Weekly Review: Sandwiches x3

Pret is a soul-sucking swirl of wretchedness and despair. We love sandwiches, but we should make a little more effort to go somewhere good.

Let’s just say it: Pret sucks. It’s awful. Homogenised sandwiches made hours before we want to eat them with the same flavour as their limp packaging.

(And I should admit a bias here: This isn’t a new topic for me. I’ve despised Pret for a long time, even writing an anti-Pret screed and a follow-up a few years ago.)

We go to Pret because it’s convenient. There’s one on every street. Often more than one. Their ubiquity is only exceeded by their boring sameness and ruthless commitment to destruction of their competitors.

Pret has been a key force in changing London’s streets for the worse. Where once there was a myriad of locally-owned sandwich places — some of which were, admittedly, awful — today there is only Pret. And Pret hasn’t limited its monopolistic bullying to small competitors. A few years ago, it bought its only major high street competitor, EAT, and simply closed most of its stores with nary a word from the CMA.

I appreciate there was a time before Pret, when the grocery stores dominated the sandwich market with even more terrible alternatives. So I realise there are some people who still see Pret as a positive force, saving us from “big grocery.” But for me, at some point, Pret stopped being the solution and become the problem.

We can do better. And when it comes to Professional Lunch, sandwiches are an indispensable part of our arsenal of options.

Pret: A sea of sad sameness at the expense of personal preferences and tastes.

But I want my own sandwich — a sandwich made for me and shaped to my own tastes and specifications. A sandwich thick with filling and bursting with flavour.

In short, the opposite of Pret’s whole concept.

The good news: There are still lots of viable alternatives if you’re willing to look for them. Let me introduce you to three: Ruben’s Reubens, Gus’s, and the Bankside Sandwich Bar.

Before you go on to the reviews, could you hit reply and let me know your favourite local sandwich joint? Or better yet, add it in the comments? Any place with more than two locations doesn’t count. Thanks!

Ruben’s Ruebens

Quick hit: Brilliant, authentic salt beef, sliced correctly and served on fresh bread or bagels. Made to order.

Details: Walk-in or takeaway. Peckham Arches (for the moment) £.
Restaurant website. More on from CN Traveller and Instagram.

The Reuben sandwich is a New York deli classic. Salt beef — we call it corned beef — with sauerkraut, cheese, mustard and Russian dressing on rye bread. It’s the definitive sandwich. And a nice guy called Ruben is now making them fresh everyday in Peckham. (He was in Brixton until recently, but just moved.)

Ruben also does slow smoked Texas-style barbecue and a whole load of other clever stuff, including fantastic home-made fries. If you’re after an amazing lunch, his place is next level. I can’t recommend it strongly enough. Want to see a real sandwich? Look:

This is a proper sandwich. Thick with filling and made to order — to my taste and no one else’s.

Dom’s

Quick hit: NY-style sub sandwiches for any taste available in singles or big platters. Pick up from three locations or have delivered.

Details: Walk-in or takeaway. Ludgate Circus, Hackney & City. £.
Restaurant website. More on Instagram.

Another NY thing. This time subs. Big ones. With names. And incredible flavour. Their signature sandwich is That Spicy D. It’s spicy. Really spicy. Too much for many people. Try it anyway. L'‘Italiano (pictured below) is my favourite. Thick with filling and well spiced.

Best news: Dom’s delivers pretty much anywhere in central London. They’ll bring a couple of sandwiches or a whole tray. It’s perfect for your next lunch-and-learn, and will make a pleasant departure from whatever boring awfulness you are currently forced to eat (or serve).

Okay. It’s massive. But also delicious. (Photo by Dom’s.)

Bankside Sandwich Bar

Quick hit: Excellent, traditional sandwich joint featuring long queues and a friendly team who will put a little joy in your lunch.

Details: Takeaway. Bankside. £.
They don’t have a website. Find it on Google Maps.

Places like Bankside Sandwich Bar used to be as ubiquitous as Pret is today. Now you have to look a little harder. I picked this spot because it had a long queue on a rainy day.

Look! A sandwich! Made just for me!

I like my sandwiches pretty simple: Filling and basic bread. But other options are available. There was a chicken club option that looked incredible. Ingredients were freshly made. Sandwiches made to order while you wait. There are salads available, too. The team and their system are faultless, working through orders as a well-oiled machine.

In short, it’s the perfect sandwich bar. It was 50 yards further from my office than Pret and added 3 or 4 minutes to my lunch excursion. The food was cheaper and the people were nicer. I’m going back today. In fact, I might go right now.

Conclusion

The theme of this site, Dining Guide, and newsletter is that we should make a little extra effort to spend time together, and that the quality of the food and experience influence the quality of that time we spend.

If we’re going to convene with purpose, the tiny marginal effort required to skip Pret and get something good instead seems very much worthwhile.

Enjoy your lunch today. Please click reply and let me know what you’re having.