From the lunch-time savour, the late-night standby to the day-off source of pure and unadulterated joy
18. Boca – Veggie special
Spencer Dock
Alongside comforting classics like turkey melts, honey glazed ham and the obligatory meatball sub, Boca like to get inventive with what they put between two slices of bread – notable creations inspired by Irish cuisine include the Bacon and Cabbage special and the Beef and Guinness sambo. Their weekly specials tend to be oozing cheese and often have accompanying gravy for drizzling, but they also come through with equally delicious vegetarian specials so everyone’s catered for. They’re located right by the Docklands so you’ll see a lot of office heads queueing up at lunchtime, more than ready to get their nicely pressed shirts dirty for a bite of a Boca.
17. Oxmantown’s Chicken Special
Smithfield + Arran Street East
A sandwich shop where the daily specials are the stuff of legend, you’ll find Oxmantown’s original café in the heart of Dublin’s fruit and veg market district. Using arguably the tastiest part of the chicken, the thigh which they chargrill, paired with their all-famous chimichurri, aioli, and roast red peppers all piled into Firehouse bakery granary. They’ve also got a new(ish) micro bakery called Elliots now open in Phibsboro – head here for fruit-filled, squidgy brioche pastries accompanied by speciality coffee from Cloud Picker.
16. The Morning’s veggie focaccia
Pleasants Street, more info click here
If you’re a frequenter of Camden Street or the surrounding area, you’ll probably already know the focaccias at The Morning are the stuff of legend. Each day they roll out 4 or 5 variations of hole-y bread, with toppings varying from wild garlic pesto with parmesan to baby spuds with sweet caramelised onions. Great all by themselves, but recently The Morning has started putting those hands together and churning out focaccia sandwiches with a tasty range of fillings. The Morning is experimental while also managing to never miss with everything from its conveyor belt of speciality coffee roasters to its highly Insta-worthy pastries, and the focaccia sambo is no different. A must-try with a cheeky cortado on the side for an extra pick-me-up.
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15. Poulet Bonne Femme – Roast Chicken Sandwich
Various locations, more info here
You’ll find these awesome sandwiches in a couple of Avocas and, by God, are they tasty. Slow-roasted chicken meat, on a bed of leaves, with Dijon mustard, butter, mayo and lashings of seasoning. As good as the hot chicken sambo you’d make at home, perfectly simple and absolutely melt in the mouth.
14. Griolladh – potato-o sambo
Various locations, more info here
Another prime example of superior toastie slinging in Dublin’s fair city, The Griolladh team first cut their teeth in food trucks across Dublin and beyond and have since settled down with multiple brick-and-mortar stores. Their bright yellow signage welcomes you in to enjoy their carefully pressed toasties, salad bowls and homemade sausage rolls (available in vegan and not-so-vegan varieties). Stand-out offerings include their potato-o sambo (we all love a carb-on-carb moment) and their gravy mayo dip (do I really need to explain this one?)
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13. Greenville Deli – Asian Pulled Pork
Various locations, more info here
So good they stock a lot of the best cafés and lunch spots around with their impeccable sambos, as well as their own in Inchicore, Rathmines and most recently Monkstown. Spreading tasty toastie joy wherever they go, the team do a bang up job of creating a serious level of freshness in theirs, especially in the Asian Pulled Pork, slow-cooked pulled pork, spicy Asian slaw, house pickled cucumber, chillies, fresh rocket & homemade peanut rayu aioli on sourdough. Champions of local businesses themselves, they use Bread 41 in their sangos, alongside some gold-standard Irish suppliers for their fillings.
12. Meltdown – Mac Mama
Montague Street for more info click here
Another lunchtime favourite among Dubliners, Meltdown is known for its aesthetically delightful IG posts showcasing sambos oozing with the most perfectly melted cheese imaginable. The visuals aren’t where Meltdown ends, though – the sandwiches are beautiful inside and out. the Mac Mama with homemade mac & cheese and crispy bacon is a personal favourite. Pasta in bread, it’s the combo you never knew you needed. Meltdown also has tasty vegetarian and vegan options, with gluten-free bread available too.
11. Loose Canon – OG Cheese Toastie
Drury Street
If you like your sandwiches toasted and served with a side of people-watching and skin-contact wine, Loose Canon is your only man. Upon entering, their cheese counter will assure you that sambo fillings are the best of the best, whether it’s a creamy Dunmore Brie or crumbly Cashel Blue you crave. Seats in this small but perfectly formed shop are limited, but on a sunny evening, you’ll regularly see people sprawled out on the pavement out front enjoying their toasties and wine.
10. Deli 613’s Salt Beef Bagel
Rathmines
There’s been a huge hype around this new Dublin opener, which sits proudly as Dublin’s only completely Kosher deli. With this considered, the showstopper sandwich is obviously the salt beef on rye or a bagel, depending on your preference. The meat is lovingly house-cured and the bagels are the classic New York style – kettle-boiled with a doughy centre. You can also buy packets of these to take home, which have been flying off the shelves. Go for a side of potato latkes with apple sauce for dipping – it’s like the best hash brown you’ve ever had but better.
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9. Pickles – Club Sandwich
Kimmage
Pickles is a cute neighbourhood spot with sandwiches just like granny used to make – bouncy, thick slices of white or brown with neatly layered meat and salad with classic homemade treats for afters. Their Christmas sambo with melty brie is famous throughout Dublin 12 and their sweet shop front with impressive hanging baskets make it nearly impossible to pass by without at least stopping in for a coffee (which is speciality, from Sligo roasters Carrow).
8.147 Deli – Rueben
Dublin 1’s 147 Parnell Street, more info click here
A behemoth in the sandwich game, 147 Deli is easily one of the best sandwich spots in town. Everything is scratch-made even down to smoking the meat and the sauces, plus their weekly specials reflect what’s going in and out of season (which is unusual in this game). The Reuben is what the team at 147 Deli are best known for though, salty beef, and tangy pickles this is a dish straight out of Katz Deli (minus the queues).
7. Tír Deli – Smoked Beef
Hatch Street
Another favoured lunchtime haunt for office workers, Tír are all about seasonal ingredients and adapts its menu accordingly throughout the year. Tír is Irish for country or land (á la Tír na nÓg), and you’ll see why this deli is so-called after tasting one of their sambos. Tír works very closely with farmers and producers, the service is swift and friendly and you come away feeling full in a healthy, wholesome way. Expect expertly fermented sauces and slaws accompanying perfectly seasoned meat cooked over an open flame. Bring yourself back to those cosy family Sundays with this incredibly tangy smoke-roasted beef sandwich parts, horseradish and salt & vinegar crisps with butter.
6. Grogan’s – Ham & Cheese Toastie
South William Street, more info here
If you’re looking for an authentic Dublin experience, Grogans is the kind of place you shouldn’t leave without darkening the doorway. Whatever the weather, you’ll see a healthy crowd spilling out the front and sides sipping on creamy pints, but the real ones know it’s all about the toasties. A no-fuss offering of ham and cheddar in between two slices of Brennans, served up as the Good Lord intended with a plastic knife and a side of Colman’s Mustard. An institution.
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5. Doughboys – Meatball Marinara
Unit 5, Charlotte Way, more info click here
An absolute Dublin institution, this crayon-red corner deli is the type of establishment you’re guaranteed to walk out of with a full, happy belly – whether it’s their famous meatball parm dripping in melty mozzarella or their classic breakfast baps, sandwiches from Doughboys simply never miss. They are most famous for their meatball marinara with good reason, soft great meatballs, slightly sweet marinara sauce, spritely rocket and unctuous cheese, there’s a reason why napkins are stacked on every table, ‘cos you’ll need plenty of them for these saucy boys.
3. Juniors – Roast Chicken Sandwich
Dublin 4’s Bath Avenue, more info here
Something of a pilgrimage for Dublin sambo lovers, this Italian-American-inspired spot is adored within its leafy surrounds of Dublin 4, the team at Juniors take on the classics in a refreshing new way, this tight little spot truly has something for everyone. This sandwich has been on Juniors menu for many years and for good reason- it’s an absolute classic, bread that can stand up to the sauce, unctuous roast chicken, slightly wilted greens and a chunky slice of tomato it’s hard to spot the flaw.
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2. Green Bench – Any of the daily specials
Montague Street
Every day at lunchtime, Dubliners flock to this unassuming shop front in Dublin 2 after scouring their Instagram page to find out the specials of the day. Don’t let the winding queue put you off – Green Bench are a well-oiled machine when it comes to moving through the rush with ease and there’s a reason they’re one of the city’s most beloved sandwich spots. If you’re paying them a visit, head to their Instagram to check what daily specials they’re slinging and if they’ve got the Hoi Sin pork with herby stuffing on, you’re legally obliged to order it.
1 The Pepper Pot Café – Pear & Bacon
Powerscourt Shopping Centre
If you ever happen to have a midweek day off in Dublin and are looking to treat yourself to a lunch where you can sip tea from a china cup and watch the world go by, The Pepper Pot is a must. It’s open at weekends too – it’s just one of those places I always think of when mentally compiling my dream day in Dublin, and a dream day obviously takes place midweek when you should be working. Located upstairs in the Powerscourt Shopping Centre, The Pepper Pot is famous for its bacon and pear sandwich which any Dublin foodie worth their salt would list as one of their faves. All their bread is baked in-house, including their delicious seeded bagels. A real gem.
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