South Loop Sandwich--Panozzo's

Not up to the standard of a Bari or Riviera--more like the South Loop version of L'Appetito--but Panozzo's is a good place for a take-out Italian sandwich, if you're looking for one in the area. No inside seating, but certainly an option for Museum Campus picnics and events at Soldier's Field. I've only had their cold sandwiches (I recommend the vegetarian--fresh mozz, tomatoes, eggplant--oddly enough, not on the menu), but they also offer hot sandwiches and some prepared foods. Good value at $5-$8 for hefty-enough sandwiches.

Panozzo's
1303 S. Michigan
http://www.panozzos.com/

The "Homemade Roast Beef" sandwich here was surprisingly good. I have no idea whether they actually make the beef in-house, but mine was done medium-well, finely sliced, and perfectly tender. They had almost finished making the sandwich when they asked whether I wanted caramelized onions. This was apparently an afterthought, but the onions really helped the sandwich. So I will make sure to ask for them in the future.

The "Panino Italiano Tradizionale" was OK, but nothing special.

It's also worth noting that they have a fair selection of oils, cheeses, sausages, pastas, etc. They have a small selection of beer and wine.

The drawback of Panozzo's should come as no surprise -- it's the hefty markup. But this is forgiveable given the quality goods, convenient location (for some purposes), and the relative expense of the neighborhood generally.

If you have a minute, it's better to stick with Conte di Savoia. But for those in a rush, Panozzo's is better than it has to be.

I live in the neighborhood and actually posted a review shortly after Panozzo's opened in this discussion:
http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.ph ... t=panozzos

Yes, they do take a somewhat hefty mark-up on a lot of their stuff, but the South Loop has been such a desert for so long that it's a very welcome neighbor in my book. Panozzo's is a true mom and pop organization, and the owners are passionate about providing good quality, well prepared products to their customers. And as a I mentioned in my review, their sandwiches are far superior to anything else offered in the neighborhood.

Considering the rent they're probably paying, I think the prices are very fair at Panozzo's. Comte de Savoia ain't no bargain hunters' paradise either. Off the top of my head they both carry La Bella San Marzano tomatoes, and even though they both jack the price over $3.00 IIRC the CDS is $0.50 or so higher.

Panozzo's deserves a little love here, South Loop could use a lot more places like this. They do a tidy little business there, I hope it encourages more independent retail into the area. Man does not live on Jerry Kleiner restaurants alone.

Fast Eddie wrote:Man does not live on Jerry Kleiner restaurants alone.

No, apparently one needs Jimmy John's and Cold Stone Creamery too. I'll echo the sentiments above about Panozzo's being the sort of place so lacking in the South Loop. It's one of the few establishments in the entire area I have any desire to return to.


The generously filled Italian sandwich ($5.99) was not bad at all. In the future I'd probably go with the "New Construction" option and chose from their nice selection of meats and cheeses.


Meatball sandwich ($5.49) was a monster. Homemade meatballs were interesting, fairly bready and studded with raisins. Red sauce was quite good.


Of special note, Panozzo's carries the full line of La Quercia cured meats, including speck, guanciale, pancetta, and a variety of prosciutto.

i havent been to panozzos yet, but i understand that they carry salumi from fra mani out in california. this is paul bartolli's(famous chef) charcuterie business. i was on fra mani's website knocked out by the high prices to mail order any of his salamis and found a link to panozzos. the high prices of these artisanal meats would certainly explain high prices for sandwiches using them. i've never actually eaten anything from fra mani, i can only hope they are delicious enough to justify their cost. justjoan

Rene G wrote:


Meatball sandwich ($5.49) was a monster. Homemade meatballs were interesting, fairly bready and studded with raisins. Red sauce was quite good.

Technically they are currants, not raisins. (sorry if I am nitpicking)

Dale wrote:Technically they are currants, not raisins.

You're right, they're currants. There's other vegetable matter in there too. I believe I came across capers and chopped fennel stalks. These are busy meatballs and I'm not quite sure how I feel about them but I give Panozzo's credit for making a distinctive version.

I made another mistake above when I wrote:No, apparently one needs Jimmy John's and Cold Stone Creamery too.

Instead of Cold Stone I should have written Marble Slab Creamery. There's one a block north of Panozzo's. Probably only a matter of time before the South Loop gets a Cold Stone too (there already is one about a mile west, on Halsted).

justjoan wrote:i havent been to panozzos yet, but i understand that they carry salumi from fra mani out in california. this is paul bartoletto's(famous chef) charcuterie business.

Cool. I noticed Fra'Mani in the case at Panozzo's but didn't realize it was Paul Bertolli's company. That's their Salame Gentile, the long paper-wrapped one toward the right of the deli case photo above.

In the original Panozzo's thread Bill wrote:Did you get an indication of where they're getting their bread?

For their regular sandwiches, Panozzo's uses bread from Labriola. They also sell whole loaves from D'Amato's, Labriola, and at least one other bakery.

I strongly recommend getting their take on Bari's prosciutto, mozzarella, and basil sandwich. They sub out the basil for basil pesto. And while I prefer the bread at Bari, at Panozzo's you can substitute any variety of the La Quercia prosciuttos (e.g. Speck, Americano) in place of their standard prosciutto for a buck or two more. It's no bargain, but it might be the highest quality sub you can get in the city. And boy, it's tasty.

I have to second comments about the Italian sausage sandwich. That thing was enormous.

Rene G wrote:

justjoan wrote:i havent been to panozzos yet, but i understand that they carry salumi from fra mani out in california. this is paul bartoletto's(famous chef) charcuterie business.

Cool. I noticed Fra'Mani in the case at Panozzo's but didn't realize it was Paul Bertolli's company. That's their Salame Gentile, the long paper-wrapped one toward the right of the deli case photo above.

I had a craving for some Fra' Mani Salumi (I always snag some when I'm back in Virginia at Feast!) and spotted this post here on LTH. I called ahead to Panozzo's and the woman who answered the phone passed me along to John, the owner. He said that he was almost out, but had a shipment coming in and suggested that I come in sometime after the 21st and said to ask for him by name. I had some time this morning, so I headed down.

First, let me just say that the folks running this place - from the woman and at the register who greeted me when I came in, to the guys working the deli counter, to John when he came out to say hello - were all extremely friendly and it was clear that everyone shopping there was being well taken care of.

I snagged some Salame Gentile and Salame Nostrano, my two favorites, along with some La Quercia's (they were out of the Berkshire "Rosso" but had the standard one). I also grabbed a fresh, warm, hot italian sausage and peppers cooked in to homemade focaccia.

Salame Gentile


Salame Nostrano


Hot Italian Sausage with peppers and cheese baked in to homemade focaccia with a side of marinara


Great spot. I'll definitely be back for more salami in the future.

-Dan

They are seriously so friendly there. I haven't had the sausage and pepper thing in a while since I started a small fire while using an unconventional process to reheat the last one I got, but you know I think it is about time to get past that.

dansch wrote:Salame Gentile

I've walked by this place a bunch of times and have never gone in. My sister lives about three blocks away, and I'll be apartment & dog sitting for her when she's on vacation next month. Looks like I'll be eating salami that week!

paddleboard wrote:I haven't had the sausage and pepper thing in a while since I started a small fire while using an unconventional process to reheat the last one I got, but you know I think it is about time to get past that.

Care to elaborate?

For what it's worth, I thought it was pretty good, and that the marinara on the side was fantastic, but the "hot" Italian sausage left a little to be desired in the spice category. Delicious, definitely, but not hot.

-Dan

Rene G wrote:Of special note, Panozzo's carries the full line of La Quercia cured meats, including speck, guanciale, pancetta, and a variety of prosciutto.

I love this place. Everyone that works there is great. They're genuinely friendly and passionate about food. I stop by regularly for my salumi fix. If you haven't tried it yet, you have to try the new La Quercia Coppa. It's amazing. They've been out of the La Quercia Rosso for awhile. Hopefully they'll get more in soon. According to the La Quercia website, Panozzo's is the first retailer in the Chicago area to carry their entire line. The Fra'Mani stuff they carry is also excellent.

My favorite sandwich there is a pâté sandwich that they occasionally have on the menu. I haven't seen it on the menu recently, but I always order it when it's available.

Anderson G wrote:I strongly recommend getting their take on Bari's prosciutto, mozzarella, and basil sandwich.

Yes yes yes, this was one of the very few things I miss from my old job in the South Loop. Think I'll have one for dinner!

I just made my first visit to Panozzo's. I had the panino italiano tradizionale. I thought it was very good. The bread was probably the weakest link, it wasnt particularly crusty and kinda soft. The tomatoes were amazing, though. High summer deep red puppies with a lot of flavor. I also really liked the red wine vinegar dressing and that they didnt use mayo or mustard. The meats and cheese were just OK, next time I'd probably ask for the La Quercia stuff and some aged provolone. It was fairly well stuffed and a good value at $5.99 for a large sub.

I'd rank it below Bari and Riviera, on a par with L'Appetito and way above Fontano's in terms of Italian subs Ive tried recently.

My overall impression is very positive, it's kind of like a mini upscale Bari Foods. I wish there was a neighborhood Italian deli like this up in my hood (Evanston)!!!

I've made it to Panozzo's a few times and I like it a lot too. I was really impressed with their porchetta panini as it had all the richness and crispness that I expect from porchetta and it was delicious . . . I assume they make the porchetta in-house but I can't state that with certainty. But after having had a far less impressive version (no crispness, difficult to cut through the exterior, and flavor didn't wow me) this past weekend at Ceres' Table (where everything else was quite good), I was longing for the porchetta at Panozzo's.

happy_stomach wrote:I've walked by this place a bunch of times and have never gone in. My sister lives about three blocks away, and I'll be apartment & dog sitting for her when she's on vacation next month. Looks like I'll be eating salami that week!

Gosh, I've gone from not knowing this place at all to being a huge fan. (Disclosure: I do a tiny amount of business with Panozzo's...because I love it so.)

One part of their business that I don't think has been mentioned and should get more attention is their baked goods. I really never buy chocolate chip cookies, but the ones at Panozzo's are incredible--really good chocolate and a lot of it. I don't usually like to pack my cookies with chocolate; here it's totally fine with me. On my last visit, a batch had just come out of the oven, and one of the guys behind the counter brought one to our table. I took a break from my goat bolognese to savor every last crumb of that cookie. The best of its kind.

Also, Panozzo's makes these cheese strudel-like sticks that are also very excellent. Not too much filling and very light. I've also loved the pie I've had there--it's deep-dish!

Panozzo's recently added yet more tables, so eating in is very comfortable. For anyone going to Panozzo's before December 10, a nice one-two punch is lunch at Panozzo's followed by a visit to nearby Columbia College's Center for Book and Paper Arts for their current exhibit, Wood Type, Evolved: Experimental Letterpress & Relief Printing in the 21st Century. It's not food-centric, but there are a few food-related prints that are rather clever.



(The fine print reads, "The average factory farmed chicken is confined to a space about the size of this 8x8 inch square.")

Columbia College Center for Book and Paper Arts
Ludington Building
1104 South Wabash Ave.
Gallery hours: Monday - Saturday, 10am - 6pm

Been enjoying this place over the last couple yrs since a buddy of mine got a loft down the st. The porchetta is made in house and the salumi selection is among the best in town. They even have the ability to make a chix breast sandwich taste delicious, albeit Gunthorp Farms w/rabe and fresh mozz help. Great sandwich. Something I'd never order, but tasted one day and been hooked since. The dinners they do once a month sound interesting, although I haven't been. Nice people, excellent quality.

The first thing I'll say is that the title of this thread is somewhat deceptive, as Panozzo's is so much more than a sandwich shop. The second thing I'll say is that this thread is way too dormant for such a terrific place. With all due respect to PQM, when the subject of porchetta comes up, I immediately think of Panozzo's. It's not always the easiest place to get to (parking is a bitch over there to begin with), but their porchetta panini sandwich is a thing of beauty: the porchetta starts with Slagel Farm pork belly that's wrapped around SF pork shoulder. The porchetta is topped lightly with pickled fennel, some greens and a chili aioli. It's one of my very favorite sandwiches in Chicago (and their various sub sandwiches are pretty damn good too). I have Bears season tix and when I haven't felt like cooking for tailgates, their sandwiches and pastas have made me quite the popular tailgate attendee.

Their arancini are also some of the very best I've had. As I noted in another thread, the spinach arancini I had the other day (they also make a meat version) was fantastic (and can be taken to go and reheated) - great flavor, moist and not too dense.

But in addition to other sandwiches, salads, sides, pastas and other entrees, Panozzo's does some dinners (advertised on their website under "events" and Facebook and Twitter) and I'm hoping to make it there soon for one of those evenings. They also sell some frozen items (including pastas, gelato, etc.) and dry goods (crackers, pastas, oils, bread, etc.)

Also, here's the current link to their website (the one above is dated): http://www.panozzos.com/

One of the best things I've tasted all year is the fresh mozzarella crescentina here with fresh herbs, sea salt, Calabrian chili puree, and prosciutto. It's like eating the condensed aromas of Floriole, a Museo del Jamon, and a Toon's buffalo wing.

Based on Jazzfood's recommendation and a recent memory jog from Guy Fieri's show, we made the trip to Panozzo's today to try the porchetta sandwich, and I have to say that we were both blown away! I agree with BR...it's one of my favorite sandwiches in town. Amazing!

Fast Eddie wrote:Considering the rent they're probably paying, I think the prices are very fair at Panozzo's.

+1

BR wrote:I assume they make the porchetta in-house but I can't state that with certainty.

porchetta is made in-house. It is a damn good sandwich.

The ricotta pound cake muffins I had ~8 months ago were terrific, a client was not happy I had turned him onto this place as he was trying to lose weight.

Panozzo's had a lovely GLT (guanciale) with sliced green tomato yesterday; I was also pleased to see a storage reconfiguration and kitchen enhancement in progress, with promises of an expanded menu (it's pretty grand already) and full gelato suite to come soon. Their chocolate chip cookies and the fried chicken cutlets are particularly off the hook of late. This place is giving Publican Quality Meats a run for its (my) money.

A lot of changes since my last visit but was in the mood for the old gunthorp chix cutlet sandwich w/rabe, mozz and toms. It's not on the menu anymore but they were glad to make it. I asked for it warm but believe it was nuked, as the outer edges were literlly rocks (I broke them off). First time I've ever had anything that wasn't 100% on the money. A minor mishap though @ an underappreciated place that deserves more discussion here. Their porchetta continues to be among my favorite in town (Riccardo tratt) and their potato salad and roasted cauliflower salads are both excellent as well.