The former Hanneke Hardware building, located at 5390 Southwest at the corner of Southwest and Macklind—an area known to many Hill residents as the “Top of the Hill”—is the home of a new Amighetti’s sandwich shop, as well as a second location for Hank’s Cheesecakes. Both stores softly opened February 21.
Anthony Favazza (whose father, uncle, and brother run Favazza’s on The Hill), bought Amighetti’s in 2016 and acquired Hank’s Cheesecakes, another local treasure, in late 2021.
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The Atmosphere
Favazza bought the Hanneke building in 2015, and several years later, the building’s green-and-black Vitrolite panels from the 1940’s were uncovered, revealing the faded ‘Hanneke’ etched onto them. St. Louis–based Vitrolite Specialist completely restored the panels, adding the restaurant’s name. Some of the lettering on the original Hanneke Hardware & Paint neon sign from the 1950s was altered to reflect the present as well. Favazza also added a corner entrance for visibility and convenience.
Inside, the concrete counter is faced with wooden doors placed sideways to create a historic, industrial look. The pitted surface looks just like the one where generation of customers plopped down nuts, bolts, and screws. Sculptures of old barnwood pieces hang from the ceiling in two places, not only driving home the well-aged theme but also dampening sound. New butcher-block tables have the restaurant’s name branded into them, adding artificial miles. The bathroom walls are finished in a new-looks-old tile “that matches the lived-in look of the rest of the building,” Favazza says. “Everything was designed to look old and original.”
On the interior and exterior brick walls, Favazza commissioned a historic sign painter to add several “ghost signs” (new versions of faded advertising signs that can be seen on many brick buildings in St. Louis). “If you don’t tell someone that those signs are brand new, they’d probably never know,” Favazza says.
The Food
The comestibles are the same as the Amighetti’s in Rock Hill, a sandwich-heavy menu anchored by eight versions of The Special, an Italian hoagie made with three meats and one cheese (Provel), dressed with lettuce, tomato, pickle, onion, pepperoncini, and a healthy squirt of its signature Special sauce. Seven additional hot sandwiches are available, from the standard meatball to a riff with salmon and spinach meatballs, made in house.
While sandwich sales comprise the large majority of Amighetti’s total sales, the appetizer, salad, and pasta options are similarly deep. For the soft drink brand loyalists, both Coke and Pepsi products are available. And for devotees who can’t get enough Amighetti’s, bottled versions of Amighetti’s Italian Dressing, Creamy Italian, and Signature Special Sauce are available for sale in a refrigerated case.
In a nondescript room in the rear of the restaurant, customers can choose from more than a dozen popular flavors of Hank’s cheesecakes, minis, and standard cakes. In a stroke of genuis, Favazza also designated the cheesecake store as the staging area for Amighetti’s to-go orders. “That’ll probably generate an impulse sale or two,” Favazza deadpans.
Beyond the Restaurant
Ahead of St. Louis CITY SC’s first hometown match on March 4, we asked SLM readers which local restaurants they were most excited to try at CITYPARK. Among a bracket of 32, the winner was Amighetti’s.
Favazza reports that for this weekend’s match, four items will be available at the Amighetti counter: the Amighetti Special, the Turkey Special, the Vegetarian Special, and the AMG Special Salad (the legendary sandwich in a bowl minus the bread and pickles).
