Panino Brothers Debuts in Eden Prairie

On the first of the year, Eden Prairie became the second home to Panino Brothers after they gained a location at a great price. Located just off of Commonwealth Drive in Eden Prairie, they’re ready to tickle your taste buds with their signature dish, the panino.

The panino, according to the owners of the restaurant, Josh and Melanie Sanders, is a type of sandwich made from panino dough. The dish was created by Josh, and the idea expanded from there: first to a restaurant in Apple Valley and now to their new location in Eden Prairie. The restaurants are unique to Minnesota.

“It’s my own concept, everything about it,” Josh says. “I wanted to make my own restaurant instead of always working for other people.”

According to Josh, a panino is made by rolling the dough into a thin rectangular shape, filling it with the right amount of cheese, meats and/or vegetables, and finally popping it into the oven. Once the dough is baked, it’s ready for the finishing touches. All the toppings, including the sauce, are put on the bread and rolled to perfection.

“It’s a flat-bread-rolled sandwich and you can put almost everything in it like gyro, or even fettuccini alfredo,” Melanie explains. “It’s like a calzone, but it isn’t.” 

The cuisine that is stuffed into the panino is mainly Italian-based, but Josh and Melanie like to tweak the flavor to fall under various taste palates from Mexican to American. If they don’t have what you want (unlikely with 23 different varieties of paninos) you can choose to make your own.

 The buffalo chicken panino—made with chicken, Swiss and mozzarella cheese, Panino Brothers’ buffalo sauce and celery and bleu cheese—is the crowd favorite.

Everything is done in-house to keep prices low and benefit the customer. Burgers, salads and pizzas among other things are also on the menu.

Panino Brothers also offers a daily happy hour that runs from 2-6 p.m. and 10 p.m.-1 a.m. They have a signature shot called A Night In Vegas as well as provide $2 domestic beers on tap, $2 rail drinks, and $3 glasses of wine. They also have half-priced appetizers, and if you come in wearing the color of the day, you’ll get an extended happy hour from 8-10 p.m.

What’s their inspiration for setting up shop in Eden Prairie?

“We felt there was a need for it in the area,” Josh says. “Eden Prairie doesn’t really have a neighborhood bar where people could just go to hang out. Plus our place isn’t as upscale as the rest of them. There’s a definite blue-collar vibe to our place.”

Josh believes that they’ve become well-known in Apple Valley because they have tried to make the environment one that feels like a hometown bar where everyone knows everyone else. A lot of the regulars that they know there are known by their first name and they hope to bring that atmosphere to Eden Prairie.

Stop In

Panino Brothers

8335 Crystal View Road, Eden Prairie

952.405.9193

Email Josh

Email Melanie

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