Why sandwich shops are the latest slice of London's food scene

Kendra Seguin · CBC News

· Posted: May 02, 2025 5:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

Some London restaurateurs are moving to capable a niche successful the metropolis which they judge has been lacking for excessively galore years: a bully sandwich shop.

From the downtown halfway to Old East Village, astatine slightest 3 caller sandwich store storefronts person popped up successful the past six months. 

"Sandwiches are a comfortableness nutrient for people," said Shaddy Alkhatib, proprietor of The Bread Bowl, a caller sandwich store acceptable to unfastened successful mid-May astatine 354 Wellington St., crossed from Citi Plaza.

"I deliberation it each goes backmost to erstwhile we were kids. The archetypal happening your ma makes you for luncheon is sandwiches. You turn up eating sandwiches for lunch, and past erstwhile you outgrow that and really get into a enactment career, you commencement to consciousness similar you privation a sandwich to consciousness that comfortableness and nostalgia."

With the extremity of catering to downtown's bureau crowd, Alkhatib plans to merchantability accepted deli sandwiches, specified arsenic pastrami, corned beef and turkey, with Halal options available. While the take-out spot volition besides service soups and breadstuff bowls, Alkhatib said helium chiefly wanted to unfastened a sandwich store due to the fact that it seemed to beryllium missing from the area.

"When I was doing my research, trying to travel crossed sandwich shops was hard to find," helium said. "I consciousness similar sandwiches are thing that needs to deed the metropolis harder."

A 15-minute locomotion distant astatine 525 Richmond St., Zack Agathos had the aforesaid thought erstwhile helium opened Al Paninos successful April.

"There was a niche successful the marketplace that had to beryllium captured, and I felt with the acquisition of america being successful the industry, it was thing that we could bring to London," said Agathos, whose household has tally respective restaurants passim the city, including Huron House and Icarus. 

The accrued involvement successful 1 benignant of food isn't thing exclusive to sandwich shops, according to Renee's Sandwich Shop co-owner Renee Kaplansky, who added nutrient trends hap often.

"It's precise indicative of London; London has thing and past each of a sudden, has 10 of them," said Kaplansky, who opened her sandwich store astatine 1018 Dundas St. successful October.

"I consciousness similar sandwiches person been trendy a small bit," she said. "Maybe it's my algorithm, but it pops up a batch connected my TikTok and Instagram, and I conscionable deliberation that London's catching up to the different cities that probably already had a fewer sandwich shops there."

Simple meal, without the work

While the 3 restaurateurs each hold that sandwiches tin beryllium a comparatively elemental meal, they accidental determination is thing peculiar astir getting it from a restaurant. 

"Everything tastes bully if idiosyncratic other makes it for you," Alkhatib said. 

Agathos said helium wants his customers to bask the work and ambiance of his edifice erstwhile they prime up a bite.

"It's a household feel, what we're doing here," helium said. "Most radical are bully cooks, but erstwhile you travel here, you conscionable spot it enactment unneurotic a small differently. We don't complicate things and conscionable effort to springiness everybody a good, comfy experience."

Despite much sandwich shops opening successful the city, it's the idiosyncratic touches that volition let them to beryllium among each other, Kaplansky said. 

"The beauteous happening is that we're a immense metropolis truthful there's much than capable concern to spell astir and I privation everybody large success," she said.

Her store serves some blistery and acold items, including chickenhearted schnitzel and turkey brie sandwiches, each utilizing homemade sauces and breadstuff baked in-house daily.

Meanwhile, Al Paninos has a Greek-Italian menu, with classical items specified arsenic chickenhearted parmesan, Philly cheesesteak and nine sandwiches. The store uses homemade ingredients and breadstuff from a section London bakery, Agathos said.

"It's the champion happening I've eaten successful my full life," said Travis Moffat, who was eating the "Big Al" meatball sandwich astatine Al Paninos Thursday. He said it was already his 2nd sojourn to the store since it opened 3 weeks ago. "I get to get retired of the location and I don't person to bash immoderate of the work."