Welcome to the new kids on the block! Luigi Panini is a brand new Surry Hills business.
The owners are Alessandro, Luigi (of course!) and a second Alessandro, who is Luigi’s cousin. All are genuine Italians, with lots of experience working in hospitality and panini shops, and all have the beautiful Italian accents and gestures to prove it.
The café has only just opened in Fitzroy Street this month. They do 12 different types of panini, the traditional Italian toasted sandwich, all made with ciabatta and a mixture of fillings, inspired by and named after Italian cities and regions (including Sorrento, Venezia, Roma, Portofino and Bologna), containing classic cured meats such as prosciutto and salami, all imported from Italy, and Italian cheeses, sourced from local producers, in various combinations with tomato, rocket, zucchini and basil and so on, with delicious homemade pesto and other sauces. There’s also a delicious tuna panini (Amalfi) and another with zucchini, grilled capsicum, chickpea and tomato purée (Portofino) for the non-meat eaters. Having tried both the latter I can confirm they are absolutely delicious.
The café also offers coffee (one of the Alessandros is an experienced barista), Italian and other soft drinks and two different flavours of tiramisu. The business is already humming seven days a week, with customers consisting of local workers on weekdays and Surry Hills visitors at the weekends. Although Surry Hills is blessed with food outlets, clearly our area has been waiting for some authentic Italian panini.
Alessandro, Luigi and Alessandro have plans for the business to grow and develop. They are already applying for a liquor license, with a view to offering an aperitivo/wine bar experience in future, and I cannot wait to have that on my doorstep!