Florence's Most Famous Sandwiches Are The Size Of Your Face - And You Can Find Them In The US

As social media has taken over the world, street food has flooded the feeds of anyone looking for a great meal, and one the most talked about spots anywhere is a sandwich shop in Florence, Italy called All'Antico Vinaio. The wonderful thing that draws people to these street food spots isn't just great food or low prices, it's how local street food reflects the culture of the people around it, and the huge sandwiches at All'Antico Vinaio are a true celebration of Florence's local street cuisine and amazing Italian flavors. Sure, it helps that the slices of crispy bread overflowing with Italian cold cuts look ready-made for Instagram and TikTok, but listening to the testimonials from customers, including plenty of locals, should convince you that its the real deal. And you don't even need to travel to Italy to find out, because All'Antico Vinaio has 11 American locations in three different cities.

The original All'Antico Vinaio has been around since the '60s, with the current owners taking over in the late '80s. The first spot outside of Florence only came in 2020 in Milan and, since then, the restaurant has opened locations in New York, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas. While that kind of expansion can be fraught, the demand is clearly there, because the original Florence spot is said to serve 10,000 sandwiches every weekend. And while the shop offers a wide variety of cheeses, spreads, and cold cuts, the center of it all is a local bread called schiacciata.

Schiacciata is a flat, crispy Tuscan bread dotted with dimples, which makes it look like focaccia, but the two aren't the same. Schiacciata is a simpler, more rustic dough that is only brushed with olive oil at the end of rising before cooking, so it isn't as soft and rich as focaccia. Instead, it's more crispy and chewy, like a flat baguette. It gets its name from being pressed flat before baking, making it perfect for slicing for sandwiches.

 The American All'Antico Vinaio spots have 16 choices, but the most famous is the La Favolosa. Called one of the best sandwiches in the world, it stuffs the schiacciata with a local Tuscan version of salami and spicy eggplant along with two of All'Antico Vinaio's signature toppings: pecorino cream and artichoke cream. Other sandwiches prominently feature things like Tuscan prosciutto, the Italian roast pork porchetta, and deli classics like mortadella. More of the store's unique toppings include truffle cream and pistachio cream.

The U.S. outposts of All'Antico Vinaio have also gotten signature sandwiches with slightly more American flavors. The New Yorker features roast beef and arugula, although it does also have a more special onion porcini cream. A Cali themed sandwich is, surprise, vegetarian, with gorgonzola, spicy zucchini, spicy eggplant, and sun dried tomato. But based on the rave reviews these sandwiches get, you can't really go wrong.