Sal Malvaso, the owner of Caffe Mauro, strikes a pose in his brand new space with the same great food

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Caffe Mauro

Sandwich lovers rejoice! The long-awaited return of Caffe Mauro is here. The popular Italian sandwich shop, formerly located on First St. S.W., has found a new location across the street from Mountain Equipment Co-op. With tall ceilings and a dark wood coffee bar, the new space is slightly larger than the old. It’s not as rustic as the last location, but the quality of the food remains intact.

Stopping in on a Wednesday lunch hour, my colleagues and I were welcomed by a familiar chalkboard of staple sandwiches and salads — a familiar sight from the old Caffe Mauro.

I chose the prosciutto bocconcini ($8.50), a stacked combination of mixed greens, roasted peppers, bocconcini cheese, olive tapenade, tomatoes, jalapeño veggie spread and tasty prosciutto. Served on fresh focaccia bread, the sandwich was the perfect size, with a hint of herbs and spice from the veggie spread and bread, and a salty zing from the prosciutto.

My colleague chose the chicken Parmesan sandwich ($8.50). Served on a freshly toasted baguette, the breaded chicken was topped with roasted pepper, mushrooms and provolone cheese. Although the combination was basic, the toppings balanced nicely with a zesty tomato sauce, and the overall flavour of the sandwich was fantastic.

My other co-worker had the meatball Panini ($8). Similar to the chicken Parmesan, the sandwich featured a generous portion of sliced meatballs, roasted peppers and mushrooms and provolone cheese. The meatballs were pleasantly spicy, and once again were complemented by a good dollop of tomato sauce.

If you’re in the mood for creating your own sandwich masterpiece, Caffe Mauro offers a selection of salamis, capicolla ham, turkey and mortadella along with several cheeses — provolone, Swiss, Friulano and white cheddar ($10.75).

Beyond sandwiches, Mauro offers a good range of fresh salads, including Caprese or Caesar. The salad I will be returning for is the Insalata Laura ($8.75) — combining oven-dried tomatoes, green beans and pickled shallots, topped with Grana Padano and an olive vinaigrette.

When Caffe Mauro closed its doors over two years ago, fans of the shop were worried they would never taste those superb sandwiches again. With friendly service, rich espresso and a great new space, you can rest easy knowing your old favourites are here again. And most likely to stay.