John S.
Yelp
This review is actually for the All'Antico Vinaio at Via Ricasoli, 121r, 50121 Firenze FI, since I could not find a Yelp page for that particular location.
Over the years, All'Antico Vinaio has become a bit of a divisive topic in terms of the quality of their sandwiches. One can't help but feel that their success (with locations now open in NYC, Las Vegas, and Venice....California, among others) has caused a bit of a backlash among the Italian sandwich cognoscenti. Some reviews and remarks have even gone so far as to deride them as the "Subway of Italian sandwich shops."
I can only go by my own visit at this particular location, but my experience was superb. After spending less than 5 minutes in a fairly long but briskly moving queue, I opted for "The Boss" as my sandwich, consisting of Prosciutto crudo, semi-aged pecorino, truffle cream, and arugula. Very informal walk up atmosphere, beverages on hand to accompany your food, wise cracking, hardworking, friendly staff.
My sandwich was a very large portion, on excellently prepared focaccia bread...chewy with a slight crunch, seasoned lightly with salt, and just a hint of olive oil, and pecorino. The arugula was fresh and the prosciutto was lovely...not too salty, trimmed and cut lean with just the right ratio of fat. I loved the sandwich so much that I returned for a followup visit a few days later, which was every bit as good. My expectations were met and then some.