First Look: All’Antico Vinaio Brings Florence’s Famous Sandwiches to Sydney

After much anticipation, All’Antico Vinaio, arguably the world’s most famous sandwich shop, has opened its first Australian location, in Sydney.

At this point, this sort of sandwich which feels so familiar, it’s tempting to ask if this is the opening Sydney really needs. Schiacciata, the chewy Tuscan flatbread All’Antico brought to global popularity, is now on the menu at bakeries and sandwich shops around Sydney, from AP to Kosta’s. The shop’s famous fillings, too, have been reinterpreted by sanga acolytes across Australia. 

Take the Paradiso – All’Antico’s bestseller, and a true legend of global sandwich culture. Its combination of mortadella, stracciatella, pesto and pistachio is rightly revered, but you can already find takes from Cut Lunch Deli in Clovelly to Luigi Panini in Surry Hills. 

Nonetheless, there’s something compelling in the family-run original – a quality carefully maintained across its 35-year history. And for scion Tommaso Mazzanti, the latest opening is significant.

“It’s All’Antico Vinaio that needs Sydney,” he says. “Sydney is one of the most famous cities in the world, and there are so many Italians here – that combination is hugely important for us. Sydney was the perfect place to begin our Italian adventure here in Australia.” 

Mazzanti’s own adventure began at age 18, when he took over the family business after two years working behind the counter. From there, he turned the small shop into Tuscany’s answer to Katz’s Deli – a name synonymous with its birth city and recognised all around the world. 

Under Mazzanti’s stewardship, the original All’Antico Vinaio became the world’s most reviewed venue on Trip Advisor by 2014, a status the young CEO parlayed into ongoing social media success. Some come to Florence for David or the Duomo. Many others now visit for a schiacciata sandwich from All’Antico Vinaio. 

Expansion began apace, starting with new shops in Florence, followed by Milan and Rome. The Sydney opening is the brand’s 61st, joining outposts in Dubai and across the USA. 

The canny location, capturing both the tourists of Circular Quay and the office workers of the CBD, has it poised for lunchtime success. There are 15 sandwiches to choose from, including a vegan option, a veggie one, and a Sydney-exclusive Wagyu bresaola number designed by Masterchef’s Andy Allen, a local co-owner. 

The sandwiches are made with a blend of imported Italian ingredients and local renditions by Sydney manufacturers such as Papandrea Fine Foods. For the Favolosa, the longest-running sandwich on the menu, the Papandrea team went to Tuscany to learn how to make the star ingredient, Florence’s crumbly, fennel-studded sbriciolona salami, which isn’t widely available in Australia. The kitchen roasts vegetables and makes creams and sauces for the sandwiches in-house. 

The schiacciata is also made on-site every morning. This is the true ace up Antico’s sleeve, synthesising the best bits of other hall-of-fame sandwich breads in one crispy-soft package (schiacciata means “squished” in Italian). Picture a focaccia on Ozempic, or a loaf of Turkish bread with a crisp crust.

“Where we’re from, schiacciata used to be eaten plain – empty,” Mazzanti says. “When my dad and my mum had a shop and sold schiacciata … no one was filling them.” 

The perfect sandwich bread was just sitting there, and All’Antico Vinaio was one of the first to come along and started sandwiching things between it. 

“The difference between a regular sandwich and a schiacciata is immense,” says Mazzanti. “It’s an Italian experience – you take a bite and it feels like you’re in Italy.” 

That difference – and the global appetite for it – has propelled Antico Vinaio into the panini pantheon. And it’s why, even in a city that didn’t need any more sandwiches, we expect lines out the door for a long time to come, just as in Florence. 

All’Antico Vinaio

50 Pitt Street, Sydney

No phone

Hours:

Daily 10am–8pm

allanticovinaio.au

@allanticovinaioau