In Toronto, the best sandwich shop I’ve ever been to is the Sandwich Box, around Queen and John. It’s a tiny little shop that staffs about 4 people and features a gigantic salad bar and really tasty soups, and of course their famous sandwiches.
You choose your ingredients and they lightly grill your composition to perfection using a panini press – but it’s nothing like what you’d get at Subway, or even Quiznos: these are classy, gourmet sandwiches. You can choose 3 of about 20 fancy meats, cheeses and vegetables, plus one of 4 incredible spreads and one of a variety of fresh breads. Meats and cheeses are hand sliced in front of you as you choose them, and arranged with care.
The sandwich chefs add salt and pepper and a squeeze of lemon, lightly brush it with a little olive oil and then throw your sandwich on the press for about 5 minutes. This is then sliced in half and packaged in a really nice white box which also contains a small mixed greens salad with a simple balsamic vinegar and olive oil dressing.
My favourite combination is roast turkey, sliced tomato and jalapeno havarti, with artichoke spread, on rosemary focaccia.
The sandwich is warm, slightly crunchy, and absolutely fantastic. And it only costs about $6!
What is your favourite sandwich, and where do you get it?
Are there any great sandwich shops in San Francisco? I’m going in March!
(I wasn’t sure if this was the right place for this thread – mods, please feel free to move it!)
Best sammich of all time - some random little shop in Dublin, near Temple Bar but not the trendy tourist part, a freakin’ ham on white was all. Damn! The ham, the butter, the bread… best sandwich ever, and we had to find the place on our last day in town.
Used to be a deli in Boulder that made a pretty good sandwich. It was like a Twilight Zone thing because I swear about half the time I tried to find it, it wasn’t there - You had to not be looking for it to find it. Boulder was like that sometimes.
Jason’s Deli has got me hooked on Corned Beef and Pastrami on rye.
However, you asked about San Francisco. Back in the 90’s, I was able to spend a week there. One day I took the bus to a stop near the art school with a Diego Rivera mural. It was only a few blocks away! I like to walk!
Of course, I’m a flatlander. After scaling one hill, I realized that the other side was the famous one with the zigzag street. I proceeded to the mural, then went to Coit Tower for more mural action. My heart was still going double time from the exertion.
Walking down Grant Street, I stuck my nose in a deli. Then walked a block & doubled back. I ordered the “special” sandwich. The lady at the counter sliced each bit of cheese & cold cut fresh. The sandwich was one of the best in my life. (Perhaps my near-death experience gave it extra savor.)
As far as I can tell, I ate at Prudente–which may have gone out of business. Perhaps a SF native can tell us. However, you will surely find some good food in that beautiful city.
I’m probably going to get flak for this but one important factor in driving me out of Champaign to see my sister and brother in Chicago was getting a Potbelly sammich for the drive home.
Of course, they open one in Chambana the DAY I graduate. But it’s prolly good they didn’t do it before because I would have ballooned out to a zillion pounds.
Anyway, they still live there and I always try to get flights in and out of Midway so I can have a Potbelly for the plane ride home, hee hee.
If you’re going to be in Tallahassee, you have to go to Looper’s Subs and have a Super Looper. We’ve been to all of the sandwich shops in town, and Looper’s is the best. You may want to hurry up, because I hear that the owner wants to sell it after 27 years.
Next on the list are Atlanta Bread Company, and Panera. Schlotzky’s Deli was great, too, but they have all but closed down business in Florida. They still have locations elsewhere, though.
Yes, Sal’s. They have a sign on the counter that says “No ummm’s…”
Make up your mind on your sandwich order while in line and spit it out when they call on you, or prepare to be ridiculed. I love that.
There are three of them now, but I’ve only been to the one on Pearl near Mike’s Camera. This is probably the one that is hard to find since there is no signage readable from more than six feet away, plus no parking anywhere close, except for the 45 degree hill in back.
Gyro Bob’s in Kent, Ohio is this little cart that has been a staple of Kent State life for many years. It’s parked on the corner downtown and open until after the bars close.
I’ve never tried their gyros, but their Philly cheesesteak can’t be beat. Warm fresh bread, freshly cooked meat, onions, mushrooms, lettuce, tomato, cheese and mayo.
Not sure how “real” this is as far as Philly cheesesteaks go, but it’s the best we’re going to do in NE Ohio.
Another place I like is Jimmy John’s…which I’ve been to in NC and Detroit but never seen one in Cleveland.
I was going to say one of the hot dog/gyro/beef joints, but I don’t think that’s what you were looking for.
For a sandwich sandwich, I’d have to say Boudin Bakery would be the only memorable one for me. They had some tuna salad on their sourdough that was just to die for. I believe there was a ham and swiss - that bread is just unbelievable! I haven’t been there in probably 20 years, though. Wonder if it’s still as good?
in Seattle “The Other Coast Cafe” makes insanely good sandwiches. I assume they make them “east coast” style based on the name but since I’ve never had a sandwich on the east coast I don’t know.
In Spokane Washington there is a chain of cheesesteak sandwich shops that I crave almost daily. It’s not just their cheesesteaks that are declious, everything they make is great. When I lived in Seattle and would visit Spokane I would bring a cooler and pack Bruchis sandwiches in it and take them home with me. I imagine they stayed good for about two days… not that they ever lasted that long without me eating.
There are two Jimmy John’s in Cleveland now - One on Coventry and one downtown. Their bread makes em the best IMO, although Grum’s and Dave’s Cosmic subs (both also on Coventry) give them a run for their money.
My favorite sammich though is a Bánh mì from Superior Phở (formerly named Phở Hoa) on E. 30th and Superior. A warm crusty baguette cut and smeared inside with pâté, then filled with tender juicy pork, picked cucumbers, daikon, carrots and chili peppers. Man, that’s some good stuff! :o
I opened this thread to post about Vietnamese sandwiches. Here in San Jose, we have many of these sandwich joints to choose from, but Dakao is my favorite. I like the plain grilled pork (slices of tender pork marinated in a sugary soy glaze and grilled until they get slightly crisp and blackened), crunchy pickled daikon and carrots, cilantro leaves and slices of jalapeno. And these places typically bake their own killer French baguettes! It’s a crusty, sweet, hot, chewy, tender sensory overload experience. Accompany it with a mango smoothie with tapioca pearls in it, and it’s a heavenly meal for about $5 total.
In South River, NJ (NJ, where a bad sub is hard to find anyway) - Riddle & Martin Sub Shop I like a simple Italian, but all of their subs are delicious.
Here in Santa Rosa my favorite is Arrigoni’s Cafe. My favorite sandwich of theirs is the ‘Viva La France’ - A croissant stuffed with ham and gruyere cheese topped with crisp bacon. It’s served hot or cold, I get mine hot.
There is this great Sandwich place in Miami Beach that I could never find on my own. I always had the Brie and Prosciutto on Pumpernickel heavy with Dijon. Just amazing.
I realize I’m writing to a limited audience here, but…the best Kosher sandwich shops are Sub-Sational and Nosh Express, both in Flatbush (Brooklyn, NY).
I don’t know if Bakeman’s in Seattle still exists, but I lived on their turkey sandwiches back in the 80’s. Simple stuff. Thick slices of bread that held probably 6-8 ounces of fresh roasted turkey. They made a great chocolate cake too.
I have to make my own sandwiches now. HyVee (grocery store) carries sliced meat from Hormel, under the brand name DiLusso. It’s about $9 a pound and worth it. The beef actually tastes like beef! I put it on dill rye bread and add horseradish, sour cream, and alfalfa sprouts. And I can still taste the beef!
Oh, and the best Sandwich (forgot that part) - from Sub-Sational, the best one is the Italian Veal Sausage on a baguette. From Nosh Express, the best is the Honey Glazed Pastrami with barbecue sauce and fried onions in a wrap (also available in a baguette or a pita).
