The fascination with All’Antico Vinaio sandwiches is slowly, but surely, spreading across the entire web. And, it is spreading over the World. If you live in New York, chances are you will see a queue of sandwich enthusiasts weaving out of a store with this name on it.

What is All’Antico Vinaio?

Oddly enough, the word sandwich is not in any of these. The literal translation from Italian is “old wine bar”. However, they do serve delicious Italian wine with their rich Panino, but that is not the secret of this place. No, sir! The secret is the special Italian bread!

All’Antico Vinaio was established by the Mazzanti family, in 1989, as a panino+vino store. But, the Antico Vinaio, the ancient vine cellar, dates back to the beginning of the ‘60s in fact. It is a historical shop in Florence founded by the Posani family.

The Mazzanti’s bought it in ’89. Tomasso Muzzanti joined his parents in the early ‘00s and the shop quickly became a top-rated Tuscan offering for all the tourists in Florence.

The Bread – Schiacciata

Tommaso Mazzanti holding the Schiacciata they make and bake right there in the shop

The whole concept of this Panino or Panini, which means sandwich in Italian, is the bread. A special method is used where they make the bread squashed flat with fingers. Such a method leaves imperfections that form an incredibly savory crust, while flatbread is ideal for sandwiches.

This is called the Schiacciata, which is a traditional Tuscan bread!

In terms of the pastry, it is presumably just plain dough, although it definitely needs to sit quite a while to achieve the perfect fermentation and for the gluten to bind. The crust is not crunchy, but it is consistent, while the inside is soft.

The filling

As to what fits inside the Italian dough, you get the traditional Tuscan ingredients. You can choose for yourself, while things offered include Cartago, prosciutto Crudo, pecorino, Gorgonzola, tomatoes, arugula, olive oil, cubed zucchini, and all kinds of veggies.

All ingredients are top quality, which will be obvious at first bite. They also use mozzarella cream, pistachio in various forms (like cream or crumbs), and several other delights. You can watch the sandwich-makers work their art in front of you as you choose.

Outside of Italia

All’Antico Vinaio is now international, but it is not that easy to reach. This sandwich from Florence arrived in Los Angeles and New York recently. In LA, it’s on Beverly Blvd, and in NY it is at 8th Avenue. The prices range from around $5 to $20.