All’Antico Vinaio — Restaurant in Florence

All’Antico Vinaio, Florence

All’Antico Vinaio has, over the years, achieved something close to cult status among visitors to Florence. It’s the sort of place that appears on every food blog, travel guide, and TikTok reel – and for that reason alone, you’ll almost certainly find yourself in line with hundreds of curious tourists at least once. The experience itself, however, is not quite as polished as the hype might suggest. The food, to start with, is good. The schiacciata sandwiches are undeniably huge, the fillings extremely generous, and the vegetarian combinations we tried were flavourful and hearty. The spreads and vegetables had punch, and you will absolutely get value for money in terms of portion size. That said, the bread – which should be the star of the show – lacked the freshness and lightness one might hope for. Instead of that just-baked fragrance and springy chew, it leaned a bit dense and flat, which dulled the overall experience. Where All’Antico Vinaio falters most, though, is in its organisation. The queuing system is, quite frankly, chaotic. The interior is extremely narrow, with no clear flow on where to order, where to wait, or how to pay. Tourists pour in, quickly become disoriented, and the resulting crowd creates confusion and bottlenecks. Staff members, clearly under pressure, often end up raising their voices to restore some sense of order – which only heightens the tense atmosphere. For some people, particularly those who dislike crowded or noisy spaces, the experience could easily verge on overwhelming or anxiety-inducing. A simple restriction on the number of customers inside at any given time, or a more structured queue system, could transform the experience. In comparison, consider Panini Toscani near the Duomo. While it doesn’t have the same international fame or social media frenzy, the experience there feels more thoughtful. Staff take the time to guide you through the fillings, there’s a more personal interaction, and the space is managed in a way that avoids chaos. The bread is fresher, lighter, and arguably more authentically Tuscan in character. The result is a panino that feels crafted rather than churned out, even if it’s not quite as Instagram-friendly in scale. Overall: All’Antico Vinaio delivers on quantity and buzz, but not necessarily on quality of execution or guest experience. If you want to tick off a famous food stop and don’t mind the chaos, it’s worth a go. But if you’re looking for a calmer, fresher, and more authentic Florentine sandwich experience, a smaller, lesser-known spot like Panini Toscani might...

This place gets super busy for lunch and much less so for dinner, but still busy. They have three separate locations on the street and each location has a line (though only two are open at night).

The line up gets quite hectic as you’re supposed to move in to order, but many people gather around the menu. People really want sandwiches and sometimes squeeze around or squeeze through, especially those who are experienced with ordering here.

Service is quick as they cut the meats fresh and prepare your sandwich right in front of you. The sandwich gurus are nice. The ones manning the cash really just want to clear the queue as soon as possible. Get everything in order before you line up. Do yourself and the people in line a favour by getting what you want before joining the line. They were pretty upset with the couple in front that couldn’t decide on one beer or two.

The quality of meats is there, and the ingredients are fresh. The truffle cream has some truffle flavour to it, and they absolutely load your sandwich up with it if you order any of the truffle stuff.

They do have an eat in option, but it’s packed, so I recommend you walk an extra 5 mins and you can have dinner with a view overseeing Ponte Vecchio which is super awesome - and less crowded than being around where everyone else is.

The sandwich itself is decent. I’m not sure what the hype is after lining up for a few minutes and getting the sandwich (around 8pm). It’s tasty, but it’s not spectacular. If you’re really craving an authentic Italian then definitely stop by, but otherwise I don’t think it’s a meal replacement. Also, the sandwiches are quite sizeable so you’re getting value. It’s mostly bread to meat, but again, you’re getting decent size and value.

Just to compare, two McDonald’s sandwiches/burgers without meal, will cost you around 16 Euros. Two sandwiches here will run you about 18 Euros. Not trying to compare the two as they’re not the same, but just to let you know what you’re paying for.

Oh one final thing, maybe I’m just a messy eater, but get lots of napkins because the sauces will...

We had never heard of All'Antico Vinaio before wandering by it on the way to another place and seeing the long line to acquire one of their famous sandwiches. We're suckers for a line with something awesome at the end of it so we gave it a try.

Pro-tip, this location has three store-fronts, all next to each other, that all serve the same thing. The long line tends to be at the left-most store, but if they don't have someone managing the lines, feel free to get in one of the shorter ones at the right-two store-fronts. Same sandwiches...shorter wait. That having been said the line moved super-quickly so don't let the long line deter you.

They also have a great vegetarian selection. You can get similar, and maybe just as good, sandwiches at other nearby places. (That's not just conjecture...we had a really good, very similar sandwich at a no-line place in the same block.) But this is the only place with multiple, unique, creative and tasty vegetarian options. They've got 5 different vegetarian sandwiches (whereas at a "regular" but just as good place usually there's a cheese sandwich.)

We got the #2 (Pistachio Cream, Stracciatella, Dry tomatoes and Basil) and the #4 (Cow Cheese, Mushroom Cream, Zuchini and Rocket lettuce.) Both were really good...my wife preferred the pistachio cream and I liked the strong cheese flavor of the #4.

You can also get a blue cheese or pecorino cream based sandwich...so if you're sandwich-a-holic (help is available) you can go back multiple times and have something different.

There's no seating here so you'll see people spread out on the streets in every direction, by the river, around the corner, sitting on curbs, enjoying their All'Antico Vinaio sandwiches. The many vegetarian options really rock and it's well worth standing in the...