Semel Street Food

Marco Paparozzi, dapper owner of this brick-vaulted hole-in-the-wall of a sandwich bar overlooking the Sant’Ambogio market, makes some of the very best – and most original – panini in town. Small 'semel' rolls come stuffed with an ever-changing choice of fillings such as pecorino, pear and truffle, wild boar with polenta or anchovies with orange; it all depends on what Marco digs up in the market. A diminutive glass of house plonk will wash it down nicely.

There are plenty of places in Florence where you can get a really good sandwich but at Semel, a miniscule hole-in-the-wall overlooking the Sant'Ambrogio market, the tasty combos - though not what you would normally expect to find in a bun - are delicious. The choice changes daily but a recent visit turned up cinghiale (wild boar) with blackcurrants and polenta, orange-spiked porchetta (roast suckling pig) stewed with cavolo nero and lambs lettuce, pecorino cheese and honey. Inside seating is limited to a few stools, so you'll probably be joining the happily munching crowd spilling onto the pavement.

Keeping in mind the goals of promoting sustainable tourism and having good meals where the locals eat (and while we’re at it, avoiding Tik Tok crazes), we will not be directing you to All’Antico Vinaio and instead suggest you walk very far away, avoiding it by at least a several-block radius to not get stuck in the crowds. Hopefully this is intuitive already if you’ve consumed other Florence content in the last couple of years, but suffice it to say there is no need to wait in any kind of line for a maximalist panino of unnecessary hype. ’ I no sandwich shop: When you do want a panino, go here.

For panini lunch, head to Semel in Sant’Ambrogio (Tuscan cooked specialties stuffed in a roll, like stews and pastas), Panificio Brunori (bakery which makes the best panini, sweet & savory baked snacks) on Borgo Pinti (closed in 2023 due to rising costs for small businesses), I Due Fratellini near Piazza della Signoria (super hole in the wall experience), Pugi in Piazza San Marco or Piazza della Signoria (one of the best bakeries for schiacciata in town) SandwiChic near the Accademia.

Semel: Adjacent to the very local Sant’Ambrogio market, it is a sandwich shop (standing room only bar a couple of high stools). Have white panini come with a series of seasonal fillings- wild boar and polenta, figs and salame with a drop of balsamic for extra zing, sardines with orange and bitter chicory leaves, donkey stew (tastier than it sounds), and pecorino cheese with pears and truffle. There is a huge line and you always have to wait but its is the best street food place.

Opposite Mercato di Sant’Ambrogio you’ll find a gourmet sandwich bar loved by Florentines. There is no fixed menu at Semel, so each day its dapper proprietor Marco Paparozzi lovingly concocts a handful of unusual yet mouthwatering panini combinations which – although still distinctly Tuscan – blow the city’s typical meat-and-cheese combos out of the water. The panini fillings are all made from scratch and have a decidedly gourmet twist.

Don’t miss this amazing hole in the wall for some of the best street food in Florence right off the Sant’Ambrogio Market. Semel is not your typical sandwich shop in Florence but rather, a breath of fresh air in terms of innovation and creativity from a culinary point of view. More On Markets: For more specifics on opening times, what to buy and how to shop at markets in Florence read Food Markets in Florence and Markets in Florence.

I never miss a panino (usually the fennel, orange and anchovy one) at Semel (Piazza Ghiberti 44) or a lampredotto panino at my favourite Tripperia Pollini, the tripe van parked near the church of Sant’Ambrogio, when I’m in the area of the market. And if I’m oltrarno side, I head straight to S.Forno (Via S.Monaca, 3r) and ask for a panino with mortadella, possibly sandwiched in a rosemary scented, raisin-studded pandiramerino.

On the edge of the Sant’Ambrogio market, Semel is a bit of a local institution. You won’t find the classic cured meat + cheese sandwich here: instead, owner Marco Paparozzi’s rosetta bread rolls are stuffed with cooked and stewed meats that pay homage to Florence’s culinary history. There are six different sandwiches on offer daily, but you can always find one with a rare filling like donkey or smoked aringa (herring).

La fantasia è la principale protagonista dei panini (i semel, appunto, della tradizione fiorentina) di questo microlocale nella piazza del mercato di Sant’Ambrogio. Le farciture, infatti, sono originali e appetitose. A seconda dei giorni e delle stagioni caciucco, baccalà, aringhe, acciughe con puntarelle e arancia; se si preferisce la ciccia cinghiale, cervo, capriolo, lepre, ciuco in zimino con le melanzane.

Marco Paparozzi hand-writes the menu everyday at his tiny shop near Sant'Ambrogio market, but any of the nine or ten panini is a home run. Go for the tripe and cheese panino for a riff on the city's lampredotto. Or, if you're looking to carb load, the raviolo and pheasant sauce hits all the classic Italian flavors, re: tomatoes, soffritto (carrots, onion, celery), and ragu.

Save yourself hours of waiting in line at other Santa Croce panini shops when you stop by Semel Street Food (Piazza Lorenzo Ghiberti 44/R). Tucked in next to the Sant’Ambrogio market, Semel is a favorite among locals. The friendly owner serves up gourmet panini on warm bread and filled with local flavors like anchovies with fennel and orange or cheese with pear and truffle.

In your never-ending pursuit of Florentine art, you might not want to waste your time languishing over lunch, preferring instead to grab a quick panino (sandwich) on the run. At Semel, you won't have to sacrifice taste for fast service. Pick from a small number of unique filling — these little sandwiches are wrapped in paper for easy takeaway.

Semel—meaning a type of crunchy bread roll—is in the middle of the more “local” part of town, across from the Sant’Ambrogio food market. And it offers some of the best, and most interesting, panini in town. Duck, donkey, pork… The menu changes often, but there’s always the guarantee that the sauce will be superb and the meat perfectly cooked.

Hidden in the buzz of the Sant'Ambrogio Market, Semel is a gem waiting to be discovered. Each visit here is a new adventure, with a menu that changes daily, offering sandwiches that are as whimsical as they are delicious. Whether it's a panino with pear and pecorino or one with wild boar salami, Semel always surprises and delights.

Semel Street Food is a small shop in Florence’s Sant’Ambrogio market, known for its fresh and ever-changing menu. Locals and visitors stop by for a simple bite in a relaxed setting, where everything revolves around quality and seasonal ingredients. It’s a comfortable spot to take a quick break during a day of exploring.

Tucked near the Sant’Ambrogio Market, Semel is where you’ll find the most inventive and distinctly Tuscan sandwiches in Florence. Don’t expect your usual salami and cheese. Instead, the small panini here are stuffed with things like tagliolini pasta in wild boar ragù, stewed donkey with chard, or sausage with saffron.

Meanwhile itty-bitty Semel in Piazza Ghiberti may not have much room to sit, but being further out of the centre you're exempt from the no-eating-in-public rule. It's a favourite of Jupe's: "Mario’s gourmet panini and tiny glasses of wine are always the welcome treat after browsing Sant’Ambrogio’s market.

Best Panino | Semel in Sant’ Ambrogio is an quintessential Florentine spot. Think cubby holes for your tiny wine glasses and small sandwiches with high-quality ingredients like anchovies, fennel and orange eaten standing up. You have to go here.

Florence has a number of street food stalls that offer cheap eats, such as lampredotto sandwiches – a local delicacy made from the fourth stomach of a cow, typically served in a bun with green sauce and spicy oil.

I think I passed right by Semel three times without seeing it. And I was actively looking for it. Barely bigger than a closet, this tiny storefront serves some of the best panini in town, and maybe in Italy.

My personal favorite was one I had at Semel, a storefront off of Mercato di Sant'Ambrogio with a rotating menu. (There's also a stall inside the market itself with a great iteration.)

To taste the best of what the market has to offer, head to Semel, a sandwich shop so good it made a list of a Top 10 Florence Attractions.