Originale

Mt first time popping in for lunch to go. I got back to my office for one of the best paninis I have had in a long time. With excellent potato soup with parmesan and marscapone cheeses. To die for, I have found a new regular lunch spor.

Well. The reviews looked great, the restaurant looked nice. I’m starving and ready for lunch and discovered they have run out of bread. They are a sandwhich place. How the hell do you run out of bread? The only other thing on the menu are salads. And its only 2pm. Come on Alaska. No excuse.

My «favorito» grilled sandwich was delicious! Can’t wait to go back and try more of their food!

Great food, love the imported meats and cheese. You can tell the bread is fresh made and the quality is amazing

Love this place, one of my favorite sandwich shops in the city. They make the best panini, hands down! Perfect focaccia, nice and crisp on the outside and chewy inside, and well-​seasoned, filled with delicious Italian meats and cheeses. I love how they decorate the plate with a little oil, salt, and pepper, so you can dip your sandwhich in it as you go for some extra added flavor. I’ve only tried one soup there, the roasted red pepper and ricotta, but it was yummy, and I’m normally not a big fan of either ingredient. I’m not sure if it’s a regular offering. But it was definitely freshly made and so savory.
The portions are great – a half panini is plenty to fill me up, and a whole for leftovers when I just can’t get enough. The prices are reasonable (at least for the food – the imported sundries are really expensive). The service is friendly, and I enjoy listening to the family who works there speak Italian as they prepare the foods in the open kitchen.
They contribute a lot to the homey atmosphere, the eclectic and colorful décor is a pleasure to sit in for a while. They don’t have a lot of seats, so they are never packed or loud. All in all, an excellent place for a delicious lunch.

You can’t go wrong no matter what you order. The panini are the perfect combination of flavorful Italian meats and cheese and grilled to perfection. And the soups… wonderful!

Yum!!! Why haven’t I heard of you before? Going to be one of my favs. The only thing better would be taking orders from the table, maybe. :-)

I came here Friday afternoon for a late lunch around 1 pm. I got the ½ spicy panini special and a side of potato salad, $ 16. The potatoes salad had big checks of potato and hard boiled egg with the right amount of mayo and seasonings, it comes with a drizzle of olive oil and some spices sprinkled on top. It was $ 5, but very filling a delish! The spicy panini was absolutely PERFECT! It was just the right ratio of cured meats, cheese, bread, spread, and spices. It wasn’t spicy at all, not for me at least. The meats were thin slices and very flavorful! Probably the best italian panini I’ve had in town! It was a bit too much food with the potato salad side, I should’ve taken ½ of that home. I also got the Swiss berry dessert and the cappuccino milk shake to go. Both were, again, just perfect! The Swiss berry was light and refreshing with just the right amount of sweet and tart –ness! The cappuccino milk shake also had a bold flavor, but was very small… About 4 – 5 oz not including the whip. I will DEFINITELY be back :)

I’ve been living in Anchorage Alaska now for a little over a year, even though I frequently travel and had the opportunity to live in many other countries Originale is one of my favorite spots to eat. Every time I’m in town my first place to stop by for lunch has to be at Originale. The service and food is always top-​notch. I’ve ordered almost all the variety of sandwiches which are constantly made to perfection with fresh ingredients and upon order (not already pre-​sliced drying out in the refrigerator) They always have daily fresh specials as side salads, soups and fantastic desserts. My favorite is the #9 sandwich made with Italian Rosemary ham, cheese and tomatoes with the Chefs delicious fresh focaccia bread, Btw, the special «spicy» sandwich is unbelievable. a MUST try ! Keep it up guys.

Let me begin by saying the interior designer did a great job as the deli looks very modern and has some Italian-​related images and an Anchorage-​specific quote on the wall. Unfortunately, looks are all this place has going for it.
I approach the register with a question about the amount of olives on the tuna sandwich. The man on the other side of the counter could not have looked any more like he thought it was a dumb question than he did before he answered, «enough to give it flavor.»
I dislike olives and, after being told they couldn’t be taken off of the tuna sandwich, ordered Il Favortio, «the favorite.»
As I’m waiting for my sandwich at a table, I notice a number of signs posted around the restaurant that read, «our food is made from scratch [and therefore] takes time to [be prepared]. Be patient,» and one that read, «Authentic. No flavors.» I giggled at that one. After reading that, I was expecting a long wait. I was pleasantly surprised. The kitchen seemed to be very relaxed – I even saw an employee eating something in the kitchen, which is against health code – but the food did not take long to make it to my table.
When the food arrived, I found that the second sign («no flavors») didn’t mean ‘no artificial flavors’, it was actually a warning that the food I had just paid for was going to be lacking in flavor. It was right.
I have never tried to imitate Il Favorito at home, but I have made a tomato, basil and prosciutto sandwich in my own kitchen and I can say with confidence that the sandwich I made myself for about two dollars was significantly better than the eleven-​dollar sandwich I got at Originale.
The prices, by the way, are particularly high.
The interior is great-​looking, but other than that, I can’t say much of anything nice about Originale.

I am giving 5 stars because I have never had anything like I had today for lunch at this place. The décor inside is so nice! It was pricey but I believe that is because they import a lot of there ingredients from Italy into there food so I am sure that has a lot to do with the pricing. For 3 sandwiches and a limeade, the biggest size cappuccino and a caprese salad it came out to $ 50 even. Then afterwards for desert I had a coconut cream pie and my kids had there homemade gelato and it was excellent will be coming back again for sure!

4.5 stars. Quite possibly the best cake I’ve had in town. Not too sweet, the berry cake I had this particular day was moist, very well balanced, not full of sugar like what you’d see in many american cakes. I am impressed. This is better than the cake studio downtown.
The macchiato was on point, the sandwich was great, the salad was wonderful. Everything was great, but the star for me that day was the cake :)

Consistently delicious and great atmosphere. The desserts are mmmhmm.
Today we came here for lunch after a work out and had the:
#10
#11
Passion fruit Cheesecake
«Surprise» Carrot cake cupcake
2 Cappuccinos
A random chocolate
Total: $ 40.00
This place is a must visit, I did not even think to take a picture of our great spread until it was gone!

I stumbled on this place in January… and just sampled the dessert «Crème Berle Cheesecake» … SO SO AMAZING!
Today I sampled the spicy special sandwich and the #9 — Favorito half $ 7.00 (prosciutto cotto, cheese, tomato and oregano), broccoli soup, and a slice of Walnut cake. The soup and desserts are ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. Don’t get me wrong– the sandwiches are yum… but the soup and desserts is what I will be craving 24 – 7 now. Everything is fresh homemade and rotates availability. WHICH means I can try a new sandwich, soup, and dessert every week till my heart is content!
Favorite this time– The Broccoli soup– so so delicious! The noodles in it were a surprise… they were delicate and tasted buttery. 5 stars for the soup!
OH– and the little sample o’ cheese on the toothpick in the to go box… such a delicious piece of cheese! It was all rich creamy and warm from the trip home in the warm box. Coulda eaten a whole block of «what-​ever» kind o’ cheese this was! (I really want to eat my hubbies little sample… ALAS~I need him to LOVE this place too… so we can go frequently.)
The spicy sandwich was very yum– but holy heartburn– my pregnant butt could only have a few bits. This little baby I am growing REALLY stifles my desires for spicy indulgences! My #9 was less adventurous, but good.
The walnut cake was yum– The quality of the «homemade» this place is offering is just TOP NOTCH. The desserts are all fresh cream and deliciousness! The girl at the counter said if you «Friend them «on FB you get daily special notifications. So– Did that ASAP… cause seriously the Crème Burle Cheesecake is to die for!
NEXT Time I want to try the dry cured beef– cause I have never had this before… and sample the potato salad…
This is a TRUE HIDDEN TREASURE– Closed sun/​and mon– BUT had a sign saying open mondays this march :)

Outrageous prices! The food was okay but I would’ve never paid $ 75 for lunch. Also, it was confusing walking in, not knowing if we seat ourself or pay first. The service could of been a little better too.

You will not find a better cup of cappuccino or coffee for that matter in Anchorage. Bar none the best I have had in eighteen years of living here. It’s is a family run operation and the folks that run it are amazingly nice welcoming and talented. Everything is handmade right down to the bread. They freshly cut all the Italian meat right before making the sandwiches. They have Italian specials and deserts that rival any Italian restaurant in town. Also if you want authentic Italian ingredients than you can also buy that there as well. If you are a hot Italian sandwich fan but don’t want to wait in line at great harvest or subway got to this locally owned Gem! You won’t be disappointed!!!

Grazie Originale for choosing to open in Anchorage. They truly make the best cappuccino in town (whole milk only– no flavorings– don’t even ask :)). Panini & the daily soups are luscious, reasonably priced and made with love. Since they close at 5, I also like to pick up giant cans of San Marzano’s and the chef’s own marinated olives from the cooler for dinners. The cherry limeade and passion fruit mousse are stand-​outs. It’s just a pleasant place to be. Note– the hubby rarely smiles, but don’t take it personally. The food is dang good.

This is my favorite sandwich place. I hesitate to tell anyone else because I don’t want to share. I want to be selfish! I recommend their lattes, so fantastic. I usually get a #9, but you can’t go wrong. The atmosphere is great too.
They also sell whole bean coffee, candy, meat & cheese.
If I could I would eat here everyday.

20 bucks for lunch hurts. In Philly I could have gotten the same lunch for about $ 10, but this is Anchorage… Were it not for the price tag, I would have given 5 stars.
I got the Il Capo panini, which was just shy of perfect (could have used a little more prosciutto). The seasonings were sensational. It was really ‘excelente! Even better was the made-​to-​order almond cannoli. Dear goodness it was stunning, but the $ 4 price tag stung. I’m used to a buck fifty back home for a cannoli. I also got one of those lovely Lemon Italian sodas for 2 dollars. With tip, lunch set me back more than i expected. But it WAS really good.
I’ve signed up for one of their monthly dinners… I can’t wait to see what they do for the dinner hour. These folks certainly know how tickle the palate. I can’t wait to try their other flavors of cannoli. They’re super authentic and delish.

My friend and I went for lunch. She had the veggie ‘savory pie’ which was super good and only $ 5.
I had the split pea soup with Italian sausage and chickpeas. I thought the soup was really good if a tad thin. But it definitely hurt it that it was $ 8 for a bowl that was not more than a light lunch. If I’d have had nothing more that that, I’d have been hungry in about an hour. If it had only been $ 6, or the $ 5 the savory pie was, it would have been much more reasonable. I’m all about great flavor and I know the sausage they used was high quality, but it was way too high for what it is.
They would have only earned a three star rating from me because of it, but the walnut cake with a chocolate whipped cream won me back over. Extremely good and worth the $ 5 price.
I also got a cherry limonade for $ 4.50 which wasn’t worth it but was good enough that I wasn’t bummed– just not something I’ll get next time.
I’ll be back but I think I’ll try the savory pie or a sandwich next time.