Your body is screaming #EuroSummer. But your bank account says #SticktoSuburbiaGF. Look, we get it. Flights to Italy are extortionate, your leave balance is sitting at a tragic three days, and that dream of wandering Sorrento with gelato in hand is starting to feel very far away.
If your algorithm has been serving you endless Amalfi Coast sunsets, linen shirts and impossibly flaky slices of woodfired pizza, while your passport sits firmly in the drawer, consider this your consolation prize.
This, being All’ Antico Vinaio – the cult Florentine sandwich institution (with queues so legendary they’ve basically become a tourist attraction in their own right), which just opened its very first Australian outpost. And it’s landed right here in Sydney.
In fact, as of today, Friday 17 July, you can get your hands on the same schiacciata that’s had Florence (and half of TikTok) in a chokehold for over three decades, without so much as touching your passport.
The new shopfront has set up at 50 Pitt Street in the CBD, with window-side bench seating that looks straight out over Sydney Harbour Bridge – so really, if you squint, it’s basically the Arno. Basically.
So, what actually is a schiacciata?
For the uninitiated, schiacciata is Tuscany’s answer to focaccia, a crispy-on-the-outside, pillowy-on-the-inside flatbread baked fresh with olive oil and salt, then packed with an almost comedic amount of premium Italian fillings. All’Antico Vinaio has been perfecting the formula since 1991, when the very first shop opened beneath Florence’s Palazzo Vecchio. Fast forward to now, and the brand has ballooned to more than 60 stores across Italy, France, North America and the Middle East. And sold north of 5.5 million schiacciate in 2025 alone.
Founder and CEO Tommaso Mazzanti says bringing the brand to Sydney has been a genuinely full-circle moment. “At All’Antico Vinaio our goal has always been simple: To share a piece of authentic Italian tradition with as many people as possible,” he says. “Sydney is an extraordinary city with a vibrant food culture, and we are proud to bring our schiacciata here. We’re so pleased to welcome Australians into our store to share the flavours, energy and hospitality that has made All’Antico Vinaio famous around the world.”
Sandwiches you’ll want to know about
There are 15 schiacciate on the menu, and picking just one is going to be a genuine struggle. A few essentials to get you started:
- The Paradiso. The brand’s best-seller worldwide, loaded with mortadella, stracciatella, pistachio pesto and chopped pistachio. More than 250,000 have already been sold across Europe and the UK in 2026 alone, so it’s fair to say this one’s earned its stripes.
- The Favolosa. Mazzanti’s personal favourite, built on soft, crumbly Tuscan sbriciolona salami, pecorino cream, artichoke cream and spicy aubergines. “It reminds me of growing up in Florence and enjoying my first sandwich with my parents at our home,” he says of the sandwich. “It’s an iconic Florentine salami but it was so little-known before we started using it, that even people in Tuscany hadn’t heard of it.”
- The Sydney. Of course, Sydney couldn’t resist putting its own stamp on things. Exclusive to the Australian store is the Sydney schiacciata, filled with Papandrea’s award-winning wagyu bresaola, parmesan and rocket – a local nod sitting comfortably alongside the Tuscan classics.
Much of the good stuff is flown in directly from Italy – the flour, 16-month aged prosciutto di parma, buffalo mozzarella, parmesan and pecorino – while the schiacciata itself is baked fresh onsite every single day, and all the creams and pesto are made in-house.
The details
All’Antico Vinaio is open now at 50 Pitt Street, Sydney, trading daily from 10am to 8pm.
So no, you don’t need the 24-hour flight, the jet lag or the currency conversion anxiety to get your Italian summer fix this year. Just a walk to the CBD and an appetite big enough to do a Florentine sandwich justice. #EuroSummer, sorted. No passport required.
*We kept it neutral and went with Florence as reviewing different restaurants is our Bread & Butter. But, FYI, some fans have actually declared All’Antico Vinaio the most famous sandwhich shop on the globe!
Plot Twist
In news just in, if you’ve come across this page on launch day, the team have just dropped the below update:
“After an epic morning, All’Antico Vinaio’s first Australian store has had to temporarily close its doors due to a burst water pipe in the roof of the building. We’re working to quickly and safely get back up and running, so that we can return to making our much-loved schiacciata for the people of Sydney. Watch this space and keep an eye on our socials.”
We’re treating it as nothing more than a slight flight delay to Rome. And you best bet we’ll be back soon!
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