Between new restaurants and old favorites, I’ve got sandwiches on the brain these days, and I wanted to highlight a few worthy of your attention! What’s not to like about sandwiches? They’re compact, easy for carryout, and you can fill them with anything.
Huong Vietnamese Restaurant | Banh Mi
I put Huong up there with some of the city’s best Vietnamese. Their pho is rich and complex, the banh mi marries savory cold cut pork and paté with bright, crisp veggies in a baguette.
Emmet’s Cafe | The One-Handed
The new Emmett’s combines superior coffee service with a thoughtful breakfast and lunch menu. Leading off the morning meal is the One-Handed, a nicely composed little sandwich of egg, cheese, crispy prosciutto, and rosemary aioli in an English muffin.
Newfangled Kitchen | The Fang
Newfangled Kitchen in Bexley builds their menu around homemade meatloaf (“Ma!”), serving it in a series of burger-like sandwiches. (Are burgers sandwiches? Discuss.) The Fang layers the meatloaf with lettuce, tomato, red onion, pickles, American cheese, and their signature smoky, slightly sweet fang sauce.
Preston’s Burgers/Honey’s Fried Chicken | Fried Chicken Sandwich
Look, you know I love Preston’s, and I love their new home inside the North Market. And now they’ve added a sister concept, Honey’s Fried Chicken, dishing out succulent fried chicken in many forms. The Honey’s Chicken Sandwich piles honey-kissed fried chicken with lemon/thyme mayo, shaved onion, red cabbage, and house pickles. Get on this one.
Basic Biscuits, Coffee, & Kindness | Breakfast Slider
Basic Biscuits serves all things biscuit-related (and kindly, I might add) from sandwiches to biscuits and gravy, quiche with biscuit crust to French toast casseroles using biscuit dough. Their adorable biscuits sliders can be ordered with egg, cheese, and a choice of bacon or locally made sausage.
The Lox Bagel Shop | Pastrami on Everything
The Lox’s house-made pastrami really doesn’t need any introduction. When that ridiculously flavorful and tender meat is layered with Swiss, pickled onions, and mustard on a house-made everything bagel… COME ON! [Gob Bluth voice]
Cravings Cafe | Triple Crunch Grilled Cheese
Cravings downtown is a perennial favorite, and their current menu includes the Triple Crunch grilled cheese sandwich. It’s a meal unto itself: thick cut bacon, Swiss and cheddar cheese, a crispy potato cake, and rosemary aioli sandwiched between slices of whole grain. Get it with a side of their house fries, then schedule a nap afterwards.
Ray Ray’s Hog Pit | Buffalo Cauliflower
I’m all on board with Ray Ray’s jerk chicken, brisket, and Carolina pork, but they’ve got some interesting veggie options going, too. At their Land-Grant and Nocterra Brewing locations they serve up a cauliflower burnt ends sandwich, with smoked cauliflower, red cabbage, and choice of sauce. Don’t want to leave our vegetarian friends out in the cold.
Wario’s Beef & Pork | The Cold Cut
Wario’s is one of the reasons sandwiches are on my mind right now. Their sandwiches are just killer: huge portions, quality ingredients. I love the classic Philly cheesesteak, but watch out for the the cold cut. It layers rosemary ham, soppressata, and hot coppa with a picante provolone, colorful house-made giardiniera, Wario sauce, tomato butter, shaved lettuce, and onions on Matija Breads’ semolina seeded roll. I just wish my Subway-eating high school self could see me now.
Kolache Republic | Chorizo, Egg, & Cheese
You’ve long known my love of Kolache Republic, and my favorite offering of their savories is the chorizo, egg, and cheese breakfast sandwich. Such a zesty and wonderfully composed, hand-held breakfast bite.
Ironworks Waffle Cafe | The Davey Moore
Okay, this one steps outside of Columbus, but it’s worth the trip. We discovered Ironworks Waffle Cafe at COHatch The Market on an invited Springfield trip last fall. They craft some seriously good waffle sandwiches, and the Davey Moore stood out: fresh-made waffles encasing a chorizo egg scramble, cheddar, candied jalapenos, and a sriracha crema.
Huli Huli Tiki Lounge | Lobster Rolls
I’m no expert on lobster rolls, but I know a good one when I see one, and we were duly impressed with Huli Huli’s offering (and really, kudos to all the food and drink on their menu). They serve the rolls in pairs, loaded with well-seasoned lobster meat in toasted buns, plus a side of fries.
The Whitney House | Adult Grilled Cheese
Amongst the Whitney House’s homespun meals (might I suggest their Wednesday meatloaf special?), their adult grilled cheese layers a generous amount of cheese with tomato jam and caramelized onions on whole grain. It’s served – of course – with a side of roasted tomato soup.
Fox in the Snow | Egg Sandwich
Look, any list of sandwiches in or around or anywhere near Columbus needs to include Fox in the Snow’s popular egg sandwich. It’s unreasonably good, a lovingly engineered combination of fluffy souffled eggs, sweet candied bacon, Swiss cheese, bitter arugula, and a tangy Dijon mustard on ciabatta.
Your House | Any Breakfast Sandwich you Make
I believe in you. You can make incredible sandwiches right in your very own home. Get creative and try some new combinations. My favorite recently: fried egg, sausage patty, hash browns, cheddar on ciabatta.
