When on vacation in Florence, Tuscany, there are so many beautiful squares, museums, buildings and churches to visit that you don’t have much time to go to a restaurant. The best thing to do is to eat at one of the stands in town and delicatessen stalls in the main markets dishing out casual but mind-blowing street food. If you’re wondering where to find the best street food places in Florence, we’ve split our list – below, you'll find the eateries everyone's talking about right now, as well as the old classics we keep going back to. Although this guide celebrates our favorite street food places in Florence, there's really no bad street food in the city.

The Best Street Food Places in Florence for Lampredotto

If you're adventurous and really want to eat like the locals head for a lampredotto stand. What's lampredotto? It's the most distinctive Florentine street food made from the fourth stomach of the cow. You can get a lampredotto panino (sandwich) with the traditional green sauce or a spicy red sauce.

Da Nerbone (since 1872)

Visit Mercato Centrale and you’ll be amazed by the array foods on offer at this indoor market’s many food stalls. After you’ve explored the market, be sure to grab some lunch at Da Nerbone. This is a great place to try the Florentine specialty of lampredotto, a panino made with cow’s stomach, but if you’re not feeling that adventurous you can’t go wrong with any other panini or dishes available that day.

I' Trippaio di Sant'Ambrogio

Located inside the old-style Sant’Ambrogio Market, a smaller version of the more famous Central Market. I' Trippaio di Sant' Ambrogio serves tasty sandwiches stuffed with lampredotto. Higly recommended for lovers of street food and typical Florentine dishes.

Il Cernacchio

This small shop behind Piazza della Signoria is one of the best street food places in Florence to taste the great classics of Tuscan cuisine such as lampredotto and peposo. Here the rustic, home-like flavor of tradition meets the practicality of street food and invites all the curious to sit and take a break from roaming this wonderful city.

The Best Street Food Places in Florence for Panini

You can find panini at pretty much any bar, though panini from an ‘Alimentari’ or a ‘paninaro’ (a ‘panini-maker’) will taste much fresher and better. If you wish to try a more local option and variation of panini, go for ciabatta fiorentina as it is a typical Tuscan eat. The dough is soft and well laid out in the traditional rectangular in shape.

Antica Porchetteria Granieri (since 1916)

This popular street food truck near Piazza Signora offers yummy pork sandwiches, which contains the quintessence of street food made to perfection. The menu is straightforward, but with some good options. Crispy bread, shards of pecorino, a pesto sauce, and crazy delicious pork cut from a whole roasted pig in front of you. You also have to try the “magnifico”. Their black truffle sauce is to die for.

'Ino

'Ino (short for panino) is a popular place hidden in a tiny lane between the Uffizi Gallery and the Ponte Vecchio. This chic sandwich bar is a great spot for lunch after a morning spent overdosing on art. Owner Alessandro Frassica's forte is gourmet panini with ingredients like gorgonzola and radicchio, served inside focaccia baked in a wood-fired oven and accompanied with a glass of wine from a solid regional list.

Pro travel tip: Watch for the occasional Friday evening "panino d'autore" events, when a top chef is invited to create his or her own specialty riff on the humble panino.

Antico Noè

This is my absolute favorite panino spot. If you’re looking for a quick lunch that will still fill you up, go here. I recommend a panino with their creamy rosé sauce. Order by number off the menu or make your own with the ingredients on display. It’s a little tough to find so make sure you’ve marked it on a map, or if you ask someone they’re bound to be able to point you in the right direction.

I Due Fratellini

Conveniently located between Piazza Repubblica and Piazza Signora, this literal hole in the wall serves up quick, fresh, and inexpensive panini. It’s a great place to stop for a quick bite if you’re busy seeing the sights—just be warned that the queue can get long at lunch time. The panini are small, so it’s not the place to go if you’re super hungry, but with prices starting at 4€ you can’t go wrong with this “snack”.

Salumeria Verdi

Popular with the city’s study abroad student population, Salumeria Verdi serves up no-nonsense panini that will keep you full for quite a while. There’s plenty of seating inside here, so if you need to take a load off for a bit, get your panino fix here. Pino and Antonella, the friendly owners, are from Naples and also own Pozzo Divino, a great place for wine tasting.

Procacci

If you want to try something different, just about the last bastion of "Old Florence" on designer boutique–lined Via Tornabuoni, Procacci serves truffled sandwiches. Customers are a mix of tourists and locals. They also have an appetizer buffet in the evening that comes with the price of a drink (one of the best food places in Florence for aperitifs).

Gustapanino

If you’re in the Oltrarno area, stop by Gustapanino (run by the same guys at Gusta Pizza, my favourite pizza spot). Make your own panino with what’s on offer or choose from their recommended menu. I’m particularly fond of Gusta Panino because they have the option to get your fillings in a piadina, a doughy flat bread.

Semel Street Food

Fantasy is the main element of this gem of a sandwich shop located at the side of the lively Sant'Ambrogio market.Unlike other street food places in Florence, Semel puts a creative twist to the panini. The fillings are original and appetizing (cacio cheese, pear and truffles/ braised pork and vegetable ratatouille). The bread used for the panini is also different from other shops.

Food and Wine Tours in Florence, Tuscany in 2023

Returning our focus back to the great food places in Florence, we also have Street Food Tours and Hands-on Cooking Classes perfect for families and groups of friends. Enjoy tastings of traditional local products at Chianti wine estates on the Taste of Tuscany Wine Tour. Walk through the Tuscan vineyards and farms with the kids on the Family-Friendly Tuscany Wine Tasting Tour. Expand your Tuscan horizons on a fun Florence Family Vacation to enjoy the culinary treats of Florence on a 6 day, insider led tour.

To explore other areas of Italy, check out our Nancy Aiello Tours website to read more about the foodie and wine experiences we offer. Tell us about yourself and your companions and we'll recommend experiences we think you'll like.

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