The Best Lunch Stall in Florence’s Central Market- Nerbone
A stand-up lunch at Nerbone is something of a rite of passage into true Florentine dining.
Nerbone has been stuffing stall owners and market patrons with excellent Florentine cucina povera (“poor people’s food”) since the Mercato Centrale opened in 1874.
Nerbone occupies the corner stall inside the food market (itself a limitless supply of picnic goodies). Many market workers and other regulars wolf their food down standing at the bar; those without a stall to return to often stand there for an hour, nursing a small beer.
The menu is simple: trippa alla fiorentina (diced tripe stewed with tomatoes and sage), panino con bollito (a boiled meat sandwich that’s bagnato,dipped quickly into the bubbling vat before being handed over), pappa al pomodoro (a thick bread-and-tomato soup), or salsicce con patate (sausage atop a mound of boiled potatoes).
More leisurely diners try to grab one of the few tables set in an alcove across the corridor.
Nerbone is really known for offering Lampredotto, but also sells other stand-out offerings. You pay first, then shift along to the right, where if you’ve ordered any of the meat sandwiches, you tell the somewhat grumpy server exactly what you want: Lampredotto vs Bollito, picante or pesto sauce, and one other choice that I’m forgetting now. (I suspect the dude gets grumpy since he’s serving noob tourists all day, so if you’re wise, pay attention to the questions to the previous customers and prepare your responses.)
To See Nerbone Sandwiches WATCH IT HERE
Lampredotto sandwich
Yes, it just looks like meat on a bun. And yes, when you know what lampredotto is (fourth and final stomach of a cow), you might get a little bit nervous tasting it. But the stuff is phenomenal and is something you really do not need to be an adventurous eater to enjoy.
There was no chewiness that sometimes comes when eating innards; instead, certain parts just melted in your mouth, like a nice fatty piece of meat. We opted for the picante sauce, which added a good kick to it.
Bollito
Stewed beef w/ pesto sauce. Nice thin slices of beef, so juicy that it was almost like eating dark meat of a chicken. Pesto a nice addition – the fresh basil and celery prevalent in the flavor.
The bread in both was like well, good Italian bread: crusty on the outside, fluffy on the inside and easily sogged up, so it’s best to eat these sandwiches quickly after ordering.
Video from youtube