Sandwiches
- Addy’s Sandwich Bar
- Built to Grill
- Bunk Sandwiches
- East Side Deli
- Eastmoreland Market
- Evoe
- Foster & Dobbs
- Half & Half
- Kenny & Zuke’s Sandwich Works
- Laurelhurst Market
- Little Red Bike Cafe
- Little T American Baker
- Meat Cheese Bread
- Pearl Bakery
- Savor Soup House
- Taste Tickler
- The Peoples’ Sandwich of Portland
Sandwiches are the perfect food, and when you’re perfect, people expect a lot out of you. Just ask Adam & Eve. I’m pretty finicky about my sandwiches–the bread must be exceptionally fresh, the strata thick and multi-layered, the sauces and seasonings and other fillings a real flavor asset, not just fodder. The hunt for the perfect sandwich is a lifetime pursuit, but since lifetime is a very long time, I’ve found a few places who put together an awfully good sandwich in the meantime.
Addy’s Sandwich Bar
Reading the chalkboard menu at Addy’s Sandwich Bar gave me a psychic jolt–I felt like Addy’d read my mind and listed every sandwich I adore and a few I’ve only dreamed of. Formerly of Sydney’s Cafe in NW Portland, Addy wanted a place of her own and bemoaned the lack of a good baguette sandwich source in downtown Portland, so she set up shop in a sparkling little silver trailer on SW 10th & Alder in early August. Her menu reads like it was imported from Paris–ham and gruyere with butter, turkey with Brie, cucumber and creme fraiche, country pate with mustard and cornichon, duck leg confit with apricot sauce–then takes a Spanish twist with the chocolate with olive oil and sea salt. All sandwiches are made on fresh Little T American Baker baguettes, and you can accessorize with an organic vegetable salad ($2.50), or Tim’s potato chips ($1.50). Nantucket Nectars, Izze sodas, Pellegrino, and Talking Rain bottled water are all available for $1.50.
Built to Grill
Good Italian can be hard to come by in downtown Portland’s Food Cart Land, but Brook and Aisha have set out to change that with Built to Grill. Peek inside the spotless little silver cart on SW 3rd Avenue to see a lineup of luscious paninis sizzling under foil-wrapped bricks–like the spicy meat-laden Italian Hero with proscuitto, salami and mortadella with spinach, and pepperonicini, the satisfying Grilled Chicken with spinach, mozzarella and sundried tomato pesto, and the Portabella mushroom with carmelized onions and mozzarella, all made on Fleur de Lis Bakery ciabatta rolls. Add a cup of rich bean and pasta Pasta Fagioli soup or an order of hearty pasta, and stay tuned for homemade cannoli in the near future; as soon as supercute owners Brook and Aisha suss out the perfect homemade cannoli shells.
- Location: SW 3rd & SW Stark St. Portland Map it!
- Phone Number: 503.789.3767
- Hours: Mon-Sat 11:30am until they run out of bread, which is usually around 4 or 5 pm
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Bunk Sandwiches
Tommy Habetz and Nick Wood’s fun, scrappy little Bunk Sandwiches on SE Morrison has moxie–and a persistent case of ‘line out the door’ syndrome. The sandwich-loving masses come for the tender, juicy roast beef with crispy onions and horseradish, the hot sausage po’ boys, the porchetta with fennel and onions, the Elvis (peanut butter, banana, and bacon), the Oregon albacore tuna melt, the simple grilled Tillamook cheddar, and the mighty Meatball Parmigiano Hero, the sandwich my friend Jeff dubbed “the heart attack boat.” They come for the big pickles, the red beans and green rice, the coconut cream cake, and the Bunk Mimosa–a heady concoction of orange juice and Miller High Life. And when every last speck of pork shoulder and tripe and fried mortadella and oxtail confit is gone, they leave with a big sandwich eatin’ grin.
- Location: 621 SE Morrison St. Portland Map it!
- Phone Number: 503.477.9515
- Hours: Mon-Sat 8am-3pm
East Side Deli
Portland is has its share of sandwich visionaries, people who adroitly dream up dishy sandwich creations and post them on walls and chalkboards and invite you to partake of their sandwich genius verbatim. Then there’s the art of the free-style deli sandwich, that deceptively plain-Jane maverick that’s created anew each time with the stroke of a dry erase pen on a laminated sandwich card. The choose-your-own-sandwich-adventure where you decide between dijon or yellow mustard, sundried pesto or just plain mayo, roll or Dave’s Killer Bread, the inclusion or exclusion of tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, black olives, pepperoncinis. You’re in control, you are mistress of your own sandwich strata, you’re nobody’s sandwich monkey. It’s something like that at SE Hawthorne’s punky little East Side Deli, where you can rock out to heavy metal while waiting for your custom made sub or sandwich, a heartily layered meal that will set you back a remarkable $5.50.
Eastmoreland Market
Riding along the quiet, immaculately-manicured streets of idyllic Eastmoreland, it’s a delightful surprise when the stately brick manors and quaint bungalows briefly part to reveal a tiny gourmet market filled with organic produce, wines, meats, bread, Spanish and Italian specialty groceries, Illy coffee, fresh Voodoo Doughnuts, and exceptional sandwiches. Natives, accidental tourists, and intrepid sandwich seekers alike can be found nose deep in one of this well-hidden neighborhood favorite’s sandwich creations, like the popular Smoked Turkey and Goat Cheese with housemade chutney and grilled onions, hearty Rueben with corned beef and housemade pickle slaw on rye, and marvelously meaty Muffaletta–a fresh ciabatta roll gripping seemingly endless layers of paper thin ham, salumi, mortadella, swiss, provolone and spread with a feisty olive, caper and pickled vegetable relish. Dine in at one of the cafe tables up front or pick up a bottle of Broadbent vinho verde, a bag of Kettle chips, organic Willamette Valley pears, oatmeal cherry cookies by Finale Fine Cakes and Desserts and a bar or two of Theo chocolate, and you’ve got the makings of a mighty fine picnic, if you can ever find your way out of this utopian neck of the Southeast woods and over to one of the nearby city parks.
Evoe
It’s important to have contingency plans for all sorts of emergency situations, and sandwich cravings are no exception–in the event of one, I immediately walk down to Pastaworks and get some paper thin Fra’mani salumi, a wedge of Taleggio or Gorgonzola Dolce, a Pearl Bakery ciabatta roll, and whatever other sandwich accoutrements catch my sandwich loving stomach’s eye. I’m in good company, because that’s exactly what Evoe Executive Chef Kevin Gibson does when he makes a sandwich–just heads into the adjoining Pastaworks and picks and chooses complimentary components. Naturally, this process creates some extraordinarily good sandwiches. A few of my favorites include the speck (smoked proscuitto) on focaccia with asiago, arugula, and mustard; the pork pate with mustard, butter and friseé on a wheat demi baguette; the Muffaletta–salami, mortadella, ham, provolone, olive salad and pickled vegetables on ciabatta; and the Dansk–fresh cured salmon on rye with mayo, horseradish, dill and hard boiled egg. It’s good to know that when a sudden sandwich craving strikes, Evoe has our back.
- Location: 3731 SE Hawthorne Blvd. Portland Map it!
- Phone Number: 503.232.1010
- Hours: Wed-Sun 12-7pm
Foster & Dobbs
For a really long time, I thought Foster & Dobbs was a feed store. This was an unfortunate misapprehension, because I missed out on a lot of really good sandwiches. If you’re on the ball, and knew that Foster & Dobbs was a remarkable specialty wine, cheese, charcuterie and specialty goods shop, then you probably also already know the joys of savoring one of their beautiful sandwiches–mole salami (seasoned with chili & chocolate) and farmstead cheddar with red tomato & chili jam, or finnochiona salami (fennel & black pepper) with chevre and red onion confit, Oregon Albacoret tuna with preserved lemons and capers, and the mouthwatering Freddy Guy’s Chocolate Hazelnut Butter with fresh chevre, served warm. You can also opt for the Ploughman’s Lunch–fresh bread, salad greens, and a pickle with your choice of cheese from Foster & Dobb’s marvelous selection of artisan cheeses. Or, if you’re thinking of picnicking in nearby Grant or Irving Park, have some salumi and cheese custom sliced, grab a baguette, some chocolate, and a bottle of wine, and make your own sandwich improv.
Half & Half
Any shop that peddles a sandwich called The Ham Job, along with wicked good deviled eggs, chocolate butter pie and boxes of Animal Crackers, is A+ in my book. SW Oak Street’s beloved Half & Half is part coffeehouse, part sandwich shop, and 100 percent awesome, and I don’t usually use the word awesome on this site. It would be impossible to list my favorite sandwiches, because the inimitable sandwich menu changes with the tide, but on any given day you might find The Dom Deluise – a tuna melt with bacon, avocado and Swiss, the Frazier–banana and mayonnaise, the Bobby Fisher –sweet and spicy tempeh, arugula, sherried onions and tofutti, and The Sacred Giblet–sliced turkey breast, dandelion greens, strawberries and chevre. And don’t forget to pick up a box of Animal Crackers, too.
- Location: 923 SW Oak St. Portland Map it!
- Phone Number: 503.222.4495
- Hours: Daily 7am – 6 pm
Kenny & Zuke’s Sandwich Works
Kenny & Zuke’s Sandwich Works on NW Vaughn is like a big boisterous indoor picnic, complete with picnic tables, cool retro sodas, and big fat sandwiches served up with crunchy potato chips and a pickle spear. You’ve got three categories of sandwiches to pull from–the All-Stars (meatball hero, Chicago Italian beef, Cuban mixto, Tuna Salad, Rueben sliders, Chicken Salad Club); the Meatless (grilled cheese, deviled egg, ratatouille, gianduja and jam), and although this may be stretching the sandwich boundaries a bit, the Dogs (Sabretts and Sabretts with chili, nuff said). If you aren’t feeling picnicky enough already clutching your hot dog or tuna salad, order up a side–one bite of Kenny and Zuke’s potato salad, macaroni salad, or slaw, and you’ll be feeling imaginary colonies of ants crawling up your legs.
- Location: 2376 NW Thurman St. Portland Map it!
- Phone Number: 503.954.1737
- Hours: Mon-Fri 11am-8pm, Sat-Sun 10am-8pm
Laurelhurst Market
Raw meat and sandwiches, it just might not get any better than the Laurelhurst Market butcher shop. Step up to the meat counter and remember that you are here for a SANDWICH, try your best not to get distracted by the sanguine display of gorgeous glistening raw meats and decide to go home and barbecue instead. Since you are here for a SANDWICH, you have two choices–make your own, choosing from delicious housemade meats like smoked turkey, roast beef, pastrami, ham, corned beef, and pate, cheese such as white cheddar, gruyere, and aged provolone, and a variety of toppings includingfield greens, tomato, pepperoncini, zucchini pickles, horseradish, mayo ‘n dijon, and bacon–or–put your fate in the Laurelhurst boys’ capable hands. On any given day there are a half dozen or so house sandwiches up on the chalkboard to the right of the meat counter–try the porchetta on ciabatta with shredded iceberg and red onions, the smoked Wagyu brisket on a kaiser roll with Piccalilli relish, ham ‘n spicy sopressata with pepperoncinis and aged provolone, or perhaps the spicy tuna confit with capers and Calabrian chiles. All right, now that you’ve got your butcher paper-wrapped SANDWICH tucked safely under one arm, it’s okay to drool over the Flanken-style short ribs and then buy a few pounds of the Piedmontese skirt steak for the impromptu barbecue you’re planning to have as soon as you finish it.
- Location: 3155 E. Burnside, Portland Map it!
- Phone Number: 503.206.3099
- Hours: Butcher Shop Daily 10am-7pm, sandwiches served 11am-5pm
Little Red Bike Cafe
Before you even try the sandwiches, you’ll fall love with the Little Red Bike Cafe–the ambiance alone brings a smile to most peoples faces, unless you’re a total curmudgeon. But even a curmudgeon’ll soften like butter on a warm windowsill when confronted with the LRBC’s array of homespun sandwiches–golden toasted tuna melts, beautifully layered BLT’s, and big cheesy egg sandwiches like The Messenger–fried egg, applewood smoked bacon, gorgonzola spread, and house apple butter on ciabatta or the Alleycat–fried egg, prosciutto, white cheddar, carmelized onions, house fig jam, and dijon on ciabatta.
- Location: 4823 N Lombard St. Portland Map it!
- Phone Number: 503.289.0120
- Hours: Tue-Sat 8am-2pm, Sun 9am-2pm
Little T American Baker
Flanking every great sandwich there is a great bread, which helps explain why the sandwiches at Little T American Baker are so good. The meaty Italian grinder on a Little T baguette and and turkey & cream cheese with cilantro pesto on a 7-grain carrot ciabatta roll are a couple of my all-time sandwich favorites, and now that summer tomatoes have arrived, Little T’s BLT sandwich is available–two thick slabs of buttery soft Sally Lunn bread (the same bread used in the cowgirl toast bacon + fried egg breakfast sandwich) cradling thick slabs of bacon and lettuce and tomatoes from Gathering Together Farm. It’s summer in a sandwich.
Meat Cheese Bread
It’s the simple things in life that matter, and that’s why I like Meat Cheese Bread’s name so much–because this quirky little sandwich shop on SE Stark has pinpointed the fundamental ingredients in sandwiches…and life. The sandwich menu swings both ways–hot and cold–with standout sandwiches including the Park Kitchen (warm flank steak, pickled onions, blue cheese mayo, lettuce and vinaigrette, named after my favorite salad in the world) and the delightfully different B.L.B. (Neuskies smoked bacon, roasted heirloom beets, lettuce and aioli on sourdough). A cup of homemade soup and a bittersweet chocolate Scharffen Berger brownie on the side, and you’ve pretty much secured your everlasting bliss. Who says sandwiches can’t buy happiness?
- Location: 1406 SE Stark St. Portland Map it!
- Phone Number: 503.234.1700
- Hours: Mon-Sat 7am-7pm
Pearl Bakery
Should you need a sandwich fix come lunch time, pop into Pearl for a housemade sandwich on the freshest of bread, and now that Phresh Organic Catering is supplying hand-crafted soups Thursday through Saturday from 11am – 3pm, you might want a cup of soup as well, to dip your chocolate panini in.
- Location: 102 NW 9th Ave. Portland Map it!
- Phone Number: 503.827.0910
- Hours: Mon-Fri 6:30am-5:30pm, Sat 7am-5pm, Sun 8am-3pm
Savor Soup House
Perched at the corner of SW 10th & Alder directly across from Jake’s, this darling little pink-shingled food cart turns out delicious sandwiches, soups and salads. Try The Taproot–turkey and provolone with pesto, lettuce and tomato on Grand Central Bakery’s como bread, The Caprese–sliced tomato, buffalo mozzarella and basil with balsamic drizzle on a ciabatta roll, or pair a cup of hot tomato soup with fennel and orange with one of one of Savor’s dreamy build-your-own grilled cheese sandwiches–you start with Tillamook cheddar or gruyere and add ingredients as you like from a list that includes homemade pesto, apple butter, caramelized onion, hickory smoked bacon, sliced apples, and truffle oil. And when the rains a’pelting your office windows and you don’t feel like standing outside a food cart, even a pink-shingled one, you can call for delivery–Savor delivers to as far away as Lloyd Center.
- Location: 1003 SW Alder, Portland Map it!
- Phone Number: 503.750.5634
- Hours: Mon-Fri 11am-4pm
Taste Tickler
When I eat at Taste Tickler, I’m transported back in time. Back to college, when I could party all night and sleep until 4pm, my carefree lifestyle interrupted only by a)the occasional call from my dad threatening to cut off my funding unless I added another two whole points to my GPA and fast, b)the occasional mandatory class attendance policy, and b)the relentless sandwich cravings. In college, unless you’re highly evolved, you aren’t necessarily interested in house-cured meats and artisan cheeses and organic tomatoes and free range pepperoncinis, you’re much more concerned with volume, economy and flair, which is exactly what you’ll get at Taste Tickler, an immaculate little basement sub shop at the corner of NE Broadway and 14th. Sandwiches come on a stretch of soft chewy white baguette, in increments of 7″ ($4.95), 10″ ($6.95), and 14″ ($8.75), and can be adorned with pretty much any trimming or condiment you want, which is why mine always end up resembling a Christmas tree decorated by a kid who got into the mulled wine. They are big, they are cheap, they are fresh, and they are satisfying, even to a mature, adult, free-range pepperoncini snob like me.
- Location: 1704 NE 14th Ave. Portland Map it!
- Phone Number: 503.282.3681, call ahead for to-go orders and you can double park in the lot behind the store when picking up
- Hours: Mon-Fri 10am-8pm, Sat 11am-7pm, closed Sun
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The Peoples’ Sandwich of Portland
Communists and capitalists sit side by side at this quirky little Oldtown sandwich bar, sharing the camaraderie of a meaty Hammer & Pickle (housemade ham, pork loin, pickle, and Swiss) or vegan-friendly The People Sandwich (”Soylent Green” aka pesto-baked tofu, Peppadew peppers, and Oregon filberts), made on Dave’s Killer Bread and served with crisp housemade potato chips and a Tootsie Roll. Lines can reach Soviet-era grocery store proportions during peak sandwich-eating times, and with most sandwiches priced at $8 you might use up your entire lunch ration here, but the sandwiches are hearty, the service is friendly, and there are plenty of tables and barstools where you can relax and re-read your dog-eared copy of The Communist Manifesto.
- Location: 53 NW 1st Ave. Portland Map it!
- Phone Number: 503.222.0525
- Hours: Mon-Fri 10am-6pm, Sat-Sun 12-4pm, Fri-Sat 10pm-3am
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