We’ve been stomping the pavements of north London in search of its best sandwiches. These are our favourites so far, and this will be an ever growing list, so we’d love to hear your recommendations in the comments.
The undisputed king of sandwiches in north London — and probably in the whole city — it’s the hugely likeable, animated and smiley Max Halley, who serves creative combinations on fluffy focaccia (sourdough is crap for sandwiches, he maintains, as it doesn’t do a good job of holding in the filling – pretty essential for a sandwich). Everyone loves the ham, egg and chips, but do consider ordering the ‘Et tu, Brute? Murdering the Caesar’, a sweet little arrangement of confit guinea fowl, pickled grape and tarragon salsa, baby gem, parsley, garlic croutons and anchovy mayo. That’s just beautiful.
Max’s Sandwich Shop, 19 Crouch Hill, Stroud Green, N4 4AP
Salt beef on rye, B & K Salt Beef Bar
This unassuming little café kicks out some of the best salt beef in London and has done since 1978. These guys cure their own salt beef, which you might think is something that a lot of places in London do… you’d be wrong. Most of them source it from the same place, in fact. Our sandwich is packed with soft beef, not too highly spiced and with plenty of lovely fat. The bread is nice and soft too (so often sliced rye has that slightly stale, scratchy feel). A tongue sandwich is just as satisfying and the pickle, well. Top of the class. We choose a garlic variety from a choice of three and it’s perfect — just the right amount of crunch and acidity. It’s also possible to buy cans of Shandy Bass here — a taste of youth for many British people of a certain age. Bravo, Salt Beef Bar. Bravo.
B & K Salt Beef Bar, 11 Lanson House, Whitchurch Lane, HA8 6NL
Anything, The Dusty Knuckle
The Dusty Knuckle is easily one of London’s most popular bakeries and they’re known for making as much as possible themselves on site. Their fillings change very regularly, but almost anything you try here will be great. Recent sandwiches have included marinated feta, braised chard, purple sprouting broccoli, smashed chickpea and pine nuts on sea salt focaccia. How good does that sound? No? What about their ham hock with still-gooey sliced boiled eggs and pickles. Good.
The Dusty Knuckle Bakery, Abbot Street, E8 3DP
Falafel pitta, Taboon
This place really doesn’t look like much when you first walk in, and to be honest we were tempted to walk right back out. Do not do that, for the falafel sandwich is more than excellent. They’re made in-house and are quite small, so fit nicely into the sandwich. Don’t expect any airs and graces here — they basically warm a pitta (the proper, soft kind), then leave it on the counter while they fry your falafel which they dump in a pot at the end of the counter. You then pick them out with tongs and add to the sandwich from the excellent selection of pickles, sauces and salads. We loved the green chilli sauce, the crisp pickled cucumbers and the fresh as anything cabbage salads. Toppings are unlimited — just make sure to leave room for your falafels.
Taboon, 7 Russell Parade, Golders Green Road, NW11 9NN
Smoked salmon and cream cheese bagel, Happening Bakery
This is another place with no frills, and it’s purely a takeaway, so don’t expect a sit down experience. The bagels, however, are curiously satisfying, in that they really don’t seem like much to write home about but they really hit the spot. We picked up a couple of pre-wrapped bagels and ate one almost immediately, then were so taken with it, we scoffed the one we’d planned for breakfast on the bus home. There’s something about the generosity of filling combined with the value for money and sweet, chewy bagels that made this place earn a spot in the list.
The Happening Bagel Bakery, 284A Seven Sisters Road, N4 2AA
Sabich, The Good Egg
We’ve told you about this luscious pitta before, in our round up of the best sabich in London. A sabich, in case you’ve missed it, is an Israeli sandwich, packed with boiled egg, fried aubergine and cooked potatoes. It’s then garnished with pickles, hummus, parsley, chilli and amba — a kind of mango pickle. We love the version at The Good Egg as it also contains zhoug, a powerful Yemenite green chilli sauce. We also love that they take great care in the assembly of the sandwich, meaning that there’s a little bit of everything in each bite. If only all sandwich constructors were so on the ball.
INDIGOLOGS 