Via Fresca

Really good lunch options for something other than Panera or other chains. The ingredients always taste so fresh.
I’ve visited on a couple of occasions, and each time got a different panini. Most recently I opted for the tomato mozzarella panini, without red peppers, and added chicken. The bread was the perfect thickness, and nice and crispy. The chicken was tender. The cheese was melted and oozed off the sides of the bread. The tomatoes were fresh and juicy. The balsamic glaze and pesto spread added the perfect burst of flavor. A little bit messy, but worth it!
Their portions are also very large, so you could easily have two lunches taken care of with one of their sandwiches. But I can usually devour a whole one in one sitting.
The building is small, and can be easily missed from the road. Nothing special in the interior, there are a couple of small tables to eat in house. But, for me, this is a perfect takeout lunch spot. Support your local businesses!

If you’re in Guilderland and want a sandwich stop here. This weekend I tasted their meatball sub. This sandwich was SO delicious. The sauce was packed with fresh tomato flavor, sweet/​savory how I like it. The meatballs were tender and rich, the cheese was hot and melty. The sandwich is huge. They don’t’ skimp. I don’t usually get meatball subs, so I’m no expert but man, that was a mighty fine sandwich.
I would order this again but they have such a wide variety of sandwich offerings that I’m tempted to try more. The restaurant itself is unassuming. For me it’s a grab and go place. I’m so glad they’re there.

I just had the Cuban Panini and it was out of this world. I recommend going with a friend and splitting something. The portions are quite large. The staff was very nice. The building itself is small but very well kept and clean. I will be becoming a frequent.

Great filling sandwiches. We both were only able to eat one half, but we couldn’t complain about that because we got to enjoy the other half later on.
I got the grilled vegetable panini l, and even though getting it with fresh mozzarella was around $ 1.75 extra it was totally with it. Amazing flavor and texture. I’d go back just for the cheese.
I love that they also had broccoli rabe but I’m not a fan of sundries tomatoes otherwise I would have gotten that sandwich.
They also had the option of the «sandwiches» as a panini, which my fiancé did. He got turkey, lettuce, tomato, mayo, and American. All though the lettuce was a little weird heated up on the panini it was still really good.
Took around 10 minutes for our sandwiches to be deliver to us as we took a seat at one of the few tables and waited.
The bread was also pretty good.

My friend and I went to get paninis one day. We both got the exact same thing. It had chicken cutlets, fresh mozzarella, balsamic, etc. Hers was delicious. But my chicken had the consistency of hard rubber. It was incredibly bizarre, like nothing I’ve ever had before. I honestly couldn’t eat it, and I threw it away. I’m sure it would have been amazing if it wasn’t for their bad chicken.
I’ve had other stuff from there. Their sandwiches are good only because it’s Boars Head products, they’re not exceptionally large or anything like I would get at home.
Overall, subpar. Their saving grace is that they have Boars Head cold cuts.

Located on Western Avenue, Via Fresca is a small Italian grocery store which also serves some Italian inspired hot dishes, such as paninis. Actually, a panini is exactly what I ordered for dinner. Their paninis feature various choices of meats, vegetables and cheeses, but I decided to order a grilled vegetable panini, as it was a bit less expensive than their other paninis. However, the grilled vegetable panini was just as good and I look forward to trying out some of their other food items in the future.

Stopped in for lunch; there is a fair amount of parking in the rear of the building, as well as a rear entrance. When I entered at 11:45am on a weekday, there was only one person working (the owner?). He was very friendly, albeit rushed with about 5 other people waiting for orders (as well as phone orders, it seemed). He took our order and had us sit down to wait. After a while two other employees showed up, but he was already swamped with work and customers were getting annoyed. It took about 20 minutes for us to get our two paninis and cup of soup.
The Via Fresca BLT (with a portobello mushroom) was good, although dripping with aioli (i.e. fancy mayo). The grilled cheese was super cheesy and did not impress. The employee forgot to bring over our soup, so we ate our paninis for a while, expecting them to bring the soup once it was ready. When it didn’t appear, I went up to check on its status — one of the employees had packaged it to go and they had to go retrieve it for us. The soup (some kind of chicken noodle or chicken and rice, I can’t remember exactly) was bland and lacked any sort of seasoning or spices.
While the paninis were good and large, I came away from the experience unimpressed and probably won’t return. The fact that the wait was so long and they forgot to serve the soup without giving us a free drink or cookie was disappointing.

Food is very good. They use use fresh chicken breasts on the salads and boars head in the subs. Almond logs are to die for.

good deli… great subs… locally owned and operated… the quality is very high…

If you’re looking for a great sandwich, this is the place. They have limited seating inside, and a wide array of items. I love the veggie panini — it’s delicious. I believe they slice their deli meats on the premises as well, which is a plus. Most sandwiches are about $ 8.
I’ve ordered salads here (green salads) but they weren’t anything special — must try the sandwiches, especially the paninis.
Also, they have a punch card that you can ask for, where if you buy a certain number of sandwiches, you get one free. The downside: unlike EVERY other sandwich shop that I know of, even if you buy more than one sandwich a time, you only get one punch! Not sure what’s up with that.

I’ll start off by saying that the first time I came here was not enough so I came back within a week, it’s that good!
So far I have only tried paninis but they also offer subs, salads etc… They also have many prepared foods such as chicken cutlets, arinicini, broccoli rabe, chicken salad, meatballs and much more (everything looked very appetizing). The first time I went with the smoked chicken panini. This was no processed chicken breast or even deli chicken; this was all white meat chicken breast right off a smoked chicken. Accompanied with cheese, grilled red onions, and an amazing garlic aioli all on the best ciabatta bread, this was to die for! The second time I changed things up and went with the roast turkey panini. This came with asiago cheese, bacon, lettuce and I asked for cranberry mayo. Again another amazing creation, only draw back being when you put lettuce on a panini it is bound to become wilted and soggy. The lettuce did not stop me from finishing ever last bit.
Near the cash register is a display of desserts which I hope to check out in the near future as well as many other menu items.
If you are looking for the best panini then look no further than Via Fresca.

I had never heard of Via Fresca until I saw their Groupon deal and I figured, «Why not, I’ll give it a shot». Boy, I am glad I did. This is a quality Italian specialty place that knows how to make good food. Their menu features a variety of homemade sandwiches (hot and cold subs, panini’s, wraps, etc…), deli meats, sauces, meals, and baked goods. They also sell various imported Italian items such as pasta and olive oil.
We tried their chicken parm sub and their eggplant parm sub and they were both delicious. They are very generous with their cheese and their sauce is very, very good. We also got a rainbow cookie and mini chocolate dipped cannoli for dessert and they were really, really good (they fill the cannolis when you order one, nice touch!). All this for around 15 bucks, which is a great deal in New York and anywhere for that matter. I would highly recommend Via Fresca if you enjoy good Italian food and are in the area!

Best Meatball Parm Ever. The veal meatballs are tender, the sauce is savory, the bread… ohhh the bread real flavor and texture, toasted perfectly.

Via Fresca makes the best panini in the capital district, hands down! I literally come here about once a week on average, that’s how good it is. They are located in a small house-​like building not too far up on Western Ave almost across from the mall.
Their menu has many different options – subs, paninis, salads, wraps, dinners like chicken parm lasagna, etc. They also have catering and some baked goods that looked delicious although I personally haven’t tried any.
All of their paninis are delicious. Between my friends and I we have tried them all and they’re all outstanding. My go-​to is definitely the smoked chicken. The sandwiches come out pretty fast and boy are they huge! Of course the insides of the panini matter but the bread is also delicious and I’m pretty sure they make it in house fresh daily. They use boarsheads meats and they are packed between the sandwich perfectly! It is really hard to finish a whole panini and you will probably find yourself saving half for later, although it’s sometimes hard since they are so good!
The prices are definitely fair for the quality and size. They are by no means cheap, but they aren’t expensive either. (Around $ 8.50 a panini). I have yet to try anything else because the paninis are too good, but everything in there looks great.
They do have a few seats in there if you want to sit down, or you can take out.
Via Fresca is without a doubt my favorite sandwich place in the area, and now all my friends share the love. Some of them even go more than I do! Don’t hesitate! Go!

Today was my first visit to Via Fresca for sandwiches. I had been in the past for their Arancini, their veal meatballs, and to pick up some sopressata.
I split the rapini panini and the meatball sub with my lunch buddy, and each was delicious. Their tender meatballs are among the best I’ve tried out in the region, but admittedly I haven’t consumed a broad sample. I generally get my meatballs shipped from Providence.
Rapini and provolone always make me think of my favorite roast pork sandwiches in Philly. But I’m glad to be able to get some of that flavor in a meatless, yet satisfying sandwich. This was really delightful.
And if you still have an appetite after finishing one of their giant sandwiches, they stuff their cannoli to order. Plus you can get mini cannoli if you are watching your waistline.
The lunch was so good, I had to pick up my wife and bring her here later in the afternoon just so she could experience it. She got the chicken cutlet panini, and that too was delicious.
There are a few small things they could do better, but I can’t think of a better sandwich place in Guilderland.

Just had lunch… great turkey-​fresh mozzarella panini and pasta fagioli… family run, hearty and as fresh as can be. No atmosphere to eat there but a great place to take out or get delivery from. I’ll be back cause I had no room for desserts and they looked gooooood…

I have used Via Fresca primarily for their catering but recently ventured in for a quick take out lunch order. I ordered the vegetable panini with fresh mozzarella and it was better than I could’ve ever expected. The ciabatta bread was the perfect texture; it stood up to the balsamic and pesto without getting soggy, and had a wonderful crust with a nice soft inside.
The vegetables (zucchini, red peppers, and squash) were cooked nicely and still had a crunch. The mozzarella cheese was definitely the highlight, it was fresh and plentiful! I will definitely be back to try some of their other lunch options.
Catering: I love this place for catering, they have always made the experience extremely easy on me. I’ve had the baked ziti, chicken marsala, and a few other dishes that were all excellent. Although it tends to be a little expensive (probably not by catering standards) their portions are really large. I have, in the past, cut their chicken marsala breasts in half and doubled the number that a large tray serves. They will deliver, or let you pick it up. They will provide chafing racks and fuel if needed. They have offered an all-​around positive experience.

I come here for a quick bite of goodness.
The rapini and sundried tomato panini has a sweet balsamic reduction on it. Crispy on the outside, soft deliciousness on the inside. Any panini you order will be outstanding. They’re huge!
Bright and clean inside. Counter service. A few tables in the window to sit and eat. Small dessert case, but quality Italian goodies.
If you need some specialty Italian items, like pasta or olives or tomatoes here is your place. They carry pre-​packaged frozen dinner items and dried pasta. They also have a proper deli selection of meats and cheese and homemade deli salads.
If I’m shopping at Crossgates I skip the food court and stop here on my way in or out.