All’Antico Vinaio

Just west of Times Square, on 46th and Eighth, lies the offshoot of the famed Florentine sandwich shop All’Antico Vinaio. Established in 1989 in the center of Florence, Italy, this shop quickly became the city’s must-try lunch spot and grew to four storefronts in the same vicinity. Thereafter, the shop expanded to Rome, Milan and, in October 2021, New York City. All’Antico Vinaio also plans to open imminently a shop in Los Angeles. Here in Manhattan, despite a tiny storefront, this sandwich spot is impossible to miss as there is always a long line bursting through their front door. While the line moves at a snail’s pace, it’s well worth the wait.

Banners and jerseys of Florence’s soccer team ACF Fiorentina adorn the shop along with various awards and images of Florence. However, the focal point of the restaurant is a glass case that displays imported meats, cheeses, and vegetables. Each sandwich is made to order: there are two sandwich artisans who take orders, slice the fresh schiacciata bread (similar to focaccia), lather the bread with various creams, and then stack fresh vegetables and freshly sliced meats and cheeses on top. Watching this magical process in action made me even more excited to sink my teeth into one of All’Antico Vinaio’s superb sandwiches.

First, I tried the La Toscana sandwich, filled with salami, pecorino, and truffle honey. The bread was super warm and fresh, with a crackling shell and soft fluffy interior. The sliced salami was paper thin and not chewy at all. The truffle honey provided both a sweet kick and an umami flavor from the truffle. Rounding off my bite was the pecorino cheese that added an earthy and rich flavor.

La Toscana sandwich

Next was the La District sandwich, filled with pancetta, pecorino cream, arugula, and sun dried tomatoes. Sliced so thin that it was totally translucent, the pancetta was fatty yet still full of an intense pork flavor. The pecorino cream was velvety, rich, and warm. The arugula perfectly balanced out the bite with a peppery vegetable kick. However, the sun dried tomatoes, adding a brightness to the bite while also cutting the fattiness, could have been more plentiful.

Above, from left to right, the La Toscana, La District, and La Dante

The final sandwich I tried was La Dante, stuffed with capocollo, stracchino (an italian cows-milk cheese), truffle cream, and arugula. The truffle cream slapped me with intense flavor that enveloped my entire mouth. The capocollo had earthy tones with a robust meaty flavor. Coming through at the end of the bite, the stracchino contributed a nutty flavor. And just like in La District, the arugula balanced out this sandwich quite well. Although I loved this sandwich, I would only recommend it to truffle enthusiasts as it was the heaviest of the three.

My overall experience at All’Antico Vinaio was amazing. The shop offers a menu diverse enough to satisfy all different pallets, employs very friendly and adept staff, and most importantly, serves some of the best sandwiches in all of New York City. I definitely recommend you lunching here if you are ever in the Times Square area.