Tourists lose it over $11 viral sandwich in Florence
If you have been to this city, chances are you’ve heard of this viral eatery with the store making a reported 10,000 sandwiches every weekend.
An extraordinarily popular sandwich shop in Florence has taken the world by storm.
With more than 20 locations in Italy and the United States, what was once a small sandwich shop is now an ever-expanding business.
If you haven’t been to All’Antico Vinaio, a hole-in-the-wall shop on Via dei Neri, add it to your list the next time you’re gallivanting around Florence.
Be warned though, the lines are long, but as many will argue, “totally worth it”. I mean, if they’re reportedly selling 10,000 paninis in two days – you know it’s got to be good.
US food blogger and TikToker Jack who goes by the handle ‘Jack’s Dining Room’, recently visited the store with his clip attracting a massive 17.2 million views.
He tried four paninis and was left salivating. He was also blown away by the operation of the small store.
“I’m at the most famous sandwich place in the world. It is unlike anything I have ever seen,” he said.
“They’re pumping out fresh bread every five minutes and they paint it with olive oil every time they come out of the oven.
“There is one dude in the back who doesn't’ see the light of day, he is just on a meat slicer, [there’s] one dude just slicing bread all day.
“One dude is just saucing bread and then every five minutes they will yell ‘more bread’ and this dude runs by with mounds of bread.”
According to Jack, the eatery goes through 10,000 sandwiches every weekend.
“I have never seen a line like this in my entire life,” he said as the camera panned toward the huge crowd.
“This place is not a sandwich shop, it’s a bank. I reckon All’Antico is making more money than Goldman Sacks on a good weekend,” he joked.
Jack, who was in Florence last August, got stuck into a seasonal prosciutto and fig panini.
“Look at how sexy this is,” he said while holding it up to the camera.
“Oh man, this fig with the prosciutto is essentially a gift from the Gods.”
He then went in for a porchetta panini with a spicy sauce topped with eggplant and rocket and their house specialty — .truffle salami.
He was left speechless after indulging in both.
The cheapest panini on the menu are for €7.00 ($11), while the most expensive are €11.00 $17).
One Aussie woman also happened to be in Europe around the same time last year and gave her verdict after visiting one of the Rome stores.
Ayeh Manfre, who is an Aussie cook from Sydney, ordered a panini with pistachio cream, stracciatella cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, and arugula.
She rated it a seven out of 10 and said while it wasn’t “amazing”, it was still definitely “worth a try”.
TikTok is awash with clips of tourists indulging in the famous paninis. The store itself boasts more than 1.5 million combined followers on TikTok and Instagram.
Although these platforms have played a huge role in its success, before social media was a big thing, the popular Florence store was still attracting the masses.
Its story dates back to 1989, when the Mazzanti family took over the management of a small rotisserie in Via Dei Neri in Florence.
Tommaso, the man now at the helm, joined the company in 2006 and transformed the rotisserie into a schiacciateria.
Soon enough, Antico Vinaio became a point of reference for the city of Florence and for street food lovers from all over the world.
“The first successes came in 2014 as Antico Vinaio became the most reviewed place in the world on TripAdvisor and in Italy for years,” the site reads.
“In 2016 Saveur magazine, the famous food and wine magazine, declared that one of the best sandwiches in the world is eaten right at Antico Vinaio.”
And today, it success continues to grow with a total of 20 stores in Italy and America and more than 300 collaborators worldwide.
The Florence shop is a two-minute walk from the Palazzo Vecchio.
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