Find a Panini Stand for Your Event in the USA

Although the first American reference to the panini dates back to 1956 and a precursor appeared in a 16th-century Italian cookbook, panini sandwiches became fashionable in Milanese bars, called paninoteche, in the 1970s when office workers sought quick lunch options. Trendy American restaurants, particularly in New York City, began selling the sandwiches, whose popularity then spread to other American cities, each producing distinctive variations of the sandwich.

Food historians generally agree, panini, as we know them today, originated in Italian sandwich shops, perhaps as early as the 1960s. A survey of newspaper articles confirms that the panini sandwich caught the attention of American consumers in the mid-1970s. Over time, paninis have evolved from upscale dishes to trendy sandwiches for everyone.