4 Best Restaurants in San Lorenzo, Florence

This tavola calda (cafeteria) in the middle of the covered Mercato Centrale has been serving Florentines since 1872. Tasty primi and secondi are always available, as are bollitos (boiled beef sandwiches), but the cognoscenti come for the panino con il lampredotto (tripe sandwich)—best when it's prepared bagnato (with the bread quickly dipped in the tripe cooking liquid) and served slathered with green and/or spicier red sauce.

Locals flock to this narrow, family-run trattoria to feast on Tuscan favorites served at simple tables under a wooden ceiling dating from 1536. Genuine Florentine hospitality prevails—you'll be seated wherever there's room, which often means with strangers—and, yes, there's a bit of extra oil in most dishes, which imparts calories as well as taste, but aren't you on vacation? Worth the caloric splurge is riso al ragù (rice with ground beef and tomatoes).

This restaurant just across from the Basilica of San Lorenzo and run by the Gozzi family since 1915 serves food that's as delicious as it is affordable. The short menu changes daily, though the lombatina alla griglia (grilled veal T-bone steak) is almost always available, and meat eaters should not miss it. Pastas are equally terrific. Dessert, in true Florentine fashion, is usually limited to biscotti with vin santo. The trattoria doesn't take reservations so expect to wait in line.

Come early (or late) to grab a seat at this tiny spot frequented by Florentine university students and businesspeople, who come to enjoy the day's primi (the lasagna is terrific), perhaps followed by the polpettone (meat loaf) and tomato sauce. Though seats are cramped, and the wine is no great shakes, the service is friendly, and the food hits the spot.