For Italy’s best panini’s head to no where else but All’ Antico Vinaio in Florence! Located near the famed Uffizi Gallery (home to the Birth of Venus by Botticelli as well as many, many, other incredible works of art) All’antico Vinaio has been turning out some of Italy’s best street food since 1991. This place knows EXACTLY how to entice locals and tourists alike with the best of the best in the gastronomical world. Their specialty? What I like to claim as the worlds best panini’s!
Line outside of All’antico Vinaio
OH MY GOSH. That is all I can say about this place. It was absolutely incredible and completely blew the expectations I had for their food out the door and across the Arno River. The paninis here are so good its hard to believe something so perfect can be made fresh for you in as little as 2-3 minutes.
Display window when entering. Hi, there’s me snapping the pic!
The shop / restaurant itself gives you a completely authentic Italian experience with the young men taking your order, calling things out, singing, joking and laughing, they were having a ball. The ingredients here are no joke either. They are of the highest quality and so incredibly fresh. Everything is beautifully displayed out in front of you and the meats are hand sliced per order. Just be aware that the sandwiches are absolutely massive! They could easily serve two people or one person if they want leftovers.
Assortment of cheeses, sauces, and creams, used on the panini’s
For our visit we ordered two sandwiches. One of the reasons we did so was so that we would have leftovers for our ride to our next destination, and the other because we knew how insanely delicious they were going to be and wanted the opportunity to try more than one kind.
The Summer, with fresh tomatoes and basil, creamy mozzarella, and high quality peppered prosciutto
One of the sandwiches we ordered was called The Summer. This is one of the most typical italian panini combinations with Tuscan peppered prosciutto, mozzarella, tomatoes, basil, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar. Basically, a caprese sandwich on steroids. Saying these ingredients are fresh is an understatement. From the melt-in-your-mouth mozzarella, to the bright red tomatoes, and gorgeously green basil, eating this is like dining in food heaven.
Don’t even get me started on their bread! Oh my, the focaccia is so unbelievably perfect. Slightly crispy on the outside, chewy and tender on the inside. This salty and savory bread creates the perfect vessel to enjoy the many flavor combinations available as well as a selection of rotating specials.
Special with: Tuscan ham, spicy roasted eggplant, mozzarella, truffle cream
The second panini we ordered was a special which included Tuscan ham, spicy grilled eggplant, the same creamy mozzarella, and to top it all off, truffle cream. Yes, TRUFFLE cream. It created the most magical combination with the salty from the ham, the spicy from the eggplant, and the creaminess from not just the mozzarella but the truffle cream as well. The intense all-holy truffle flavor is what set this panini apart from the rest and has now ruined all other sandwiches for me since. The air pockets within the focaccia allowed the truffle cream to perfectly soak into the bread making this already indulgent meal even more divine.
Since All’antico Vinaio is so popular and well known, it can get very busy. Luckily they have two storefronts right next to each other that are exactly the same, so don’t get to caught up in jumping in line at the first store front you see because there is a good chance the one just a few feet farther down may have a shorter line or none at all! Another good tip, is to either skip breakfast or have a very small bite and head here close to when they open at 10 AM. Yes this may seem early for a sandwich, but hey, avoiding lines that can get super long while also getting that prized panini is totally worth it. My husband and I managed to go around 10:30 and only had to wait about 5-10 minutes. We took their recommendation of not “ordering it to go” but just in the paper because as the young men said, it is best fresh! So, we ate half of each and saved the rest for later, which was still delicious. Although, I happen to agree it was best eaten immediately as the meats and bread are warm.
The Summer
Honestly, I am just counting down the days until I can not just return to Italy but, specifically, return to All’antico Vinaio and stuff my face again! Let me know if you have been or go to this incredible Florence gem, I would love to hear what you think about it!
