I Fratellini — Restaurant in Florence

This is must try in Florence, just around the corner from the Piazza della Signoria (Duomo Square), near the Palazzo Vecchio (Old Palace) and the river. Here is their website: https://i-fratellini.weeblyte.com/. Open since 1875! They serve panini or schiacciate (traditional Tuscan bread, something like focaccia). Be prepared for a long line at lunch time but it moves quickly! Not sure how busy they are throughout the day. I was there around noon.

Many people eat on the spot but it's very crowded, so ask for a bag, find a quieter spot (like one of the squares), and enjoy. You can also order a drink but not sure if they have to-go cups or have bottled options. I saw people returning glasses.

Porcetta (roasted pork) is one of the most popular choices (go with schiacciate) and the one I picked and really liked. I like simple cheese and meat sandwhiches so Porchetta was awesome, with amazing roasted pork flavor. If you like sandwiches moist, add Pecorino Cream. Also tried Mortadella E Crema Tartufata (truffle cream). Mortadella was amazing but I thought truffle cream was a bit overwhelming. Maybe I am just not "fancy." :) Sandwiches are huge! I bought two and made three very filling meals out of them. Porchetta keeps well, since it's roasted meat and this sandwich does not have cream which can spoil quickly, so made a great lunch on the train...

I've heard about this place and wanted to check it for myself, but every time I was in the area there was a long line of people waiting for a sandwich. Finally I got there and the line wasn't long, because it was early, and I was maybe 5th in line. The line moves pretty quick, and we waited maybe a couple of minutes before it was our turn. There is a menu on the wall where you stand in line and also some printed menu for you to grab next to the door, so by the time it was our turn we knew what we wanted. We got the wild boar with butter, and the salami with artichokes. After you order and pay, €10 for 2 sandwiches and 2 bottles of water, you get a ticket with a number, and you wait for your order to be called. There are some stools to sit, if you can catch one, or just walk around the corner and sit on the stairs. We got our order after about 10 minutes. The bread is fresh and warm, and the ingredients are high quality. Simple sandwiches but prepared the right way. The place is operated like a tourist trap, and most of the crowd are tourists, but it is absolutely not. The quality is great and the price is more than fair, and you get good value for your money. There are many places to get a sandwich in the city, this is definitely one of the...

Based on some of the below reviews, we headed here instead of All’Antico Vinaio.

This is a fun spot, but feeling this could not be the sandwich experience in Florence that folks rave about, after we split a sandwich, we headed to All’Antico Vinaio.

Here's the list of areas in which I Fratellini excels.

The wine is served in a real glass.

You can sit on a stool in the street.

That's it; end of list.

All’Antico Vinaio excels in every other way. To be fair, I Fratellini is 2 guys with a toaster oven. They are super friendly and gracious. And they make a good sandwich. In contrast, All’Antico Vinaio has at least 30 people working with cases of goodness. The line was 5 minutes and totally fun as people are hyped about what they're eating, or about to eat.

The wine does come in a small plastic cup, which seems an absolute necessity given the volume of customers.

The sandwich was one of the best things we've eaten in two...