About us
Panineria NYC started with a simple dream: bring a real, everyday taste of Italy to New York—fast, fresh, balanced, and made with high-quality ingredients. Today, Panineria NYC is an Italian all-day café in Manhattan serving authentic Italian panini and sandwiches, plus fresh pasta dishes, salads, bakery items and pastries, and a curated selection of wine and beer—the kind of place you can count on for lunch, takeout, delivery, and a relaxed evening out.
In 2011, founder Mario Pesce arrived in New York with a mission to build his own food business. The obstacles were real: limited English, no money, and a city that moves fast. Mario did what so many New Yorkers do—he worked. A lot. He took on different jobs across the city, including retail, coffee, and hospitality, learning how New York eats, moves, and lives. At one point, he was working three jobs at the same time, saving every dollar and sacrificing comfort for the long-term goal: opening his own place.
But the heart of Panineria goes back even further—to Italy, and to Mario’s grandmother. The flavors that define Panineria began at home, where he learned the foundations of Italian cooking at her side. Many of the recipes we still use today are her original recipes—simple, honest, and built around balance and quality rather than excess.
The idea for Panineria didn’t come from a boardroom. It came during a lunch break in a park—standing between shifts—with a homemade sandwich in hand: baguette, prosciutto crudo, robiola, and olive oil. It was simple, healthy, and perfectly balanced. Mario looked around and realized something: New York had endless sandwich options, but there wasn’t enough of what he grew up with in Italy—a true panino culture, built on quality ingredients and balance, not overload.
That moment became the blueprint.
After years of work, savings, and six intense months turning the idea into reality, Panineria NYC opened its first shop in Greenwich Village in 2014. It was tiny. The kitchen was small. The days were long. But the mission was clear: serve authentic Italian panini and sandwiches in Manhattan the way Italians actually eat—simple, satisfying, and made right.
As the neighborhood embraced it, Panineria grew. The original shop moved to a bigger space on the same block, and the brand expanded to serve more of the city with new locations on the Upper East Side and the Upper West Side.
Today, Panineria NYC is more than a sandwich shop. We’ve evolved into a full Italian café in Manhattan—perfect for espresso, lunch, and takeout by day—and a cool neighborhood wine bar by night. Whether you’re stopping in for a quick panino, sitting down for fresh pasta and a salad, or enjoying a glass of wine or a beer after work, Panineria is designed for everyday NYC life.
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Catering & Group Orders in NYC
Panineria NYC also offers Italian catering in NYC, including corporate lunch catering, sandwich platters, and boxed lunches for offices, meetings, events, and private gatherings. We make it easy to feed a group with the same quality and consistency we’re known for in-store.
Our Mission
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Our mission is to be the go-to destination for Italian food in Manhattan—from authentic panini and sandwiches to pasta, salads, bakery favorites, and a great glass of wine—served with speed, consistency, and warm hospitality, so every customer feels like a regular.