sandwich – Michael Eats

An Amazing Fried Chicken Sandwich at DownLow Chicken

Published on June 2, 2026June 2, 2026 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 538 Manning Avenue, Toronto
Website: https://www.dlchicken.com/

DownLow Chicken is a Vancouver fried chicken chain (well, maybe “chain” is overstating it — they have three locations there, and now, one here) that specializes in Nashville hot chicken.

They’ve only been open in Toronto for a few months, but just based on this visit? Strong contender for the best fried chicken sandwich in the city. Absolutely stellar.

They have a variety of tenders and chicken pieces on the menu, but the specialty seems to be the sandwiches. I went with the OG: “Nashville Dusted Chicken, Pickled onions, Cole slaw, Pickles, DL Sauce.”

You can pick from seven spice levels; I went with hot, which is right in the middle. They also asked if I wanted dark meat or white, which I don’t think I’ve ever been asked when ordering a fried chicken sandwich. I went with dark.

Wow, it’s good. It actually reminds me a lot of how Chica’s Chicken was a few years ago, before the quality went downhill.

Every element here is on point: it’s got a perfect level of exterior crunch, the meat is super juicy, it’s perfectly seasoned, the ultra-fluffy and slightly sweet bun has just enough heft to stand up to the substantial sandwich, and the toppings are all great.

There’s a great balance between the zippy slaw, the sweet pickles, and the creamy sauce. And the Nashville spices are right where you want them to be (though “hot” is a bit mild for me — it’s still got a decent amount of heat, but I’ll probably go one or two notches higher next time).

And I can’t say enough about how perfect the chicken itself is — it’s just so tender, juicy, and satisfying.

I also got an order of the slaw, and it has a nice vinegary bite and is pleasant enough, but it’s not on the level of the chicken. That sandwich, though.

Delicious Sandwiches at DAM Sandwiches

Published on May 31, 2026 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 363A Oakwood Avenue, Toronto
Website: https://www.instagram.com/dam_sandwiches/

I tried DAM Sandwiches at last year’s Do West Fest and quite enjoyed it, so this visit was long overdue.

They have four sandwiches on the menu along with a rotating special; I believe the brisket (“36 hour slow cooked brisket, sautéed onions & peppers, raw onions, banana peppers, chimichurri mayo, hickory stix”) is the most popular, so that’s what I went with.

It’s seriously good. The beefy, tender brisket is extremely tasty, the veggies complement it well, the hickory stix add some nice crunch, and the zingy chimichurri mayo does a great job of cutting through the richness of the beef.

As good as all that stuff is (and it’s very, very good), the bread might be the star of the show? It features a perfect balance between its delicately crispy exterior and fluffy interior, and kinda reminded me of a really good banh mi.

Clearly, another visit to this place is in order, because they really know their way around a sandwich.

Tasty Cold Cut Sandwiches at Bevi Birra

Published on May 12, 2026 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

Tasty Fried Chicken Sandwiches at Mad Bird Hot Chicken

Published on April 28, 2026 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 154 Queen Street South, Mississauga
Website: https://www.instagram.com/madbird.ca/

There’s certainly no shortage of solid fried chicken sandwiches in Toronto, but Mississauga? That’s a bit more rare. So I was excited to check out Mad Bird Hot Chicken in Streetsville.

They have a variety of sandwiches, wings, and “bird bites” (chicken strips, basically). I went with the Nashville Napalm Sando: “This sando brings serious heat and Southern swagger. Our 48-hour marinated crispy chicken thigh gets baptized in fiery Nashville chili-oil, then stacked with cool Bird’s ranch, crunchy southern slaw, and tangy pickles — all hugged by a buttery brioche bun.”

You can pick your spice level from one to five; the guy behind the counter recommended three, so that’s what I went with.

It’s a tasty sandwich. Nothing about it blew my mind, but it’s nice and crunchy, the chicken is tender, and the slaw and the pickles give it a nice zippiness that cuts through the richness. I’d probably bump up the spice level to four next time, though. The spice level was pronounced, but I want a sandwich like this to really put some sweat on my brow, and this one didn’t quite take me there.

Spicy Avocado Bacon Chicken Sandwich from Jollibee

Published on April 27, 2026 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 800 Boyer Boulevard, Mississauga (inside Seafood City Supermarket)
Website: http://jollibeecanada.com/

I’ll give the Spicy Avocado Bacon Chicken Sandwich one thing: they’re not stingy with the avocado. Typically with a fast food sandwich featuring avocado, you need to pull out a magnifying glass to spot the stuff, but there’s actually a generous amount of it here.

As for the rest of the sandwich? Uh…

Here’s how Jollibee describes it: “Our New Spicy Avocado Bacon Chicken Sandwich starts with a crispy, juicy, hand-breaded chicken breast fillet, topped with hickory-smoked bacon, creamy Hass avocado, fresh jalapeños, crisp lettuce, and spicy sriracha mayo, served on a toasted brioche bun.”

It’s fine, mostly, but it’s a bit of a salt bomb. Between the salty chicken and the salty bacon, and with nothing sweet to balance things out, it’s a lot. The chicken was pretty dry, which somehow made the saltiness issue seem more pronounced (the fact that I had to wait 15 minutes in a mostly empty restaurant for this thing, only for it to be clearly not fresh, just added insult to injury).

The sandwich is also not particularly spicy, which is a shame. The spice level is there, but it’s quite mild.

Otherwise, it was okay. The chicken had a nice exterior crunchiness, the combo of bacon and avocado is certainly a tasty one, and the bun was nice and fresh. It’s fine, but I can’t say I’m particularly keen to run out and buy another one.

Also: the sandwich cost $13.99 before tax (!!), which might make it the most expensive fried chicken sandwich in the GTA (at least outside of restaurants with waiter service). Even local joints like PG Clucks and the Michelin-noted Chica’s Chicken are cheaper by a buck or two.