🎶 There Goes My Hero 🎶

Faicco's, a 120-Year-Old New York Sandwich Shop, Opens in Sarasota

Make a meal—or two—out of these huge Italian heroes, and thank us later.

By Lauren Jackson November 2, 2022

Mortadella hero at Faicco's.

Mortadella hero at Faicco's.

There's a new sandwich shop in town—or, as they call it at Faicco's, a "hero." That's an apt name, as these gargantuan sammies require a hero-sized appetite to finish one. Or in my case, three.

That's right, I ordered three heroes at Faicco's because I couldn't decide between mortadella, chicken pesto and porchetta. Can you blame me?

Faicco's is a more than 120-year-old institution in Manhattan, located in Greenwich Village, which after over a century in business expanded to an additional location here in Sarasota at the old Webber Hot Dogs location. After a couple of failed attempts to track down the owners to ask why they chose to open their first non-New York outpost in Sarasota, I'll chalk the move up to excellent weather and an unbeatable community—you know, the reasons the rest of us are here, too.

Chicken pesto hero at Faicco's.

Chicken pesto hero at Faicco's.

Upon entering the restaurant, my companion and I are greeted by a chipper server who tells us we can get tableside service if we want. The takeout line is lengthy, so I'm relieved we won't have to stand in it.

After settling in on the outdoor patio—all seating is outdoors—we know we won't be able to decide on just one sandwich. We've been anticipating this opening for months, trading Instagram images from the New York location to taunt one another when we're hungry. So, instead of being responsible with our calories, we opt for everything that piques our interest.

When the sandwiches arrive, we're overcome with laughter at our own lack of self-control staring at us from plastic sandwich baskets. The mortadella hero contains the amount of meat that I would order from the deli for a week's worth of sandwiches. The chicken pesto and porchetta portions are also generously sized.

Porchetta with sundried tomatoes and mozzarella cheese.

Porchetta with sundried tomatoes and mozzarella cheese.

We sample each sandwich, going back and forth trying to suss out our favorite. I like the mortadella better than the chicken pesto; my companion feels the opposite. But we're both in agreement about the porchetta, which in this case is served with sundried tomatoes and mozzarella cheese. The porchetta is juicy, rich and flavorful with not even a hint of dryness. The sundried tomatoes cut through the rich pork and act almost like a pickle, punching up the brightness and encouraging a second and then third bite.

We don't make much of a dent in our lunch before wrapping the heroes in foil for later. I eat my mortadella leftovers at midnight, standing in front of the fridge—the perfect snack to lull me back to slumberland.

Faicco's Italian Hero's and Grill is open 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday at 3590 Webber St., Sarasota. For more information call (941) 960-1395 or visit their Instagram.

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