "waitress" brought us some of their most popular items. This is a great place for people watching although we found that people ended up staring at us in envy over our 1) food, 2) wine, and 3) pole position. read more

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This was a life saver for us during our honeymoon in Italy! You get to try all different types of cuisine all under one roof! This was especially great when we were sick of Italian food! Cafeteria style - there are several businesses all under one roof. One sells plates of cheese, others pasta, some pizza, there were burger joints, and even peasant food! We came here every night we were in Florence and were hooked! One night we even had live music. Prices were fair, but I could tell the local buisness preferred cash. read more

If you have a family with diverging tastes in food, go here! A wonderful place for lunch! The rigatoni pasta with ragu sauce could have been the best in italy! The pizza was fresh and perfect. I also had two small sandwiches. To die for! My wife had sushi... yeah I know. Also fun shopping outside. read more

I ate at a sandwich place on the top floor, which basically serves as a foodcourt. I can't remember the name (sorry!), but I got the lampredotto - I'm pretty sure they were the only place that served it here. For those that don't know, lampredotto is a dish similar to tripe but it is made from the cow's 4th stomach as opposed to the tissue between the esophagus and the stomach. A bit weird, I know, but it's a Florentine classic and I wanted to be adventurous so I knew I had to try it. It was only 6 euro; started off strong. I had never had tripe OR lampredotto before, so the whole experience was pretty new to me. The texture was pretty slimy, but it was also sinewy like meat...odd for sure, but not nearly as weird as I thought it was going to be. The sliminess I think came more from the fact that it's cooked very slowly in broth, and served with oil as a kind of sauce. It basically tasted like a very marinated/wet roast beef sandwich - and the spicy oil was a nice touch. The toasted ciabatta it came on was also delicious. If nobody had told me what it was, I wouldn't have had any hesitations about totally chowing down. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who is willing to be bold with their culinary choices, as it is an experience you won't forget! read more

I would like to give 6 stars. Fun and unique dining experience. On the second floor of the central market, there are several dozen dining options and beer, wine, desserts. Food court style but high quality food. Tables and area are clean but busy, so pick out your food choices and grab a spot quick. Open until midnight for late night foodies. read more

Super fun and busy place to go. You can get a taste of all things Italy here. Crowded and it was summer so rather warm.

Great food and lots of options to choose from. The outside looks unassuming but inside is a hustle and bustle. I ate vegetarian stand and it was pretty good. read more

The downstairs market has a huge variety of fresh groceries. It is open only in the morning, or at least it was during my visit. I would shop here if I were planning to cook during my stay. The upstairs is an upscale food court. I wished I had time to try more things, but I only had time for a champagne cocktail. ;-) Walking back by at night, it seemed that the upstairs might still be open quite late, but you would have to know it was there. The market building is surrounded by an outdoor market, as well. I ate at a cart that was selling stewed beef and trips sandwiches. The "boiled beef" was super flavorful and delicious. Not so much the soggy tripe sandwich. read more

Always fun to check out a local city market. A popular and crowded lunch spot. Be sure to check it out, including the upstairs.

This is a great place to stop for anything you might fancy for lunch in Florence! It has everything from charcuterie to mozzarella to a pizza stall. Really close to the centre of town and reasonably priced yet very tasty food available. Quite busy but well worth the wait! I had gnocchi with pesto from the fresh pasta stall and it was delicious! My friend had a veggie burger so there's something for everyone here! Well worth a visit if you're in town!! read more

Buy ala carte or at a kiosk/booth and take to table when your number is called. Great for wandering and just looking how locals and tourists shop at a food court. 2nd floor Vegan sandwich was a bit dry and over rated. Not worth 10 Euro. Condiments were not flavorful and juicy. 1st floor a la carte lasagna and artichoke lasagna and ribolla soup was delicious. 8euro for mixed plate. They warm it up and then you can take it to go upstairs or wherever you want. Worth it to check out. read more

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Overwhelming variety. Underwhelming quality. I had the Florentine charred steak, fried rabbit & vegetables, pasta with white truffle (currently in season). Frankly, for the same price, I had much better quality in the surrounding restaurants. read more