Bread and Butter: London’s best sandwiches
You just can’t beat a good sandwich. No longer relegated to the grab-and-go office lunches of yore, the sandwich has risen the ranks to artisanal status. And where New York’s delis have historically reigned supreme with their full-to-the-brim subs, London’s playful pioneers of the sandwich genre are meeting them with experimental fillings, all manners of bread and new takes on old classics. From a humble bacon sarnie made at a London institution to a fiery Thai baguette coming out of Hackney Road, here’s our guide to the best sandwiches in the city.
NORTH
1. Max’s Sandwich Shop
Started by self-confessed ‘professional sandwicher’ Max Halley, Max’s Sandwich Shop is a firm favourite for both visitors and locals to Crouch Hill. There’s nothing ordinary about this place: Max likes to riff on the classics with big and bold flavours, from a spring roll-inspired number laced with kimchi, honey and MSG mayo, to a lasagne sandwich stuffed with deep-fried macaroni. A crowd-pleaser is the Et Tu Brute?, an elevated caesar, filled with tender poached chicken, tarragon salsa and crusty garlic croutons. True fans can even grab themselves some merch, too.
2. Sons and Daughters
Think of all your childhood favourites, taken to the next level. Don’t expect your average prawn mayo: here they’re adding prawn crackers, crunchy napa cabbage and hot jalapeños to the mix. There’s umami miso mayo tossed through egg salad, which has the added luxury of truffle crisps. A simple mortadella and taleggio focaccia is spiked with Thai basil and cider vinaigrette. And if you’re looking for something even more experimental, opt for the merguez sausage sando, where a gentle, building heat is paired with salty French fries and tart-pink pickled onions.
3. Common Ground
Sustainably minded cafe Common Ground in Stroud Green champions vegetarian dishes, which means its epic sandwiches are all the more interesting. On its rotating menu of toasties you might find kimchi and gochujang offering some heat or, for a dairy-free delight, there’s one with smoked tempeh, chilli jam and vegan cheese. Sandwiches range from crunchy focaccias to soft brioche subs stacked high with seasonal fillings. In our opinion, park picnics are amiss without the sandwich that bursts with burrata, purple sprouting broccoli and wild-garlic pesto.
SOUTH
4. 40 Maltby St
You might be hard-pressed to find a table at 40 Maltby Street in the evening, but getting a taste of this much-loved restaurant is that little bit easier with its lunchtime sandwiches. While there’s only ever a handful of sandwich options on the menu, you can usually find classics like salt beef and dill pickle, fried chicken, or the peculiarly British fish finger sandwich with creamy tartare sauce (a crowd favourite). There are also cheese-filled toasties and veggie fritters paired with deli essentials like artichokes and piccalilli.
5. Italo
Italo’s location makes it an ideal place to either admire Bonnington Square’s leaf-laden community Garden, or to find a spot to sit within this secret jungle. Here you might find the wonder that is a potato sandwich: roasted Cornish Earlies thickly sliced and paired with sharp cheese and a scattering of parsley. Or a fried mortadella with Asiago cheese, cornichons and a slathering of mayo on stretchy sourdough. Italo’s is an ever-changing menu that runs with the seasons. Our tip? Go for anything in their rosemary-studded focaccia if you can.
6. Chatsworth Bakehouse
Crystal Palace locals will wax lyrical about Chatsworth Bakehouse, a small-batch bakery where people flock to pre-order its sell-out sandwiches. One day you might opt for classic cold cuts and cheese-stuffed sandwiches, slick with a generous array of condiments; the next, one layered with thick-cut meaty tomatoes, jammy boiled duck eggs and sauce-covered crunchy lettuce. Making its bread in-house means Chatsworth bangs out the freshest sandwiches, which are best enjoyed under the sun in Crystal Palace Park, only a short stroll away.
EAST
7. Dom’s Subs
Dom’s Subs is Hackney’s answer to New York’s piled-high deli sandwiches, but with a cheeky wink. A classic club here comes in bread dusted in house semolina, which has a little crunch on the outside and is perfectly soft on the inside, where dough collides with stacks of turkey, ham, bacon and cheese with a big handful of salad. The vegan Dom shouldn’t be missed either, with its spicy Thai prik tum dressing and sticky roasted cashews. But the real winner is the Grapow: a mouth-numbing spicy ground-chicken sub, paired with crunchy and tart pickled cucumbers and carrots and laced with creamy Kewpie mayo. It’s so full it can only be eaten quickly and voraciously, so as to avoid losing any of that golden filling.
8. Dusty Knuckle
Arguably one of east London’s most talked-about bakeries, Dusty Knuckle is known for its pillowy potato sourdoughs and fluffy focaccias, which make for epic sandwiches at their Dalston HQ, hidden just behind Kingsland Road. Things never stay the same with its lunchtime sandwiches (which sell out quick, so we’d recommend you pre-order to avoid disappointment): you might get a roast-chicken caesar one day, and a beetroot and feta focaccia the next. Luckily the breakfast menu remains solid, so get there early for the famous egg, chilli and cheese sandwich enveloped in freshly baked, bubbly bread.
9. Snackbar
Snackbar’s storefront on Dalston Lane is as bright as its sandwiches. Fusion flavours are on the menu here, with Asian and Mexican influences creeping into the grilled-cheese sandwich – at times with pickled shiitake mushrooms nestled in, or simply flavoured with smoky pimento. The SnackMuffin is not to be missed – a browned pork patty covered in oozing American cheese, an OJ-hued fried egg and brown sauce.
10. Hai Cafe
This family-run Vietnamese cafe serves up six-inch bành mí baguettes that might be small but definitely pack a punch. The composition of a bành mí usually involves meat (typically pork), pickled vegetables, mayo, fresh herbs and chilli, making it a perfect combination of savoury, sour and spicy. Hai Cafe’s come with house-pickled carrots, crispy shallots, cucumber and crushed black sesame alongside fragrant lemongrass chicken, tender pork belly or tofu and Korean oyster mushrooms.
WEST
11. Paul Rothe & Son
A little jaunt down Marylebone Lane might lead you to Paul Rothe & Son, a deli that’s been in business since 1900 and has been run by the same family ever since. Here the sandwiches are stalwart classics: think egg salad on rye accompanied by a flurry of salted crisps, or a pastrami, cheese and pickle that’s tasty enough without needing to be stacked high. You’ll see them make your sarnies right in front of you, prompting you to buy one of the chutneys and cheeses going into your lunch – or simply an afternoon snack.
12. Secret Sandwich Shop
Looking for a New York deli-style sandwich full to the brim? Head to Secret Sandwich Shop in Notting Hill for neat squares stuffed with classic fillings, from a stacked tuna mayo on granary to an aesthetically pleasing egg salad packed in between two slices of thick soft white, flecked with peppery watercress. The 7th Avenue – salty pastrami, tart sauerkraut and Swiss cheese – fulfils any the NYC cravings you might have, too.
13. Layla
Located on Portobello Road, neatly between Ladbroke Grove and Westbourne Park, Layla has quickly become a favourite neighbourhood bakery, with its bread made from ancient grains. It also hosts pop-ups, featuring chefs like Amy Poon and Xanthe Gladstone. When you’re not scoring tickets to its supper clubs, pick up one of its sandwiches, usually made with house focaccia and filled with colourful seasonal produce. Here, summer tastes like roasted-garlic ricotta, San Marzano tomato and chimichurri.
CENTRAL
14. Bodega Ritas
Just behind the bustle of Smithfield Market sits Bodega Ritas, ran by the work-and-life partners behind Rita’s. Its legendary sandwiches will satiate any appetite, with a roster including the Italian hoagie lined with salami, prosciutto and smoked cheddar, and the famed Sophia Loren, a hot aubergine parmigiana sub slathered in marinara sauce and topped with vegan cheese dust. Not for the faint-hearted – or the clean-shirted.
15. Margot’s Pride
From maven of the London food scene Margot Henderson comes another winner: Margot’s Pride, located within the Arcade Food Hall, is a venture into sandwiches with her son, Hector, and is as delicious as you might expect. Hearty creations are served on bread from acclaimed London bakery Flor, from the quintessentially British ham and cheese to braised smoked ox-tongue paired with spicy horseradish and pickled beetroot.
16. St John
“Creating a sandwich is like jazz,” says Fergus Henderson, husband of Margot. “You must find your unique sound.” At St John, that rings true. Nothing trendy or flashy goes on here – just British classics on delicious St John bread: cheese and pickle, for instance, or egg mayo, both of which can be requested with added brown shrimp or anchovy should that tickle your fancy. But of course, St John is known for one sandwich in particular: its bacon butty on soft white bread, its salty rashers branded with deep grill marks and complemented with in-house ketchup. Nothing beats it.
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