Seattle’s 48 Best Sandwiches: One-Of-A-Kind Faves

Some sammies are hard to categorize, but oh so easy to swallow

By Allison Austin Scheff and Lorna Yee December 31, 1969

ELK MEATBALL
Nettletown
Eastlake
Order an elk meatball sandwich ($8) and you, too, can appreciate how these lean, flavorful and impeccably shaped oval meatballs are carefully tucked inside a crusty Le Fournil loaf, then topped with a bracing mix of herb salad and pickled veggies.

WILD BOAR
SLOPPY JOE
Quinn’s
Capitol Hill
The lowly ’50s dinner staple is given an upscale spin at Quinn’s, where the slightly gamy meat is spooned over a buttery brioche bun, then crowned with crispy sage leaves, fried onions and a fried jalapeño. There’s a definite kick to this Joe ($10).

The PARMA
DeLaurenti Specialty Food
& Wine
Pike Place Market
DeLaurenti’s Parma sandwich ($5.99) embodies the perfect marriage of tasty ingredients—Parma prosciutto, sharp Reggiano cheese, peppery arugula and truffle oil—all in one deluxe (Macrina roll) package.

CHICKEN PESTO
Grinders Hot Sands
Shoreline
Forget dim sum. The best hangover cure in town is the chicken and pesto sandwich ($10.95) at Grinders Hot Sands—a gut buster smothered with golden, Marsala-grilled onions, savory portobello mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, basil and melted feta and mozzarella.
 
SHAWARMA
Mawadda Café
Hillman City
Duck into Mawadda and order the sensational lamb shawarma ($5.99), which is decked out in onions and tomato-and-garlic sauce on griddle-warmed pita. Your breath will reek for days, but your stomach will be smiling.
 
CATFISH PO’ BOY
Kingfish Café
Capitol Hill
The catfish po’ boy ($8.50) at Kingfish Cafe is a sandwich that requires a fork. Tender fried hunks of catfish are drizzled with a spicy “Dixie” tartar sauce, then dressed up with pickles, lettuce and tomatoes on a soft hoagie roll.

RUSTIC HAM AND CHEESE
Melt CaféCLOSED
Magnolia
At Melt Café, you get three options: Order a “Classic” if you prefer your sandwich as listed, a “Melt Me” if you desire one toasted, and a “Piled High” if you’re a meat-avore who needs the extra protein and a scoop of caramelized onions, too. For less than $10, the Rustic Ham and Cheese was a sweet deal that comes with hand-carved slices of smoked ham, shingled pieces of Brie and mustard on an excellent Macrina baguette.

open-faced CHICKEN LIVER TOAST
Dinette
Capitol Hill
Dinette’s silken Tuscan chicken liver pâté spread thinly on burnished slices of crostini ($7) is a heavenly indulgence punctuated by a bright confetti of Mama Lil’s pickled peppers.

TAIWANESE EGG
Café Happy
Kirkland
What a find! The Taiwanese egg sandwich ($6.59) at Kirkland’s pocket-size Café Happy is like no other: soy ham, chili and hoisin sauces, and a perfectly fried egg all on a pillowy steamed char siu bao bun.

MEATBALL AND
SPAGHETTI SUB
Spring Hill
West Seattle
Whether you’re in training for the Ironman or just someone who likes carbs with more carbs, the meatball and spaghetti sub ($10), available on Monday nights, is the ticket. Two enormous meatballs and red-sauced spaghetti are cradled under a blanket of melted provolone and mozzarella for a delizioso dinner that’ll leave you stuffed—until next Monday.

vegan SPICY JAMAICAN TEMPEH WRAP
Plum Vegan Bistro
Capitol Hill
If the word “vegan” immediately brings to mind the image of a wan, sad little sandwich, think again. Plum Vegan’s Jamaican tempeh wrap ($11) is robustly flavored with a kicky jalapeño aioli, fresh spinach leaves, pickled sweet peppers and onions, and juicy tangerine slices all bundled in a hearty wheat wrap.

One-Of-A-Kind Faves
Taiwanese Egg
Café Happy
Kirkland
What a find! The Taiwanese egg sandwich ($6.59) at Kirkland’s pocket-size Café Happy is like no other: soy ham, chili and hoisin sauces, and a perfectly fried egg all on a pillowy steamed char siu bao bun.

Meatball And Spaghetti Sub
Spring Hill
West Seattle
Whether you’re in training for the Ironman or just someone who likes carbs with more carbs, the meatball and spaghetti sub ($10), available on Monday nights, is the ticket. Two enormous meatballs and red-sauced spaghetti are cradled under a blanket of melted provolone and mozzarella for a delizioso dinner that’ll leave you stuffed—until next Monday.

Vegan Spicy Jamaican Tempeh Wrap
Plum Vegan Bistro
Capitol Hill
If the word “vegan” immediately brings to mind the image of a wan, sad little sandwich, think again. Plum Vegan’s Jamaican tempeh wrap ($11) is robustly flavored with a kicky jalapeño aioli, fresh spinach leaves, pickled sweet peppers and onions, and juicy tangerine slices all bundled in a hearty wheat wrap.

Purple Haze
Sage Café
Capitol Hill
Smoked eggplant and smoked seitan give this sandwich ($10) a deeply satisfying appeal. Served on soft rosemary focaccia with griddled onions and peppers and a savory vegan mayo, it’s a vegan steak sandwich that even meat eaters will adore.

Pork Burger
Facing East Taiwanese Restaurant
Bellevue
Tender slices of pork belly with cilantro, pickled mustard greens and a sweet-salty peanut topping, all stuffed into a Chinese steamed bun ($3.25), make us wish someone would open up a franchise and sell these by the sackful.

PORK BURGER
Facing East Taiwanese Restaurant
Bellevue
Tender slices of pork belly with cilantro, pickled mustard greens and a sweet-salty peanut topping, all stuffed into a Chinese steamed bun ($3.25), make us wish someone would open up a franchise and sell these by the sackful.

Originally published in August 2010

 

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