Il Bambino
“My boyfriend and I like to get 2 sandwiches and share because we just can't miss these amazing paninis.”
“Hands down the best Panini's and Crostini's I've ever had, I dream about this place once in a while.”
“The fried eggplant with hot sweet peppers, the sweet sausage with rosemary aioli, and the porchetta are also all quite tasty.”
Il Bambino
Delivery: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Outdoor Seating: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
PokéStop Nearby: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
Rate and write a review Cancel reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Ordered the special- prociutto, goat cheese and honey crostini which were phenomenal. The waitress came over at the appropriate times, loss of one star because when the wine glasses were empty there was no offer to bring another glass right away so it was a miss for the upsell. For entree, we ordered the avocado panini and the chorizo panini which were the perfect balance of ingredients and aioli. Really pleased with the ambience and the price point.
Best panini and crostini. I ate the chicken and spicy mayo panini like 10 times in a month then had the Pass the hash panini every weekend for a while. They use quality bread and has a nice crunch.
Il Bambino serves two purposes, and it serves them perfectly:
1) By far, the most important is similar to that of Num Pang in Union Square, which is to say, they provide easily portable and concealable sandwiches with the implicit understanding that you're going to sneak them into the movie theater. In this purpose, Il Bambino succeeds wildly. No large amount of packaging or containers. Thin panini with no loud crunching lettuce to give yourself away to the ticket-taker/amateur TSA guard while you're walking bowlegged with a panini strapped to each thigh.
Also, the sandwiches are delicious. The Meatloaf is a must. Roasted chicken is excellent, as is sausage, and I guess there are vegetarian options too…whatever.
This is an A+ movie food sneak situation.
Also, purpose number 2) If you were going to the movies with a date (why would you do that?) and your date isn't cool enough to strap sandwiches to their thighs, then you should probably dump them. But if you don't want to, Il Bambino is a very nice date spot: affordable, with copious amounts of wine. There are vegetarian sandwiches (as mentioned), and I guess salads for the gluten free, though you should probably dump that date as well. So in all, Il Bambino is a great spot for sandwiches, wine, and figuring out if your date should be dumped.
I've been wanting to try this place for so long. Upon checking the photos on yelp it looks so simple but still I'm curios because of the reviews that they have so I finally had time yesterday to go with my bf.
The weather is nice so we decided to sat outside. The place is cute & chill. Our server is fast & consistently checking on us.
For drink we got iced coffee. I always like to use simple syrup for my iced coffee & glad that they have it but the coffee doesn't really taste strong.
Food for brunch:
Fingerling potato salad- potato is well cooked & great combination with the sauce.
Baby arugula minosa- i enjoyed everything about this salad! It is soaked with sauce but still maintain its crunchiness.The sauce & egg completely satisfies me.
Bacon butty- srambled egg, bacon, avocado & spicy mayo. Suppose to have blue cheese but I didn't get it since I don't like it. The crispiness of the panini is perfect, the bacon is not crispy, scrambled egg & avocado is a great combo + the spicy mayo. The best!!
Sir oink a lot- sweet sausage, scrambled eggs, caramelized onion, basil pesto & fontina. This is what my bf got & he enjoyed every bite of this food. Crispy panini bread, the sausage is tender. Simply delicious!
The best panini that I'ved ever had! Best place for brunch! Can't wait to go back!
It's the local king of panini. Nice outdoor seating, fun decor. A few decent vegetarian options too like a beet or green bean salad splashed with some tasty oil-based dressing they make.
As an Astorian for the better part of the past five years, it comes as a surprise that my first trip to this apparent local institution came just two days ago. Curiously, as is the case with many residents of the 5 boroughs, one may tend to neglect visitation to local landmarks and eateries due to apathy, laziness, or just a "taking-what-they-have-for-granted" type of attitude. A combination of these mentalities was the cause of my non-visit as an Astoria domiciliary, and it took my hosting of two guests this past weekend to generate the idea of going to this place for a quick bite; it was an easy sell, as pointing to the high Yelp score, (relatively) reasonable rates/prices, and an ability to take out foodstuffs made this venue of choice a desirable option.
Having needed to fuel up for a night time 5k, the prospect of a heavy panini seemed a masterful way to store some energy. A quick perusal of the menu prior to leaving the apartment provided for a plethora of tasty sounding bites. Yours truly opted for the porchetta panini (sans cheese). T'was a greasy and delightful mess of a neatly constructed sandwich. Attractive grill marks and a flatly pressed sandwich with layers of meat and other things made for a pretty and tasty package. I am also happy to report that my two guests were impressed with their selections as well.
After sampling the wares from this establishment, I can understand why this place is hailed as having one of (if not the best) panini to be had. What I can't understand is why I deprived myself of these sandwiches for the past few years. Stupid move Josh… but as they say, "better late than never."
If you were to tell me a panini restaurant was one of the most popular spots in Queens I would have raised my eyebrows at you skeptically. But Il Bambino is so much more than your sad caprese sandwich smashed in a George Foreman grill. The fresh ingredients and imaginative flavor combinations truly set this place apart!
There's a lot to choose from on the menu. The list goes on and on, and it can be overwhelming! I couldn't commit so I went with the Crostini pu pu platter, which lets you choose 6 little bread squares for $18. Such a good deal! I shared that and a full sized fingerling potato salad with Queens' own Jando S for an early lunch and we walked out completely stuffed.
Though there's a very wide range of types of crostini and panini that they offer, you'll notice a lot of them feature fresh avocado, truffle oil, and deliciously rich cheeses. Don't let the small size fool you – this is a hearty-ass meal! Even our 'salad' was very filling, with truffle aioli, fried shallots, and pecorino.
The only negative about this spot was the difficulty of choosing, but luckily that's what return visits are for! The service is also super friendly and they'll be happy to make recommendations if you're truly lost!
Excellent selection of paninis and crostini. The paninis are $9-11 each. Awesome selection. The only complaint is that the iced mocha was watery and flavorless. Otherwise good service and chill spot for lunch.