After all, Florentine and Tuscan cuisine is rich in meat specialities, from lampredotto to Florentine steak, passing by tripe and pork loin.
Chianina cattle, Sienese pigs: with such a 'repertoire' to draw on, it is easy to understand why eating meat in Florence is so easy.
But does this mean that good meat is eaten everywhere in the city? Obviously not. Because there is meat and meat, with capital M. So, if you want to find out not only where to eat meat in Florence, but where to eat meat of the highest quality, you'd better play it safe.
If you want to find out where to eat good meat in Florence, you must see the meat in question. And what better place to study it in detail than the counter of a butcher's shop?
By this are we telling you that if you want to eat meat in Florence, you must buy it and cook it at home? Of course, not. Because even if the ingredient is of the highest quality, the result is not necessarily up to scratch if you don't know how to treat the raw material properly. In addition, every now and then you need a trip to the restaurant to get served and revered without cooking and having at the end of the day dishes to wash.
But then, in which restaurant is it possible to have the same 'control' over the meat served as in a butcher's shop? The answer is quickly said...
Have you ever heard of RistoMacelleria? If not, the name may already put you on the right track: it is, as you may have guessed, something between a restaurant and a butcher's shop.
In a RistoMacelleria, the dishes served at the tables are prepared with the same raw materials sold at the counter. When deciding where to eat meat in Florence (yes, meat, with capital M...), therefore, a place like this could be a good place to start.
I beg your pardon? Do we have a RistoMacelleria in mind to suggest? Of course, we do...
In our case, the counter where you can admire the meat and verify its quality personally is that of the historic butcher's shop Luca Menoni, since 1921 a landmark for gourmets and frequenters of the Mercato Sant’Ambrogio, where the shop is located.
The restaurant, on the other hand, is the Terrazza Menoni, the first RistoMacelleria in Florence, located above the butcher's shop, in an evocative setting from which it is possible to enjoy a spectacular view over the market.
Well, the Meat we serve in the dishes at Terrazza Menoni is exactly the same as the one you can choose from the counter of the Menoni butcher's shop.
The cuts of beef, personally selected by Luca, are those used to prepare the restaurant's tartare and other dishes. And so is the meat from the wild and bred Sienesepigs, used to prepare artisan cured meats, home-made sausages, and other delights.
The tartare doesn't lie: for it to be good, the meat must be extremely fresh and of the highest quality. Just like the Piemontese Scottona that comes from the butcher's shop and is used for the dishes served at Terrazza Menoni. So, if we had to start with one dish in particular to indicate our specialities, we could start right here, namely our renowned tartare.
But of course, we offer much more: within our fixed selection, as well as the daily menus, you can find many meat specialities from the Florentine and Tuscan tradition.
Here are some examples:
Peposo
Lampredotto ai carciofi
Bistecca al montone
Trippa alla fiorentina
Insalata di trippa
Crostini con Unto di Sant'Ambrogio
Patè di fegatini
And these are just some of the meat dishes you'll find on the menu at TerrazzaMenoni.
Foundedin 1921, the Macelleria Menoni is a historic Florentine shop and alandmark within the Mercato Sant’Ambrogio.
A reality that has grown through the decades and passed from father to son: Luca, in fact, represents the third generation to enter the butcher's shop. For this reason, the firm desire to serve customers the best meat in Florence is a real 'matter of honour' for him.
The meat offered in the butcher's shop is the result of scrupulous research and selection work, only possible thanks to professional techniques handed down over time. To maintain such high-quality standards, it is necessary that the animals are reared with respect and care. And that every cut of meat, from the finest to those generally considered suitable for 'poorer' dishes, is prepared with the ut most care.
To return to the initial question, "where to eat meat in Florence"? at this point the answer should be clear to you.
We are waiting for you at the Terrazza Menoni at the Mercato Sant’Ambrogio in Piazza Ghiberti, where you can stop and enjoy our specialities after glancing at the delicacies on display on the butcher's counter.
La RistoMacelleria is open from Monday to Saturday from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m.
Mercato di Sant’Ambrogio,
Piazza Lorenzo Ghiberti, 50122 Firenze FI
