La Grotta Del Formaggio - Vancouver, British Columbia

The sandwiches here are good but I wouldn’t come back here again because of how poor the service is. I’ve been here once before when the lineup was huge and I got my sandwiches faster than when I came in with no one. I went in on a Thursday morning ... at 9:30am to grab some sandwiches for me and my family to eat at the beach. When I got there, there were only a pair of customers in front of me so i assumed I’d be in and out quickly. As I waited behind the two, there were four people working behind the counter. One of them was making the lady her sandwich when the other customer piped in and mentioned an alteration in her sandwich she forgot. The worker snaps back “you should’ve said that when you ordered”. Absolute sass. The customer apologized and then when the worker went to slice the meats, the same customer pipes in to mention that she’ll be ordering the same sandwich so she can slice double the meat. The worker looked annoyed when the customer spoke but her face softened when she realized she was actually trying to be helpful. They got their sandwiches and then I went to order. I ordered four sandwiches but because I was ordering four, the person helping me decided to input it into the computer for ease. I told her the first three orders and then when it got to mine, I asked if I could just order it as she’s making the sandwich as I didn’t have anything in mind yet. She said no and that its easier for her to do it all at once. I said okay so just listed some ingredients. She asked for my name and to go pay and that she’d drop off my order at the end so I went over to wait in the seating area. A few minutes later, the same worker told me that the computer isn’t working and I’d have to repeat my order to her so she could write it out manually. She seemed annoyed and like it was my fault that I had to repeat my order. More customers started coming in. They all ordered one sandwich for themselves and left quickly. Id say throughout the time I was waiting a dozen or so customers came in and out and got their sandwiches before me. As I waited, during quieter moments, I could hear a few of the workers gossiping and talking about previous bad customer interactions they’ve had. Talking about how a guy was complaining because he never got his order but they were confused thinking he never actually ordered so they were telling him to go order but he was complaining saying he did. And another situation about how someone spilled sauce on their shirt and they were just laughing about it. It all seemed so unprofessional and mean-spirited as I was sitting RIGHT THERE. There was no one else inside and there was one person making my sandwiches. As I waited I kept trying to glance over to see if my sandwiches were done but couldn’t tell if the sandwiches being made by the workers were mine or not. It wasn’t busy and there were four of them there so why were my sandwiches taking so long? I interacted with 2 of the 4 workers so they were very aware I was waiting. After 50 minutes of waiting I walked over and asked if my sandwiches were ready yet. The person who took my order asked me for my name again and when I told her, she turned around and grabbed four sandwiches hiding next to the grill ready to go. The girl who took my payment saw me and the look on her face looked like a face of realisation because I was still there and waiting. She said “oh! Yes that’s for her! They’re all labeled :)” acting much friendlier than she did compared to my first interaction with her. I was very annoyed as I sat for nearly an hour as my sandwiches just sat there and no one ever bothered to give them to me. What is the point of asking for my name then? I’m all for supporting local and family businesses but nah, this whole interaction annoyed me to no end. All four sandwiches were yummy though. But she forgot my red onions in my sandwich and one of the sandwiches I asked to be grilled weren’t grilled. Read more

Best sandwich on commercial drive. You can't get any more Italian than this! Top notch quality and great value. Another perfect small local business, when they take all major payment systems it shows they truly appreciate their customers IMO.

From the moment you enter you feel a family atmosphere, they handle high quality products, a variety of hams and cheeses and other various products imported from Italy of the finest quality, I waited literally an hour to be able to get a complete “il classico” sandwich, it was worth ... it every second, each ingredient is carefully selected and is a delight to your palate! I would return to try the rest of the menu! the best sandwiches in vancouver by far! Read more

Delicious sandwiches! We got Il classico and meatball sub and both were amazing. They ran out of panini bread and offered us to substitute it with focaccia for 5$ extra. As others have already said, sandwiches are super fresh and flavourful. The meatball sandwich was simple but elegant and all three major ... factors in it were at their perfect level; The marinara sauce was tasty, the meatballs were juicy, and the cheese complemented the other two. Il Classico was also delightful. One of the best cold cut sandwiches I’ve eaten. I highly recommend both and will come back for more! Read more

super yummy panini with lots of fresh ingredients to choose from (often hard to find in north america, ha). prices are absolutely reasonable for what you’re getting. the line is quite long but definitely worth it!! sadly, there’s only four chairs to sit inside but besides that, perfect! will definitely ... come again Read more