The best lampredotto sandwiches to eat in Florence

If there’s one thing the Florentines know how to do well, it’s to bring back to the fore the recipes of the popular peasant tradition. Like the one of lampredotto - one of the four stomachs of the bovine, the abomasum - which for long time has represented the local variant of leftover cuisine that has historically relied on the “fifth quarter” nose to tail cuisine to feed the poorer classes. A usage that has become a symbol of the city, hand in hand with the “institutional” sandwich soaked in broth and stuffed with freshly cut boiled lampredotto. And so the clanking of the knives of every self-respecting tripe maker has made itself part of the gastronomic myth of Florence, conquering just everybody. Here are the places to visit for some signature sandwiches.

Where to eat lampredotto sandwiches in Florence

Aurelio I’ Re del lampredotto

Tripe and lampredotto aren’t the only proposals of the historic cart on wheels traditionally parked in a tree-lined square in the Romito neighborhood. In addition to the more usual and popular preparations of the fifth quarter, the offer also ranges to more original specialties, such as lampredotto in zimino or lampredotto alla carbonara, with pancetta, Roman pecorino cheese and eggs whipped with hot broth.

Aurelio I' Re del lampredotto - piazza B. Tanucci, 1 – Facebook

I’ Trippaio di San Frediano

A reference point for many Florentines who want to rediscover the flavours of the past in their lampredotto sandwich. In addition to the classic sandwich, you can also order the lampredotto al piatto or all'uccelletto, and every time it is declined in a different way, it’s always following traditional Tuscan recipes.

I’ Trippaio di San Frediano - Piazza dei Nerli - Facebook

Lupen and Margo

One of the most famous and likeable interpreters of the tradition of the fifth quarter is Beatrice Torrini, with this kiosk located among the stands of the San Lorenzo market, in an area that is also popular with tourists. Here she offers boiled lampredotto, Florentine-style tripe, and mixed boiled meats, both in sandwiches and in portable containers for eating on the go, sans bread: an authentic bulwark against the spread of mass-produced food. It’s worth reading the signs she puts on the counter to educate tourists, such as the one that invites people to not ask to split the sandwich in half.

Lupen e Margo - Mercato Centrale di San Lorenzo, banco 75 - via dell'Ariento – Facebook

Lampredotto Tato Mario di Mario Tatini

Lampredotto is surely the truest symbol of popular Florentine cuisine, the authentic street food that starts with poor ingredients and reaches intense flavours. The food truck of Mario Tatini, known as Tato, is parked in a square in the bustling southern Florentine semi-periphery. The tasty sandwiches are offered in many different ways: with pork rinds and beans, with artichokes, with leeks, with broccoli, with mushrooms, as well as in the classic way, of course.

Lampredotto Tato Mario di Mario Tatini - Piazza Leon Battista Alberti 

I’ Trippaio di Firenze

One of the best known trippai in the city is Mario Bolognesi, who is also famous for his mixture of tongue, stern and cow matrix, known as “erotic boiled meat”. His food truck animates the last stretch of Via Gioberti, almost to Piazza Beccaria. The clientele is very diversified, ranging from contractors to office workers, entrepreneurs to managers, all sharing a passion for traditional, authentic street food.

I' Trippaio di Firenze - via V. Gioberti

Il Trippaio del Porcellino

Counting more than a century of history, this spot in Piazza del Mercato Nuovo started the business in the late 19th century. Tripe and lampredotto are the heart of the offer, made by Orazio Nencioni just as the Florentine tradition orders. To be enjoyed with a glass of wine on tap.

Il Trippaio del Porcellino – Piazza del Mercato Nuovo – Facebook

Ditta Eredi Nigro

For Lorenzo Nigro, lampredotto is a family affair: it was his grandfather Luigi, together with his wife Mara, who started this tradition that he continues to this day. Lampredotto is served the classic way, with homemade salsa verde and bread soaked in broth: a guarantee of quality.

Mercato Centrale Firenze - mercatocentrale.it

Il Cernacchio

The restaurant takes its name from the cernacchie, as the nickname of the two sisters who founded it just a stone's throw from Palazzo Vecchio; for some years now the management has changed and the space has been modernised, without losing any of its warmth. Some traditional pasta dishes now dominate, among them ribollita and pappa al pomodoro, served on plates and eaten on the mezzanine. Of course, tripe and lampredotto, prepared according to the classic recipe and eaten inside a round sandwich that in Florence is called semelle or passerina.

Il Cernacchio – Via della Condotta, 38r – Facebook

Nerbone

At the San Lorenzo market you can also eat well on the ground floor, as demonstrated by Nerbone, a kiosk offering one of the best lampredotto sandwiches of all Florence, where the meat is cooked with skill and technique. And there is also Florentine-style tripe or fur stew, so called because of the presence of lots of potatoes and not much meat, in addition to the lampredotto meat to be enjoyed on the plate.

Nerbone - Mercato Centrale di San Lorenzo – storicomercatocentrale.it/nerbone

Il Trippaio di Sant’Ambrogio

A bulwark of Tuscan tradition that for years has been winning over Florentines and tourists with its exquisite sandwiches that never tire: Trippaio al Mercato di Sant'Ambrogio is a guarantee for those in search of the typical flavours of long ago. A simple but delicious sandwich, rich in tasty salsa verde and made with quality meat.

Mercato di Sant’Ambrogio – p.zza L. Ghiberti – mercatosantambrogio.it

Sergio Pollini

Not far from the Mercato di Sant'Ambrogio, Sergio Pollini's place continues to make its mark when it comes to lampredotto. To carry on the business is his son Pierpaolo, who prepares excellent sandwiches every day, soft and tasty, and a Florentine-style tripe that’s not to be missed. There can be a bit of a queue, but tasting the various house specialities is well worth the wait.

Sergio Pollini – via de’ Macci, ang. Borgo la Croce – Facebook

Trippaio di Porta Romana

First there was Mario Albergucci - Marione for the loyals - a former butcher who ran the Porta Romana stall together with his wife Manola, for many the best street food in town. The couple left the business in 2016, but the restaurant still exists and keeps a high standard as far asquality of the products. In addition to lampredotto - exquisite - you can find tongue, poppa and all the offal loved by Florentines.

Trippaio di Porta Romana – Piazzale di Porta Romana