Via Focaccia

While Ellis Island’s counter-service sandwich shop is a relative newcomer to Las Vegas, it was eagerly anticipated and immediately embraced by Las Vegas foodies. That’s because its Sicilian-born owner, Ismaele Romano, had already made a name for himself on the pizza scene -- first at the short-lived Contento Pizzeria in Jerry’s Nugget, and later at the beloved Good Pie. He made the jump to the sandwich world in a very big way -- scoring the title of World Sandwich Champion at the 2021 International Pizza Expo.

As the name implies, all of Via Focaccia’s sandwiches are built on a base of house-made focaccia bread. Romano stuffs that base with only the freshest, artisanal ingredients from Italy and the U.S., and dresses them with farm-fresh greens and housemade spreads.

“Everything we do here is trying to bring out the simple flavors that I grew up (with),” Ismaele told local food writer Al Mancini on his podcast, Food and Loathing. “You don’t need to be too complicated, (it’s about) simple ingredients, great quality, passion and respect for the food.”