As for food I'd give this a 4.0-4.5, though my experience with the lady proprietor was so positive I'm rating this a solid 5.
As far as restaurants in Amalfi go, there are a fair number of options and many of them have stunning, delicious food, sourced from local ingredients. The prices can be stunning as well, though not completely without reason--the towns along the Amalfi Coast were originally fishing villages turned tourist hotspots, causing inflation and with fancier restaurants popping up to cater to those tourists celebrating their honeymoon, anniversary, retirement, etc...there's taking into account a) the municipal infrastructure keeping pedestrian streets intact and b) limited streets providing cars and small trucks direct access to buildings, meaning extra manual labor is a distinct need compared to most modern towns.
Now that I'm done with that run-on sentence, on a Tuesday evening I didn't feel like doling out €50+ for a romantic dinner with myself so I searched for a more affordable option. After walking around the main square, looking at menus, I ended up back at this panini shop. Their hours on Gmaps say 9am-11pm currently (I think shoulder season until 9pm), though since it's very much a local mom and pop shop, so if there's no business they'll close early.
At around 8:30pm I walked up and it looked like the owner and staff member were cleaning some of the counters and tools in the back, I wasn't sure if they were still open so waited to grab their attention when they turned around. After the owner came to the front, she motioned for me to order though mentioned not every option was available because they were indeed partially ready to close. That being said she still took my order. I got:
- IL CETARESE €12 Sorrento tomatoes, local crushed olives marinated in olive oil, Cetara tuna, dried tomatoes. Served on a ciabatta roll, this was chucks of canned tuna (tastes better than it sounds!) paired with fresh sweet and dried tomatoes, the olives were perfect, not too salty, the arugula added a spicy touch. Everything was so fresh, I really enjoyed this!
- Peroni Limone €4: I thought this would be like a shandy though it tasted more like a hard lemonade. Sweeter than I preferred though did the job quenching my thirst.
Even though they had already stacked most of the outdoor chairs, when I asked if I could eat at the high table outside she was amenable and also told me I didn't need to rush. A friend of hers (seemed like a nearby shopkeeper), dropped by to chat and asked if I liked the panini (I said yes and I wasn't lying, it was really good), at which he chuckled and also relayed this to the owner. The entire interaction was so casual and welcoming, it really made me appreciate their hospitality.
The next day I came back--earlier in the evening this time--and got:
- IL CUZZETIELLO €13 Beef meatball sandwich with traditional tomato sauce, served inside a partially hollowed baguette. The meatball was very tasty, and came with a single perfect leaf of basil. If I'm being picky I missed a little more greenery. The bread was fresh and crusty like a bread should be.
- Peroni lager €4: malty, medium-bodied and refreshing after a day of traveling/walking.
Honestly what I may have enjoyed the most was observing the interactions of the owner and her friends who came over to shoot the breeze after a long day. In between her making paninis for customers--I caught snippets of conversation, periodic chuckles, her sitting down for a while with her friends at the outdoor chairs in front of the mini storefront and taking long drags from a cigarette. I felt that sense of small town community that I hadn't experienced in a while. read more