Italian sandwiches get a unique twist at Vero Sandwich Shop, a new eatery located at 488 Queen Street West. Inside, Italian chef Daniele Gagliotta makes everything fresh in-house, including the schiacciata bread which serves as the starting point for Vero’s sandwiches.
Chef Daniele is a world champion pizzaiolo, and the bread at Vero is his specialty. He helped craft the star of the operation, the 48-hour schiacciata sourdough, which uses flour imported from Italy and carries a texture similar to a thin, Tuscan focaccia. And Vero lets the dough take centre stage in every way possible, including make sure the space itself showcases the work that goes into making the schiacciata.
View this post on Instagram
“We designed the restaurant to be a completely open concept,” chef Daniele says. “Customers can see us making the dough while they wait for their sandwich.”
Schiacciata is all the rage these days – in Toronto, David Rocco’s Bar Aperitivo and Ariete el Toro use it, drawing comparisons to All’Antico Vinaio in Florence, Italy, where devoted visitors queue for up to an hour to indulge in the shop’s now‑famed schiacciata, lauded by Saveur as “home of the world’s best sandwiches” and once TripAdvisor’s most‑reviewed restaurant worldwide
As for Vero’s menu items, Italian-style options include the Smoke & Dolce, crafted with speck, smoked provolone, stracciatella, fig jam and arugula, the Gabagool, which is stacked with capicola, mortadella, fresh mozzarella, giardiniera, tomato and arugula, and The God-feather, which uses roast turkey, smoked provolone, caramelized onions, cacio e pepe crema and heritage greens. Prices for Vero’s sandwiches range from $18 to $24.
The eatery also offers a sweet treat in the form of a pane e nutella with toasted schiacciate, Nutella and pistachio.
Vero officially started welcoming guests last week and is open daily from noon to 6 p.m., with delivery and takeout options launching soon.
