And is All Antico Vinaio the best place to get a sandwich in Florence?
I'll go ahead and say something that will immediately start a fight in some corner of the internet where the Venn Diagram of "sandwich lovers" and "been to Florence multiple times" crosses over, and this is: I don't think All Antico Vinaio's sandwiches are all that.
To be clear, I think they're good.
The best sandwiches in Florence, though? So good that they've expanded to most major cities in Italy, even to cities where clearly superior sandwiches exist? So good that they're worth waiting in line with (no word of a lie) a few hundred other people?
I would say that crown goes to a little hole-in-the-wall south of the Duomo by the name of Da' Vinattieri. This tucked-away nearly impossible to find (not because it's off the beaten path but because you might miss it while blinking) served up some of the best sandwiches we've eaten. Not just in Florence, but eaten, like, at all (my other favorite being Duecentigradi in Rome near-ish the Vatican).
Now, before you go there and send me a message on BlueSky and ultimately end up following the account, I will say that if you end up in front of Da' Vinattieri and you're like, "This is the place? This?" I totally get that.
As you might be able to see from the photo (I'll explain it either way, don't worry), its a small counter with a few bowls of toppings and creams (like pistacchio cream or radicchio cream), deli meats, some greenery, and a stack of bread (or, schiaciatta (pronounced skee-ah-cha-tah), the only bread used for sandwiches in Florence).
Nothing about the place immediately says "best sandwiches in Florence." But let me break it down for you.
You know how when you're making something to eat, like a sandwich, and you start to realize that you've gotten really particular? You don't want the spread too thick in any one area? You don't like holes in the bread (who does?). You want that slice of juicier looking meat to coincide with the especially ripe slice of tomato? Da' Vinattieri (and I think it's only two people who work there) makes the sandwich as if they're going to eat the sandwich. There's not a sense of "just throw it together and sell it".
But that's not all!
Do you or someone you know enjoy eating a cow's fourth stomach? If so, I have great news for you! Da' Vinattieri has a dedicated trippa and lampredotto window.
The first time we went, we saw a pot cooking in the back. Big metal pot, simmering away. Couldn't figure out what it was, then someone ordered it. Then scooped out some pieces of the tripe, cut it up on the cutting board, slopped it into a bun, and it might have been the most beautiful thing I've seen in a while.
Not because it looked amazing (let's be honest, if something has the fourth stomach of any animal in it, chances are it won't look beautiful), but because it was unapologetically itself. I know that sounds like a weird thing to say about a sandwich. But think about it: in a world consumed with Instagram-worthy display and viral clickbait posts, this sandwich was the antithesis. Italians have this cookie called "Brutti ma Buoni" which translate into "Ugly but Good" and this sandwich was that. It's not supposed to look Instagram-worthy, it's supposed to be amazing.
And when you're standing there in a 500-year-old alleyway literal feet away from where Dante (the Poet) was baptized, eating one of the foremost traditional Tuscan dishes, you can't help but feel overwhelmed by the history.
If you do want to see what a normal sandwich looks like, take a peek at the image. Super simple: chicken, mozzarella, tomato. 5 Euros like all their other sandwiches.
Where: Google Link
Cost: It used to be 5 euros a sandwich, but that was in 2023, so it's probably gone up by now.