A Mano Panino Earns Pensacola's First Ever MICHELIN Bib Gourmand

PENSACOLA, Fla., May 28, 2026 — A Mano Panino, the Tuscan-inspired panini shop opened by husband-and-wife restaurateurs Alex and Ashley Lamonte at 1010 N. 12th Ave. in Pensacola's East Hill neighbourhood, has become the first restaurant in the city's history to earn a place in the MICHELIN Guide, receiving a 2026 Bib Gourmand recognition as part of the guide's expanded Florida selection that now counts 45 Bib Gourmand restaurants statewide.

Ten new Bib Gourmand restaurants join the MICHELIN Guide's Florida list in 2026, with the selection stretching from St. Augustine and Pensacola to Miami and Key West, reflecting the guide's continued geographic expansion beyond its original concentration in South Florida. A Mano Panino's inclusion puts Pensacola on the MICHELIN map for the first time, a milestone that the Lamontes reached in just the restaurant's second year of operation.

The Bib Gourmand designation recognises restaurants that offer exceptional cooking at moderate prices, a description that fits the straightforward, quality-first model the Lamontes have built at A Mano Panino since launching the concept alongside their existing Lamonte Gelato operation in the same East Hill location.

What MICHELIN Inspectors Found at A Mano Panino in Pensacola

The MICHELIN Guide highlighted the L'Alto sandwich as a standout item at A Mano Panino, a preparation that reflects the restaurant's foundational commitment to making every component from scratch. All bread is baked in-house daily using schiacciata, the flat, olive oil-rich Tuscan bread that gives A Mano Panino's sandwiches their structural character and sets them apart from American-style sandwich shop offerings.

Sauces are made in-house, while the meats are sourced for quality, with many imported from overseas to maintain the regional Italian flavour profiles the Lamontes set out to recreate when they designed the menu. The combination of in-house bread, house-made condiments, and imported quality meats positions A Mano Panino closer to an Italian artisanal food shop than a conventional American sandwich counter, a distinction that MICHELIN inspectors clearly recognised in awarding the Bib Gourmand.

The Story Behind A Mano Panino and the Lamonte Family

A Mano Panino was founded by Alex and Ashley Lamonte, who brought the concept to life in the historic Sacred Heart Hospital building on 12th Avenue after being captivated by Florence's street sandwich shops during their travels through Italy, small storefronts where the smell of freshly baked bread drew customers out of the street and into a queue.

The Lamontes designed A Mano Panino to complement their existing Lamonte Gelato concept, with the two operations sharing a site and a founding philosophy of high-quality, small-batch production. The pairing of handmade sandwiches and small-batch artisan gelato in a single courtyard setting gives the location the character of an Italian neighbourhood food destination rather than a transactional lunch stop.

The couple previously founded TROUBADOUR Dining, a Pensacola hospitality group, building a track record in the city's food and beverage scene before launching A Mano Panino in 2024. The progression from gelato to sandwiches to MICHELIN recognition within two years reflects both the quality of the Lamontes' execution and the strength of Pensacola's appetite for a concept that had not previously existed in the city.

What the MICHELIN Bib Gourmand Means for Pensacola's Dining Scene

A Mano Panino's recognition is the first time any Pensacola restaurant has appeared in the MICHELIN Guide in any category. The city has historically sat outside the guide's Florida coverage, which has been concentrated in the Tampa Bay, Orlando, and South Florida corridors since the Florida guide launched in 2022.

The extension of the guide's reach to Pensacola in 2026 reflects a broader expansion of MICHELIN's Florida footprint as inspectors cover more of the state's diverse food scene beyond its most internationally recognised markets. For a city with a strong independent restaurant culture shaped by Gulf Coast seafood traditions, Italian heritage, and a growing arts and food community around the East Hill neighbourhood, the recognition of a two-year-old artisan sandwich shop as its first MICHELIN entry is a notable statement about where Pensacola's dining identity is heading.

Customer responses to the news, gathered through Google and Yelp reviews in recent months, have been uniformly strong, with reviewers consistently citing the freshness of the bread, the quality of the ingredients, and the authenticity of the Tuscan sandwich format as the defining elements of the experience.

A Mano Panino is located at 1010 N. 12th Ave. in Pensacola and is open Wednesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. The full MICHELIN Guide Florida 2026 selection, including all 45 Bib Gourmand restaurants, is available on the MICHELIN Guide's official website.

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