Location: 616 Gladstone Avenue, Toronto
Website: https://www.instagram.com/sanwichto/
Gus Tacos has several locations throughout the city and is reliably tasty, so when I found out they had opened a sandwich shop called San Wich, I was all over it.
Right now it’s take-out only, though they do seem to have space for a decently-sized patio next to the restaurant, so once the weather improves, I’m guessing that’ll be a thing.
I tried a couple of the sandwiches: the beef barbacoa (“Mayo, harvati cheese, beef barbacoa, caramelized and raw onion in a bun”) and the cubana (“Mustard, mayo, pickles, braised pork, ham, harvati and gouda cheese in a bun”).
I really liked them both. The beef barbacoa was absolutely crammed with tasty beef, which was nicely tender without ever feeling mushy. And, of course, beef and caramelized onions are best friends. I skipped the raw onions, and while I don’t regret that choice (raw onions are gross; I’m right and the rest of the world is wrong), I think their crunchiness probably would have enhanced things (too bad they’re so gross — again, you are wrong about this, don’t argue with me about it, just accept it).
As for the bread, the fresh, fluffy roll works perfectly. My only knock against the sandwich is that some kind of acidity — a zippy sauce or some kind of pickle — would have been nice to cut the richness, but otherwise this was top-notch.
I think the cubana was even better. Like the barbacoa, the quality of the various meats was stellar, and unlike the barbacoa, this one was nicely rounded out by the mustard and the pickles, which do a great job of making the sandwich feel less one-note heavy.
I will say, however, that this might have been the greasiest sandwich I’ve ever eaten? The bun was slippery and was dripping the entire time I was eating it. It was like the whole thing had been dipped in a vat of oil. So it might give you a heart attack, but you’ll have a smile on your face when it happens.
I also tried a slice of the tres leches cake; I didn’t photograph this, and honestly, the less said about it, the better. Still hungry after the meal? Get another sandwich!
Michael Eats 