Best Burgers in Florence: Oltrarno and More

The best burgers in Florence are easiest to find away from the Duomo crowds: in the Oltrarno, around Santo Spirito and San Frediano, and in Sant’Ambrogio on the east side of the centre. San Lorenzo, around the Mercato Centrale, packs the most food counters into a few streets. Look for burgers made with Tuscan beef, and ask whether the breed is Chianina.

Florence judges beef by its bistecca alla fiorentina, the thick T-bone traditionally cut from Chianina cattle of the Val di Chiana. Its signature street food is the lampredotto sandwich, tripe simmered in broth and served in a roll from small kiosks around the centre. Florentines also take bread seriously: schiacciata, a salty olive-oil flatbread, is split and filled to order in sandwich shops across town. A burger here has to hold its own next to both.

Burgers in Florence: key facts

• Neighbourhoods to explore: the Oltrarno (Santo Spirito, San Frediano), Sant’Ambrogio and San Lorenzo.
• Local beef: Chianina, the breed behind bistecca alla fiorentina.
• Street-food rival: the lampredotto sandwich, tripe in a roll.
• Local bread: schiacciata, the Tuscan olive-oil flatbread.
• Currency: the euro (EUR), used in Florence as across Italy.
• Getting around: the centre is walkable, and tram lines T1 and T2 start near Santa Maria Novella station, with T2 running to the airport.

Every guide we publish on Florence is dated and lists only venues, addresses, prices and ratings we could verify. Find Florence and every other city we cover in our burger restaurant guides.