Mercato Centrale
Mercato Centrale
4.5
About
If you're a food lover, you can't miss this historic food market in Florence. As part of the San Lorenzo Market, this food market showcases some of Tuscany's finest products, from farm-fresh produce to cured meats and cheeses. Many travelers get truffle oil, honey, and aged balsamic vinegar for souvenirs—which you can try before buying. Swing upstairs to grab a quick lunch, and wander through the outdoor market for more shopping. Join a walking food tour to experience the best food spots in Florence, which often includes a stop at Mercato Centrale. Visit earlier in the day for fewer crowds. – Tripadvisor
Duration: < 1 hour
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The area
Address
Neighbourhood: Florence Historic Center
How to get there
- Alamanni-Stazione Santa Maria Novella • 7 min walk
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See what travellers are saying
- Stuart HSydney, Australia312 contributionsExcellent all day dining in San GiovanniThe food court is located on the first floor and is open 7am to midnight. There is a wide range of authentic Tuscan foods available as well as other cuisines such as dumplings and vegetarian/vegan meals. The pasta with tartufo (truffle sauce) is recommended. Find it at the counter serving truffle dishes. Tip: If you want a cocktail, beer or wine then place your order with one of the roving wait staff. This avoids the wait at the bars on either side of the food court. The various cheese/meat/fresh vegetable/fresh fruit stalls are located on the ground floor. The ground floor is open until 6pm. There are some eateries on the ground floor too. Toilets are located on both floors and are clean. The toilets on the first floor food court level are free.Visited September 2023Travelled as a coupleWritten 17 September 2023
- Pistolepeete85 contributionsSkip Antico and come here for lunchZip thru the stalls of leather items and head to food market inside. Greet to hear locals shopping for tonight's dinner. Then go upstairs for lunch where there's lots of options. Pizza at Romualdo Rizzuti was very good. Seating at noon no issue, but probably gets more difficult 12-2.Visited September 2023Travelled with familyWritten 19 September 2023
- divakernRock Hill, South Carolina739 contributionsFood MeccaThis is a great place to find a bite to eat or a whole side of beef or a meal to go!! So interesting!! Busy but worth it!! We went twice and found the atmosphere lively, noisy but the food is great!!Visited September 2023Travelled as a coupleWritten 20 September 2023
- L_K1509London, United Kingdom1,646 contributionsDefinitely worth a visitDefinitely worth a visit, plenty of food options to choose from. Best to go hungry! There is loads of seating and we gad no trouble finding a seat. The prices are kinda average, certainly no more expensive than the local area. Tiramisu was delicious and the best I had in Florence, as far as I could tell only one place sold it. Good atmosphere and a central bar for your drinks.Visited September 2023Travelled as a coupleWritten 26 September 2023
- RoxtorNova Scotia, Canada567 contributionsA must for local flavourThis place is an indoor market catering to local tastes. There’s cheese stores, butcher shops, fruit and vegetable sellers and prepared food stalls. We went by for breakfast and enjoyed cappuccino and croissants at one place and some snacks at another. Some of the more interesting offerings are beef stomach sandwiches (a Florintine specialty) tripe sandwiches and much more. It’s fun to have a look around for a few minutes after having a snack or perhaps, for the adventurous, a sandwich. For visitors with a kitchen, this market is the place to go to shop for dinner, including wines.Visited October 2023Travelled as a coupleWritten 6 October 2023
- Richard MHampstead Norreys, United Kingdom937 contributionsBest place for reasonably priced street foodWe were put onto this place by our hotel front desk and we were gald we did. The market is a gorgeous building full of interesting street food vendors. We ate pasta, arronchini balls, pizza and drank red wine. All was amaginly well cooked and made from fresh ingredients. We enjoyed the experience where you just all pitch in and sit togehter meaning that everyone was asking what each other was eating and where it came from. We came back again and again.Visited April 2023Travelled as a coupleWritten 22 October 2023
- Kristi BMickleton, New Jersey486 contributionsGreat upstairs marketThis was close to our Airbnb so we stopped here to shop, eat & drink. Outside is a bunch of stands selling leather, purses, belts, clothes, etc. Inside has 2 floors I believe - lots of places to eat & shop fresh produce. We loved going here!Visited October 2023Travelled as a coupleWritten 22 October 2023
- Hashim4 contributionsA must see in FlorenceAn absolute must see if visiting Florence. So many different types of food so there is something for everyone and the food is excellent. The atmosphere is also very vibrant despite us visiting mid week. Some places can be a bit pricey but there is a variety of options at different price points to accommodate people’s budget. The toilets here are also very small so may incur a bit of a wait to use them especially when it’s busy.Visited October 2023Travelled as a coupleWritten 26 October 2023
- Ali921Edinburgh, United Kingdom1,479 contributionsLively and well presented covered marketLively and well presented covered market. Not much you can't buy here. Lot of beautiful produce if staying self catering or just come for brunch/lunch. Lots of choice. Why can't other cities do this ?Visited October 2023Travelled as a coupleWritten 26 October 2023
- GoingGuideNottingham, United Kingdom2,089 contributionsMust-do if visiting FlorenceExcellent place to take in the true experience of life in Florence. The market has so many stalls on the ground floor, inside the wonderful building, that offer Tuscan foods of all varieties, from cheeses to the best balsamic vibegar you'll find anywhere to truffles and so much more. Each stall offers you something unique and just escalates the 'wow' factor. Upstairs, there's a wide choice of eateries again offering a wide variety of Tuscan delights. Outside of the market building, there are many typical market stalls selling a huge range of leather goods plus a few stalls selling the typical goods focused on tourists. Well worth a visit.Visited October 2023Travelled as a coupleWritten 27 October 2023
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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4.5
16,650 reviews
Excellent
8,886
Very good
5,552
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1,514
Poor
439
Terrible
260
Robert B
Saratoga Springs, NY1,048 contributions
Oct 2019
Mercato Central is a huge building with local vendors on one floor(closed when we visited) and a jam packed food court. Outside there are numerous vendors creating a middle eastern bazaar like atmosphere. Having visited superb traditional markets in Valencia, Salamanca and elsewhere in Europe the Mercato Central was a disappointment! It is more a tourist trap than dispenser of local culinary delights! Few locals were observed here! Nice to visit for less than 30 minutes and take a few pictures, but that is it!
Written 28 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Paradise179849
Houston, TX5 contributions
Dec 2021
This is two stories. Upstairs is the "fast food" section and is expensive I thought. But DOWNSTAIRS you will find every fresh food item you can imagine as well as some prepared food spots. I cannot recommend Pasta Fresca enough. For 5 Euro, made to order right in front of me, I received a pasta that was light, and delicious. Choose your pasta and your sauce. The fresh pasta itself is made right there. It could not have been better. A tour guide near by said that this company produces pasta for restaurants in the city as well and for Christmas made somewhere near 2 tons of fresh pasta to supply individuals and businesses. I'd say this is a "must eat" location. No seating though, just counters to stand and eat. I'd go back in a heartbeat!
Written 10 January 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
marco c
Whittier, CA4 contributions
June 2022
The different pizza focaccia on the second floor is fantastic, the pastries on the second floor are delicious as well. I also drank very good wine by the glass and bottle at the wine room/counter on the second floor next to the stairs.
The coffee booth as you enter the first floor from the leather market street is great for a quick cappuccino and panini. We ate breakfast everyday for a week at Mercato Centrale. You can have dinner at 9pm and after with no problem. Busy with tourist traffic who have gotten the word that you can eat well and avoid the ridiculous Cuperto charge at most if not all restaurants in Florence.
The coffee booth as you enter the first floor from the leather market street is great for a quick cappuccino and panini. We ate breakfast everyday for a week at Mercato Centrale. You can have dinner at 9pm and after with no problem. Busy with tourist traffic who have gotten the word that you can eat well and avoid the ridiculous Cuperto charge at most if not all restaurants in Florence.
Written 30 June 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
PurpleRoseFlower
Portland, OR21 contributions
Dec 2019 • Family
Stumbled upon this place walking back to our hotel one night. It's really unassuming and I would've never known what was in the huge warehouse if I wasn't curious why there was an escalator. The usual stalls of leather goods and tshirts litter the street so knowing this gem is "hidden" is a great find. Upstairs is a large food court with an Eatily and my family could split up to select preferred dining choices. Downs8is a large fresh market. I only wish we were told to visit here by the hotel when they "recommended" practically everything else to do in the city.
Written 10 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Madeline
Oxford, UK29 contributions
Apr 2022
Beautiful and so full of life. Markets are a great way to experience life inside a city and this one was no different. Though the inside of the market was mostly food, the outside is lined with more touristy merchants. It was a great place to buy gifts as you can definitely argue on price. Good candied Cumquats.
Written 17 April 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
rosiedreams
Trumbull, CT55 contributions
July 2022
Big change in the past 25 years. This market used to be much more thriving and lively when I last visited, although I realize so much has happened these last few years.
We visited late morning. About 1/3 of the stalls were closed. I don't know if it was due to the time of day or due to Covid, etc.
Typical butcher and produce shops. We grabbed a quick bite to eat from a deli style stall before we came upon a stall offering a variety of fresh pasta with a topping of choice. It looked amazing and was extremely busy. I recommend this anyone looking for a bite to eat in the market.
All along the outside of the building were vendors selling clothing/scarves/leather goods/trinkets/etc... All very repetitive and you can pretty much negotiate a bargain with any of the vendors. Some are more flexible than others. If you don't like the price offered by one vendor, just go to the next :-)
We visited late morning. About 1/3 of the stalls were closed. I don't know if it was due to the time of day or due to Covid, etc.
Typical butcher and produce shops. We grabbed a quick bite to eat from a deli style stall before we came upon a stall offering a variety of fresh pasta with a topping of choice. It looked amazing and was extremely busy. I recommend this anyone looking for a bite to eat in the market.
All along the outside of the building were vendors selling clothing/scarves/leather goods/trinkets/etc... All very repetitive and you can pretty much negotiate a bargain with any of the vendors. Some are more flexible than others. If you don't like the price offered by one vendor, just go to the next :-)
Written 12 August 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
texascamps
Denver, CO43 contributions
Apr 2022
Though it seems a bit dirty and you have to go through the dirty streets, once inside you will see that it's pretty clean. We purchased food to cook here and used the upstairs food court.
Food is not less expensive than in the stores but there is a greater selection.
Upstairs at the food court, you will find varied food options. Not everyone in our party wanted the same food, so we came here multiple times so we could all get what we wanted. Each vendor has its own counter and pricing. Everything was good (not great) but adequate for meal time. The music was loud so we milled around until we found a table away from the loudest speakers. The bathrooms were disgusting. Be ready with your own soap and toilet paper.
Also, there are often not enough tables so be prepared to wait for a spot. Grab your spot first and then send out food parties to retrieve food.
Oh, and after the market part downstairs closes, you can still use the stairs to get to the food court in the evening.
Food is not less expensive than in the stores but there is a greater selection.
Upstairs at the food court, you will find varied food options. Not everyone in our party wanted the same food, so we came here multiple times so we could all get what we wanted. Each vendor has its own counter and pricing. Everything was good (not great) but adequate for meal time. The music was loud so we milled around until we found a table away from the loudest speakers. The bathrooms were disgusting. Be ready with your own soap and toilet paper.
Also, there are often not enough tables so be prepared to wait for a spot. Grab your spot first and then send out food parties to retrieve food.
Oh, and after the market part downstairs closes, you can still use the stairs to get to the food court in the evening.
Written 12 May 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Bourlingueur
Albany, NY642 contributions
Nov 2019
I love to come to the Mercato Centrale when I am in Florence. My favorite store is Marco Salumi e Formaggi. I don't think that Marco is always there anymore, but in the old days he was there everyday and was always very nice! I also like Perini very much. The lady in charge of the prepared food is very nice and helpful! Another great place is Marcocini Vino e Olio. We bought olive oil there and the guy who helped us gave excellent advice and had us taste several types. The restaurant at the very far end of the ground floor has some interesting, authentic, and cheap lunch entrees, but they are very unfriendly which is a big negativo!
Written 7 March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dan E
Chesapeake, VA27 contributions
Jan 2020
This open market is great for picking up items for making a homecooked meal or getting some "fast food" from the many retailers on the second level. From fresh meats, vegetables, spices and other knickknack souvenirs on the lower level to the various soup, sandwich and pastry shops on Level 2, be sure to make this one of your stops on your visit to Florence. Just east of the train station (Santa Maria Novella Station) a couple of blocks, it is also surrounded by vendors selling various wares outside around the building. Check operating hours to ensure the market will be open - closes relatively early and on all holidays.
Written 23 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Timothy F
Minneapolis, MN11 contributions
Feb 2020
If you want to explore Tuscan food away from the tourist scene, you may really enjoy the Mercato Centrale. Just a short walk north of the city center, the first floor features food stalls, greengrocers and vendors of all type of meats, and specialty foods. Only open during the first part of the day (most stalls close down by 2 pm) it is a great option for a lunch, or you can buy food to prepare yourself. Upstairs is another whole experience – a giant food court that is open late. Almost anything you might want to eat in a lively, open atmosphere. Can be great for families, if you have lots of differing tastes. It is not quiet dining though. Be ready for some hustle and bustle. That is all part of the fun of it.
Written 26 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Are there many gluten free options available here? Looking to possibly visit in April, but can’t figure out from the website if it’ll be worth it for us. Thanks in advance
Written 24 March 2024
We went to IL Pranzo Na Nerbone, Florence. Yes, they are able to prepare gluten free items. The foods and the shopping at the Mercato Centrale is the best. Especially, the outdoor vendors! Ciao
Written 25 March 2024
Someone knows whether the market will be open on June 2nd (public holiday)?
Written 29 May 2023
Will the market be open on 1 January 2023?
Written 2 December 2022
No idea. Definitely contact them via their website.
Written 3 December 2022
Not sure about lifts, maybe? There was an escalator going up!
Written 6 September 2022
Buonasera, è possibile sapere gli orari e i giorni di apertura? In particolar modo per i giorni di Pasqua grazie mille
Written 3 February 2020
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