If you haven’t heard of All’Antico Vinaio, you’re missing out on one of the buzziest new eating experiences in the Las Vegas Valley, appropriately situated at the exciting UnCommons complex in the southwest. The storied Italian sandwich emporium based in Florence opened its fifth location in January and has maintained consistent lines out the door ever since.
If you are aware but have been hesitant to drop in, don’t be. Those lines might be daunting, but things move quickly—the goal is to have customers wait no more than 10 minutes once in the door. And since you’re waiting near the counter, you get a lot of time watching the staff slicing meat, doling out samples and generally just cutting up—not the worst way to pass the time.
No matter the delay, All’Antico doesn’t disappoint. The sandwiches aren’t overflowing in a Katz Deli way, but rather well-stuffed without overwhelming, and the ingredients are top notch.
All’Antico uses a house-made schiacciata—often mistaken for its more-common brethren focaccia, which is thicker and spongier—for all its sandwiches, baking in-house daily and rewarming prior to serving to keep the bread crispy and chewy. Roast beef, turkey and porchetta (pork roast) are also made in-house, while other meats are sourced from Italy.
Perusing the menu can be a Rosetta Stone-worthy Italian lesson. The Favolosa ($19), the sandwich which Saveur named the one of the world’s best in 2016, layers fennel-flavored sbriciolona salame with sharp
pecorino cream, artichokes and
spicy eggplant. Mortadella (think classy bologna) is traditionally made with pistachios, but instead, La Paradiso ($18) uses pistachio bits and cream, along with mild stracciatella cheese, to complement the nut-free version of the meat. If you like pistachios even a fraction as much as I do, you’ll love this sandwich.
L’Inferno ($17) delivers a bit of heat from its nduja, spicy spreadable sausage, combining with porchetta, grilled vegetables and arugula, with the greens providing a welcome contrast. A regular special, The King ($23) lives up to its moniker, ruling with an umami-laden iron fist where culatello—a rare pork cut similar to prosciutto only available in the States since 2017—along with parmigiano cream and arugula bask in an earthy truffle cream. Consider yourself lucky if it’s available when you visit.
Almost as good is La Broadway ($15), a vegetarian option combining some of the best ingredients from the other sandwiches, including pistachio cream, stracciatella and spicy zucchini, along with sun-dried tomatoes. You don’t need the meats to enjoy yourself here.
Indoor seating is fleeting at All’Antico but UnCommons offers plenty of outdoor common-area space to partake in this Italian excursion. And if you don’t want to brave the lines, these sandwiches are now available exclusively on Uber Eats. It takes some of the fun out of the experience but none of the deliciousness.
ALL’ANTICO VINAIO 8533 Rozita Lee Ave. #100, 725-276-0105, allanticovinaiolasvegas.com. Sunday-Thursday, 10:30 a.m.-7 p.m., Friday-Saturday 10:30 a.m.-8 p.m.
