What to Eat in Florence: Local Dishes, Where Locals Eat & the Best Food Tours
What to eat in Florence: bistecca alla fiorentina, lampredotto street sandwiches, ribollita and pappa al pomodoro, pappardelle al cinghiale, crostini di fegatini and cantucci with Vin Santo - the Tuscan dishes to order and where to eat.
The short version: in Florence, eat bistecca alla fiorentina (the thick T-bone, cooked rare and priced by weight), a lampredotto sandwich from a tripe cart, ribollita and pappa al pomodoro in a trattoria, and a schiacciata sandwich for lunch. Eat lampredotto at Da Nerbone in the Mercato Centrale for lunch, and book a Michelin Bib Gourmand such as Zeb or Trattoria Cibrèo for dinner. Drink Chianti Classico, ideally in an Oltrarno wine bar or from a wine window. On a short visit, a food tour gets you to the right carts, markets and trattorie in an afternoon. Below: what to eat, exactly where to eat it, what to drink, and the food experiences worth booking.
Book a Florence food tour
Short on time? Let a local walk you to the right places.
Ready to book? Compare Florence pizza & gelato classes, with ratings and prices.
Our top pick is the Street Food Tour with Wine and a Local Guide: 2.5 hours, rated 4.8 from 1,951 reviews on GetYourGuide.
What to eat in Florence, and where to eat it
| Dish | What it is | Where to eat it in Florence |
|---|---|---|
| Bistecca alla fiorentina | A thick T-bone steak, grilled over coals, served rare and sold by weight (often over a kilo) | Il Latini; Antico Ristoro di Cambi |
| Lampredotto | The cow’s fourth stomach, simmered in broth and served in a bread roll with green sauce | Da Nerbone; Trippaio del Porcellino |
| Ribollita | A thick winter soup of bread, beans, cavolo nero and vegetables, “reboiled” the next day | Zeb; Il Latini |
| Pappa al pomodoro | Tomato and bread soup with basil and olive oil | Del Fagioli |
| Peposo | Beef stewed slowly in red wine with lots of black pepper | Zeb; Trattoria La Casalinga (Saturdays) |
| Schiacciata | Florence’s olive-oil flatbread, eaten plain or split for sandwiches with finocchiona (fennel salami) and pecorino | Lo Schiacciavino; S.Forno |
| Schiacciata all’uva | Sweet flatbread baked with wine grapes, late September and October only | Florence’s bakeries, in the grape harvest season only |
| Crostini neri | Toast spread with chicken liver pâté, the classic Tuscan starter | Il Latini |
| Cantucci and Vin Santo | Almond biscuits dipped in sweet amber dessert wine | Il Latini; Del Fagioli |
| Gelato | Made fresh daily; small artisan gelaterie are the ones to seek out | Gelateria della Passera |
Where to eat in Florence
Florentine food is simple, cheap at its best and built on bread, beans, olive oil and beef. Eat lampredotto and schiacciata standing in the street at lunch, and save the evening for a trattoria. The good ones are small, so book dinner, often by phone and a few days ahead. Bistecca is priced per kilo and served for sharing, usually rare; ask the price of the cut before it goes on the grill.
San Lorenzo and the Mercato Centrale
The market district north of the Duomo is the place for a cheap, quick lunch. On the ground floor of the Mercato Centrale, Da Nerbone is the best-known lampredotto stall: the tripe is chopped hot, dunked in broth and packed into a roll with salsa verde and chilli, and the queue forms well before lunch. If the line is too long, Bambi, the market’s oldest stall, is the alternative. For a sit-down lunch nearby, Trattoria Mario is a long-running, lunch-only family trattoria with shared tables, known for ribollita and bistecca.
Sant’Ambrogio
East of Santa Croce, the Mercato di Sant’Ambrogio, open since 1873, is where Florentines actually shop, with traditional food at low prices and tripe stalls inside and on nearby Via de’ Macci; ask for your lampredotto bagnato, dipped in the broth. For dinner, Trattoria Cibrèo holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand (Michelin listing) for traditional Tuscan cooking at moderate prices, including braised lampredotto and tripe salad, and L’Ortone, overlooking the market, holds one too (Michelin listing), with squab as its signature.
Santa Croce
Around the great basilica, Del Fagioli is the old-school trattoria, in the Michelin Guide (Michelin listing) at the lowest price level: pappa al pomodoro, pici with aglione (a mild garlic and tomato sauce), Florentine steak and house cantucci. On Via Verdi, Lo Schiacciavino fills schiacciata, with a different special each day, and pours its own house wines; it has a second shop on Via Gioberti.
Oltrarno: Santo Spirito, San Frediano and San Niccolò
Across the river is Florence’s artisan quarter, and the best area for an evening out. Near Santo Spirito, Trattoria La Casalinga is the family trattoria for Florentine home cooking, with a dish of the day such as trippa alla fiorentina on Mondays and peposo dell’Impruneta on Saturdays; it closes on Sundays, so phone ahead to book. In San Frediano, Antico Ristoro di Cambi, open every day, grills bistecca under vaulted ceilings. S.Forno on Via Santa Monaca is the neighbourhood bakery, still baking on site, for bread, schiacciata and pastries. In San Niccolò, below San Miniato, Zeb holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand (Michelin listing): a seasonal blackboard menu with ribollita, peposo and pici, no lunchtime reservations, closed on Wednesdays. For gelato, Gelateria della Passera, by its tiny square, makes artisan gelato with flavours that change with the seasons.
Centro, around the Duomo and the Signoria
The historic centre has more tourist traps than anywhere else, but a few addresses are worth it. Il Latini on Via dei Palchetti holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand (Michelin listing) for crostini, ribollita, peposo and above all bistecca, with cantucci and Vin Santo to finish. For lampredotto by the Ponte Vecchio, the Trippaio del Porcellino stall by the bronze boar of the Mercato Nuovo is popular with Florentines and visitors alike. Between the Duomo and the Signoria, I Fratellini is a tiny hole-in-the-wall that has been serving filled panini and glasses of wine over the counter for generations.Near the Duomo, Enoteca Alessi on Via delle Oche, a wine shop since 1952, has two wine bars and sells bottles to take away; it is closed on Sundays.
Quick picks
- Classic trattoria dinner: Il Latini or Trattoria Cibrèo Il Cibrèino, both Bib Gourmand.
- Cheap and fast: lampredotto at Da Nerbone or the Trippaio del Porcellino, or a schiacciata at Lo Schiacciavino.
- Best bistecca: Antico Ristoro di Cambi or Il Latini.
- Local evening: Santo Spirito and San Frediano, with dinner at Trattoria La Casalinga or Zeb.
Names link to Google Maps for directions. We checked these places in October 2026. Opening days change, especially out of season, so check before you go.
The markets
The Mercato Centrale in San Lorenzo has two floors. The ground floor is the traditional market of butchers, bread and cheese stalls selling pecorino and finocchiona; go in the morning. The first floor is a modern food hall open daily into the evening, with stalls for fresh pasta, pizza and Tuscan wine. The Mercato di Sant’Ambrogio is smaller and more local, with seasonal produce: cavolo nero in winter, courgette flowers in spring and Costoluto Fiorentino tomatoes in late summer. Go in the morning, and point rather than touch.
What to drink in Florence
The wine is Chianti Classico, the Sangiovese red from the hills between Florence and Siena, and further south Brunello di Montalcino and the Super Tuscans. After dinner comes Vin Santo with cantucci. Florence also has its buchette del vino, the small arched wine windows in palazzo walls through which wine was once sold; a few pour again, including Babae on Via di Santo Spirito, whose window opens daily from 19:00 to 20:00, and Il Latini. In Oltrarno, Le Volpi e l’Uva on Piazza dei Rossi pours small-producer wines with crostini; and Enoteca Pitti Gola e Cantina opposite Palazzo Pitti is the place for a serious tasting, with wine flights and chef’s tasting menus paired with wine; booking is recommended. Florence is also where the Negroni was born. To taste Chianti where it is made, see our Chianti wine tours from Florence.
Food experiences to book in Florence
A food tour is the quickest way to eat well on a short visit: a local guide takes you through the Mercato Centrale or Sant’Ambrogio, the tripe carts and the bakeries, and explains how to order bistecca and lampredotto. A cooking class, often with fresh pasta and gelato, is the other experience that suits Florence.
| Experience | Length | Rating (reviews) | Best for | Book |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Street Food Tour with Wine and a Local Guide | 2.5 hours | 4.8 (1,951) | A first visit | Check availability |
| Street Food Walking Tour with Wine | 2.5 hours | 4.9 (1,100) | Street food | Check availability |
| Food Tour with Local Wine and Florentine Steak | 3.5 hours | 4.9 (784) | Bistecca alla fiorentina | Check availability |
| Chianti by Vespa or Fiat Topolino | 6 hours | 4.8 (1,085) | A wine day trip | Check availability |
Our pick: the Street Food Tour with Wine and a Local Guide, rated 4.8 (1,951) on GetYourGuide.
Ratings as shown on GetYourGuide in October 2026. Check the listing for live prices and availability.
Food day trips from Florence
The Chianti Classico hills start just south of the city, with wine estates, olive oil mills and small towns such as Greve and Panzano. Our guide to the best Chianti wine tours from Florence compares the options, and Florence or Siena as a base helps you plan a longer stay.
Frequently asked questions
What is the one dish to eat in Florence?
Bistecca alla fiorentina, shared and served rare. For the street-food answer, a lampredotto sandwich from the Trippaio del Porcellino on Piazza del Mercato Nuovo or Da Nerbone in the Mercato Centrale.
Where do locals eat in Florence?
In Sant’Ambrogio and the Oltrarno: at the Sant’Ambrogio market and its tripe stalls, at Trattoria La Casalinga near Santo Spirito, and at the neighbourhood bakery S.Forno.
Where can I eat cheaply in Florence?
A lampredotto sandwich from Da Nerbone or a tripe stall and a schiacciata from Lo Schiacciavino are the cheapest good meals. Del Fagioli sits at the Michelin Guide’s lowest price level.
How much does bistecca alla fiorentina cost?
It is sold by weight, and a steak is usually well over a kilo, so it is for sharing. The price per kilo varies from place to place, so ask before the steak goes on the grill.
Do I need to book restaurants in Florence?
For dinner, yes: call Trattoria La Casalinga ahead. Zeb takes no bookings at lunch, so arrive early.
Is a Florence food tour worth it?
Yes, if you have a day or two: in a few hours you taste lampredotto, schiacciata, salumi, gelato and Chianti in the right places. Compare them above or on our Florence food tours page.
Plan your Florence food trip
Florence food tours · Florence cooking classes · Florence pasta-making classes · Florence wine tours · Food experiences in Florence · Chianti wine tours from Florence · 3-day Florence food and wine itinerary · Florence pasta and gelato classes · Florence or Siena as a base
