Longtime Londoners will probably have pretty strong views on where serves the best Italian sandwich. Usually, that’ll be one close to home (or work) which they’ve been frequenting for an age (personally, we’ve never recovered from the closure of our personal favourite, the old school Silva’s in Covent Garden). But if you’re looking for something that’s a bit special, or a departure from your own favourite, we have some suggestions that’ll transport you directly to Italy without having to search out your passport.
Dal Fiorentino
Hoxton, Brick Lane, Fitzrovia, Holborn
The buzz that surrounds the opening of a new branch of Dal Fiorentino has to be seen to be believed - the last one had queues snaking around the block in the London rain. Why? Well it's because the focaccia sandwiches here are very good indeed. And if you’re a vegetarian who’s normally put off by all the porky options, then the Il Magnifico here, made with a whole burrata, pistachio pesto, grilled courgettes, rocket, and extra virgin olive oil, has your name on it.
All'Antico Vinaio
Soho - 61 Old Compton St, London W1D 6HT
The newest of the bunch, the arrival of the legendary Florentine sandwich shop in London has led to hour-long queues since its opening. They’re here for the amazing schiacciata sandwiches (a specific type of flatbread from Florence) filled with the freshest of ingredients. There are a few limited editions that are specific to London, La London with porchetta, matured cheddar, potato cream and caramelised onion, and La Royal, which features sbriciolona salami, straciatella, sun-dried tomatoes and courgettes. Whether you want to queue for an hour for a sandwich is between you and your stomach.
Focaccia Mia
Bethnal Green - 271 Poyser St, London E2 9RF
Part of the family-run operation, which also includes Ida's Kitchen (who cater for the likes of Burberry and Net a Porter), Focaccia Mia is a two-year-old business that's already garnered quite the reputation for its focaccia sandos. But while their Parmigiana, chicken parm and meatball sandwiches are great, what you really want to look out for are their regularly changing specials. The one pictured above features five-hour slow-cooked Neapolitan beef brisket Genovese, provolone, parmesan and - the swoonsome ingredient - in-house Tropea onion rings.
The Black Pig
Borough Market
Being one of the viral Borough Market must-tries doesn't always have to mean somewhere's a total tourist trap, with Black Pig being a good example. There's always a perma-queue snaking back from this stall, but with good reason. Here it's all about marrying the best of British and Italian ingredients with what they term 'an Italian influence'. The best known sarnie is their tell-it-like-it-is The Best One, which features slow roast free range Blythburgh pork from Suffolk, honey truffle parm mayo, fennel apple slaw, pepperoncini sott'olio, salsa verde and 30-month aged parmesan. It’s genuinely a great sandwich, and deserving of the hype.
Bread & Truffle
London Fields, Monument, St Pancras, Canary Wharf, Spitalfields and Battersea
With branches everywhere except West London, the sandwiches at Bread & Truffle are probably the easiest to get your hands on. Having started as a lockdown business in London Fields, they've now expanded throughout London. But at every branch you can be sure of their amazing focaccia made with dough given a full 16-hour fermentation. And, as the name suggests, they also go big on their truffled options. If you're coming here for the first time, start with the Porky Pig, which sees the bread stuffed with Tuscan sausage, red chicory and pecorino and finished off with both truffle cacio e pepe cream and truffle oil.
La Finestra
Southfields - 270 Merton Rd, Southfields, London SW18 5JN
Newly opened but already creating quite the stir is this focaccia window in Southfields. Italian-born owner Stefano served his time at the coalface of London hospitality before deciding to break out on his own. There aren’t many places in London where you can pick up a really good sarnie for well south of the £10 mark, and the fact that you have to ring the bell to place your order through the tiny window just adds to the fun. Right now it's their Pistacchiosa which is getting the most love, a winning combo of mortadella, burrata and pistachio pesto.
Panuozzo at 081 Pizzeria
City of London - 46 Great Eastern Street, EC2A 3EP
This is a bit of a leftfield option, as the panuozzo is a Neapolitan delicacy that's the love child of a pizza and a sandwich, not to be confused with a calzone. A pizza is baked, then split open before being filled and then baked once more. Here at 081 Pizzeria, there are several options, including the must-try Maradona made with smoked mozzarella, Italian sausage and friarelli (wild broccoli).
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