If there’s one thing Londoners love, it’s a good sandwich.
We all saw the mass hysteria the arrival of Sandwich Sandwich caused in the city last November, with police having to be called at one point as people fought to get their hands on an epic lunch.
People also regularly go wild over sarnies from The Black Pig in Borough Market, Crunch in Soho and Max’s Sandwich Shop in Finsbury Park.
Now there’s another spot to add to that list as it’s already got Londoners lining up down the street to part with £15 of their hard earned cash.
On September 20, All’Antico Vinaio opened its doors on Old Compton Street, making it the 48th location the sandwich business has globally and the first-ever site in the UK.
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If the name sounds familiar, it’s probably because it’s one of the most famous sandwich businesses in the world.
Hailing from Italy, the business first launched in Florence in 1991 as a tiny family-run store and has since grown into something much bigger – with All’Antico Vinaio becoming the most-reviewed restaurant in the world on Tripadvisor in 2014 and named as the home of the world’s best sandwiches by Saveur magazine in 2016.
You can now find its sandwiches all over Italy, as well as in the US in cities like New York and Los Angeles, as well as in the Dubai International Airport.
To mark its launch in London, I headed down to see if the sandwiches live up to all the hype. Here’s my honest review…
Metro’s specialist food writer tries All’Antico Vinaio
It’s 10:30am and there’s already a small queue out the door at All’Antico Vinaio.
It’s been 30 minutes since the shop opened, but I’m not surprised. Most people are likely here early for the same reason I am – to beat the lunchtime rush.
I haven’t eaten anything yet today, so just the sight of the glass counter full of cheese, vegetables and sauces has my mouth watering from the moment I step through the door.
In my hungry state, trying to choose between the 18 different sandwiches on the menu feels like an impossible task, so I ask staff what’s proving the most popular. They point me in the direction of the Bada Come La Fuma, which just so happens to be one of the most expensive sandwiches on the menu at almost £15 (£14.90 to be exact).
To make it, schiacciata, a type of Tuscan flatbread, is cut open and generously spread with a potato cream before being loaded with cuts of porchetta, slices of smoked provola and chunks of spicy aubergines.
All wrapped up and handed over to me, the finished product had my jaw dropping – it was bigger than my head.
There are no tables in the shop, so I headed around the corner to a nearby churchyard where I’d spotted some benches to sit and tuck into my unconventional breakfast of champions.
And I have to say, I was impressed. The bread is fresh, with a nice crisp around the edges. The porchetta has a lovely herby flavour to it and the cheese is wonderfully smoky with a slight sweetness.
The potato cream is quite subtle and gets a little lost in the sandwich, and the aubergines also don’t pack much of a punch in terms of spice levels, but that didn’t stop me from devouring half the sarnie.
Was it the best sandwich I’ve ever had? No. I still think the focaccia sandwiches from Arcane in Chiswick are my firm favourite right now, but this was definitely up there.
I really enjoyed the Bada Come La Fuma and don’t have any complaints about All’Antico Vinaio.
The staff were friendly and helpful, the food was fresh and tasty and there was A LOT of it. Given the sheer size of the sandwiches it’s not hard to see why they’re always going viral.
Would I go again? Definitely. Although next time I’d probably share a sandwich with a friend. I only managed to eat about half of the one I ordered, so if you’re going to try it, I’d recommend going hungry.
Alternatively, eat half and take the other half home for the following day – the sandwiches might not be the cheapest, but you could easily get two servings from them, which makes it feel much more cost effective.
All’Antico Vinaio is open 10am to 10pm each day at 61 Old Compton Street and sandwich prices start from £9.90.
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