Given the massive influx in Italian shops popping up in every neighbourhood, 2025 could have been named the year of the artisan sandwich in Toronto.
But one of the latest to open on Queen West is standing apart from the others by not serving up the soppressata and mozzarella on schiacciata or even a traditional focaccia. Mico owner Domenico De Leo has stolen hearts by crafting a one-of-a-kind focaccia recipe inspired by pizza al padellino, a deep-dish pan-baked style found in Torino, Italy.
“I didn’t want to copy and paste what everybody does,” says De Leo. “I’ve been trying to see what might be a good product that resembles the focaccias that we have in Italy but is something a little different as well.”
Freshly baked focaccia al padellino
De Leo and his family moved to Canada in 2013 where they opened Da Grazia Ristorante in Alliston. De Leo has been wanting to open a sandwich shop for many years, though spent an extensive amount of time travelling, especially in northern Italy, to find an original twist to offer his customers.
In addition to using flour imported directly from Italy like most of Toronto’s Italian shops do, Mico Sandwiches additionally adds spelt and rice flours to give the bread some extra flavour. The dough is then fermented for 72 hours to create a bread that is crunchy on the bottom and softer on top.
“You have, in my opinion, a bread that satisfies everybody’s palate,” says De Leo, who worked tirelessly to test flours, fermentation times and hydration levels. “It took us about a year to perfect the recipe.”
When stepping into the shop, you can curate your own sandwich by selecting from one of three of the focaccia al Padellino breads which De Leo says is meant to resemble the different styles of focaccia found in Italy. In addition to the Classica, there’s the La Baresina with black olives and tomatoes, and the popular Calabrese with potatoes and onions.
“Same focaccia style, same shape, same product when it comes to the flours and the procedures, just different toppings in order to try different regions,” says De Leo. “Focaccia is a really complex dish. There’s a thousand different types of focaccia, so we’re trying to resemble the most popular ones.”
With your focaccia selected, you can choose from an extensive selection of sandwiches filled with fresh ingredients and house-made creams. The signature namesake sandwich is packed with tartufo cream, goat cheese, marinated ham, honey and lettuce and easily pairs with the Chinotto Italian soft drink found on the menu.
Since the sandwiches are so large and loaded — often shared or saved for multiple meals — De Leo says Mico Sandwiches will soon be offering a half-size sandwich to satisfy children and customers with a smaller appetite.
As for Toronto’s sandwich craze? If the demand for Mico Sandwiches is any indication, it doesn’t seem to be slowing down in 2026.
Dining and Cooking