ITALY - Best of Europe 2014 - page 1207

you sit either in the dining room or out on the terrace (€8-10 pastas, €9-15 secondi, daily
12:00-15:00 & 18:00-22:30, Piazza Madonna degli Aldobrandi 16/17, tel. [phone]).
Osteria Vineria i'Brincello is a bright, happy, no-frills diner with tasty food, lots of
spirit, friendly service, and no hint of snobbishness. It features a list of Tuscan daily spe-
cials hanging from the ceiling and great prices on good bottled wine (€7-8 pastas, €8-15
secondi , €5 takeout homemade pasta, daily 12:00-15:00 & 19:00-23:00, near corner of Via
Nazionale and Via Chiara at Via Nazionale 110 red, tel. [phone], Fredi cooks while
Claudia serves).
Trattoria Nerone Pizzeria, serving up cheap, hearty Tuscan dishes and decent pizzas,
is a tourist-friendly, practical standby in the hotel district. The lively, flamboyantly outfitted
space(oncethegardencourtyardofaconvent)feelslikeagoodbutkitschyItalian-American
chain restaurant (€5-8 pizzas, €6-8 pastas, €8-12 secondi, daily 12:00-15:00 & 18:30-23:00,
just north of Via Nazionale at Via Faenza 95-97 red, tel. [phone], Tulio).
Eating Cheaply in or near the Mercato Centrale
(See “Florence Restaurants” map, here . )
Note that none of these eateries is open for dinner.
The Mercato Centrale (Central Market) is great for an ad-lib lunch. It offers colorful
piles of picnic produce, people-watching, and rustic sandwiches (Mon-Sat 7:00-14:00, Sat
in winter until 17:00, closed Sun, a block north of San Lorenzo street market). Meat, fish,
and cheese are sold on the ground level, with fruit and veggies mostly upstairs. The thriv-
ing ground-level eateries within the market (such as Nerbone, described next) serve some of
the cheapest hot meals in town. The fancy deli, Perini, is famous for its quality products and
generous free samples. Buy a picnic of fresh mozzarella cheese, olives, fruit, and crunchy
bread to munch on the steps of the nearby Church of San Lorenzo, overlooking the bustling
street market.
NerboneintheMarket isavenerablecaféandthebestplaceforasit-downmealwithin
the Mercato Centrale. Join the shoppers and workers who crowd up to the bar to grab their
€4-6 plates. Of the several cheap market diners, this feels the most authentic. As intest-
ines are close to Florentines' hearts, tripe is very big here (lunch menu served Mon-Sat
12:00-14:00, sandwiches available 8:00-12:00, closed Sun, cash only, inside the Mercato
Centrale on the side closest to the Church of San Lorenzo, mobile [phone]).
Trattoria Mario's, around the corner from Trattoria Zà-Zà (listed earlier), has been
serving hearty lunches to market-goers since 1953 (Fabio and Romeo are the latest genera-
tion). Their simple formula: bustling service, old-fashioned good value, a lunch-only fixed-
price meal, and shared tables. It's cucina casalinga —home cooking con brio . This place is
high-energy and jam-packed. Their best dishes often sell out first, so go early. If there's a