Tasty Cold Cut Sandwiches at Bevi Birra

Bevi Birra
Location
: 3072 Dundas Street West, Toronto
Website: https://bevi-birra.com/

Though Bevi Birra seems like yet another place serving Italian cold cut sandwiches because that’s the trend, they’ve actually been around since 2020.  Props to them for doing this purely because that’s what they want to serve — not to jump on a bandwagon.

And you know what?  That level of passion makes a difference.  The sandwiches here are very, very good.

Bevi Birra

I tried a couple.  First up: the Anna Rosaria (“Prosciutto, provolone, rosemary aioli, olive tapenade, arugula”).

Bevi Birra

They make their sourdough bread in-house, and it’s absolutely fantastic.  It’s got a great crispy (but not overly crunchy) exterior, a chewy interior, and a nice sourdough flavour.  I could have just eaten the bread alone and walked away satisfied.

Bevi Birra

But everything else here was thoroughly tasty as well, with a nice hit of saltiness from the cold cuts and the tapenade, a creaminess from the aioli, and with the pepperiness of the arugula balancing it all out.

Bevi Birra

I also tried the Giovanna (“Hot sopressata, garlic ricotta, pepperoncino, honey, arugula.”

Bevi Birra

Both sandwiches were very good, but this one might have been my favourite.  In particular, the salty/sweet combo from the sopressata and the honey is kinda irresistible, and the sandwich’s spicy kick is very satisfying.  It’s seriously delicious.

Throwback Subs at Lakeshore Super Submarine

Lakeshore Super Submarine
Location
: 2939 Lake Shore Boulevard West, Etobicoke
Website: None

The best thing about Lakeshore Super Submarine is how delightfully old-school it is.  It’s apparently been around for over 50 years, and it looks like pretty much nothing has changed in that time (though it’s not dirty or run-down at all).

Lakeshore Super Submarine

It’s cash-only, and the prices — like everything else about the place — are a throwback.  I got the “mini” assorted sub (it’s smaller than the standard foot-long, but not by all that much), and it cost $6.75 exactly for a relatively hefty sandwich.

Lakeshore Super Submarine

There were a few other customers when I was there, and I think I was the only non-regular.  I can see why.

Lakeshore Super Submarine

No, there’s nothing all that exciting about it — it’s a pretty standard cold cut sub, dressed with mayo and sub sauce, and with the usual veggies.  But it’s a no-frills sub done well, and given what they’re charging for it, I can see why people come back.

A Tasty Sandwich at Banh Mi Brampton

Banh Mi Brampton
Location
: 50 Kennedy Road South, Brampton (inside Kennedy Square Mall)
Website: None

Banh Mi Brampton is a no-frills banh mi joint with six sandwiches on the menu and a variety of drinks (mostly smoothies, milk tea, and coffee).  It’s cash only, so come prepared.

Banh Mi Brampton

I ordered my usual assorted cold cut banh mi, and it was quite good.  It’s got a good proportion of meat to veggies, the cold cuts are all thoroughly tasty, and it’s got a decent amount of pate.

Banh Mi Brampton

Bonus: they asked if I wanted it spicy (and yeah, of course I did), and instead of the usual sliced peppers, they spread on some kind of pepper relish, which meant that every bite had a good kick to it instead of just the mouthfuls with peppers.

Banh Mi Brampton

The bread was slightly on the dry side, but had a good exterior crispiness to it that wasn’t overly aggressive.  It’s a really solid sandwich.

Tasty Sandwiches at Vero Italian Sandwich Co.

Vero Italian Sandwich Co.
Location
: 477 Queen Street West, Toronto
Website: https://verosandwich.ca/

All restaurants are Italian sandwich shops now.  Don’t like it?  Sorry, them’s the breaks.

But you know what?  Based on the quality of places like this and Alfie’s, I for one welcome our new Italian sandwich overlords.

Vero Italian Sandwich Co.

They have a handful of meaty sandwiches on the menu (and one vegetarian).  I went with the Gabagool: “Capicola, Mortadella, Fresh Mozzarella, Giardiniera, Tomato and Arugula.”

Vero Italian Sandwich Co.

Yeah, that’s a top-notch sandwich.  The bread is great (it’s got a nice balance of chewiness and crispiness), there’s a generous amount of good quality cold cuts, it’s nice and zippy, and the fresh mozzarella adds a nice creaminess that rounds things out.

Vero Italian Sandwich Co.

It was a little greasy (it was dripping with oil) and the flavours don’t quite pop like in the best versions of this type of sandwich, but I still enjoyed it quite a bit.

Quality Italian Sandwiches at Uncle Pete’s

Uncle Pete's
Location
: 161 Baldwin Street, Toronto
Website: https://unclepetes.ca/

Uncle Pete’s is a new sandwich shop in Kensington Market (unaffiliated with Sleepy Pete’s, a breakfast sandwich joint around the corner — I think?) that specializes in Italian cold cut sandwiches on house-made focaccia.

Uncle Pete's

The delightfully pared-down menu actually only has two sandwiches on it: the OG (“Our fresh-baked rosemary focaccia, whipped lemon ricotta, mortadella, prosciutto, chili crisp, arugula topped with balsamic glaze”), and the Pesto Pete,  which features tomato and pesto.

I ordered the OG, and it’s a great sandwich.  It’s getting so that you can’t go more than a few blocks in the city without stumbling across a new place serving Italian cold cut sandwiches.  It’s safe to say that this trend is getting a bit played out, but even still — this place justifies its existence.

Uncle Pete's

That focaccia really makes it.  It’s nice and fresh, flavourful, and has a great crispy/chewy contrast.  It’s the perfect vehicle for the tasty mortadella and prosciutto.

Everything else works really well together, with some nice creaminess from the ricotta, and a mild kick and a garlic-tinged savoury punch from the chili crisp.  That’s not to mention the sweet balsamic glaze, which does a fantastic job of balancing out the salty cold cuts.