The food-market quarter east of Santa Croce around Piazza Ghiberti, home to Cibreo Trattoria, Da Rocco's market lunch counter and Pasticceria S. Ambrogio.
Cibreo Trattoria in Florence's Sant'Ambrogio quarter is Fabio Picchi's no-pasta trattoria, the casual side of the Cibreo group. Located in Sant Ambrogio.
Signature: Trippa alla fiorentina, Pappa al pomodoro, Polpettine di pollo
Order: Polpettine di pollo, pappa al pomodoro and the trippa alla fiorentina.
Tip: No reservations and no pasta on the menu. Queue from 19:45 for the 20:00 first seating; lunch is the calmer service.
Ristorante Cibreo in Florence is the formal flagship of Fabio Picchi's empire, with the yellow-pepper passato, cresta di gallo cockscomb and the eponymous.
Signature: Passato di peperoni gialli, Cresta di gallo, Cibreo (offal stew)
Order: Passato di peperoni gialli, the cibreo offal stew and any cockscomb course.
Tip: Closed Sunday and Monday; lunch is one fixed tasting. The trattoria around the corner is the easier-priced entry.
Trattoria da Rocco in Florence sits inside the Mercato Sant'Ambrogio under the loggia, a market-canteen format with a chalkboard daily carte and lunch.
Signature: Pasta al pomodoro, Ribollita, Polpette al sugo
Order: The daily pasta, ribollita and a quartino of house red from the bar.
Tip: Lunch only, Mon-Sat 12:00-15:00. Cash only; come at 12:30 to beat the stall-keepers' second rush.
Caffe Cibreo in Florence's Sant'Ambrogio quarter is the all-day cafe-and-bar of the Cibreo group, with a walnut counter, daily-baked Cibreo pastries.
Signature drink: Espresso and Cibreo pastries
Order: Espresso at the counter, the daily Cibreo pastry, the lunchtime small-plates board.
Tip: Closed Sunday and Monday. The walnut bar seats 12; arrive at 08:00 for a stool.
Caffe Cibreo in Florence's Sant'Ambrogio roasts the house Cibreo blend served across the four restaurants, with a walnut-counter espresso bar and a retail.
Order: Espresso at the walnut bar, the Cibreo house blend bag, a daily Cibreo pastry.
Tip: Closed Sunday and Monday. The bar seats 12; arrive at 08:00 for a stool.
Sources from: Brazil, Ethiopia, Italy blends
How they serve: Espresso, Cappuccino, Whole bean retail
Trattoria da Rocco in Florence's Mercato Sant'Ambrogio loggia runs the market-canteen format under the iron roof, with a chalkboard daily carte at €12.
Try: Market-canteen pasta
Order: The daily pasta, ribollita in winter, a quartino of house red.
Tip: Lunch only, Mon-Sat 12:00-15:00. Cash only. Come at 12:30 to beat the stall-keepers.
Birreria Art. 17 sits just behind Piazza Sant'Ambrogio, a small craft beer tavern with a rotating tap line of Tuscan brewers like degli Archi.
Order: A Tuscan IPA on tap, a degli Archi pour, the seasonal home brew.
Tip: Closed Sundays; doors 17:00-02:00. Weekend crowd builds from 21:00; outdoor seating spills onto Borgo la Croce.
Mercato Sant'Ambrogio in Florence's eastern quarter is the second covered market, a 1873 cast-iron building, with produce stalls, the Trattoria da Rocco.
Order: Tuscan olive oil from Frantoio Buonamici, lunch at Da Rocco, vegetables from the contadini stalls.
Tip: Mon-Sat 07:00-14:00; closed Sunday. Da Rocco's lunch counter inside opens at 12:00.
Trattoria da Rocco in Florence's Mercato Sant'Ambrogio loggia runs the market-canteen lunch format, with a chalkboard daily two-course menu at €12.
Try: Market lunch menu
Order: The daily pasta, ribollita in winter, a quartino of house red.
Tip: Lunch only Mon-Sat 12:00-15:00. Cash only. Arrive at 12:30 to beat the second rush.
Bitter Bar opened in 2017 on Via di Mezzo in the Sant'Ambrogio quarter as a Roaring Twenties cocktail room run by mixologist Cristian Guitti, with a ring-the-bell entry, low jazz, and a list weighted toward Negroni variations and South American agave spirits.
Tip: Reservations are required and easier to land midweek. The room is small and dimly lit; ask Guitti for an off-list build using pisco or mezcal.
Caffè Sant'Ambrogio has anchored the small square in front of the Sant'Ambrogio church for more than thirty years as the neighbourhood's local, with sidewalk tables across from the medieval church wall, a deep enoteca list, an aperitivo buffet and a low-lit indoor room that runs music after 22:00.
Tip: Aperitivo with the buffet runs from around 18:30; the piazza tables in summer are the seats to ask for. The room holds the square past midnight and books few but holds many.