▼ Café The Best Things Since Sliced Bread Miami’s ten finest sandwich shops. BY NICOLE DANNA F rom our days of school lunch to our at-home office breaks, the sand- wich remains the go-to meal that transcends culture, from Cuba’s medianoche to Vietnam’s bánh mì. At its core, a sandwich consists of two slices of bread and a filling in between. But while it seems simple, the sheer number of possibilities is truly endless. Taking the world’s favorite handheld snack from good to great involves the perfect balance of flavors and textures — and the right bread to make the ingredients shine. Sure, a homemade PB&J sometimes hits the spot, but try a stacked-bread behemoth from any one of these spots pushing the envelope of sandwich construction and your life will be forever changed. The restaurants below (listed in alphabeti- cal order) know the formula and display their own flair, complexity, and versatility while re- taining the fundamentals of a sandwich. Airport Cafe & Liquors 4427 NW 36TH ST., MIAMI SPRINGS 305-883-7806 AIRPORTCAFEANDLIQUORS.COM At Airport Cafe & Liquors, former Food Net- work Star contestant Reuben Ruiz promotes the daily and weekly specials via his personal Instagram account with videos and photos of his newest massive creation, inspiring instant hunger. Some creations have become so pop- ular, they’ve made it onto the café’s regular menu — from the croqueta ham-and-cheese sandwich to the avocado, shrimp, and pesto crunch wrap, the cheddar Buffalo fried- chicken sammie with garlic Parmesan bacon, and the chorizo Philly cheesesteak. Babe’s Meat & Counter 9216 SW 156TH ST., MIAMI 786-429-1315 BABEFROMAN.COM What began as a side hustle at farmers’ mar- kets became a full-fledged business for Mela- nie and Jason Schoendorfer in 2018 when the duo opened Babe’s Meat & Counter in Pal- metto Bay, expanding the menu with a cu- rated selection of high-end specialty meats. Today, a butcher counter doubles as a break- fast and lunch spot that offers charcuterie, sausages, and sandwiches built around pre- mium cuts. Babe’s is one of the only places in Miami that offers Montreal smoked meat, the Canadian take on Jewish deli pastrami, here served on rye bread with mustard. Also worth the trip: the Cuban with house-roasted pork, and the báhn mì, made with your choice of house-smoked pork or duck bacon. 12 12 Enriqueta’s Sandwich Shop 186 NE 29TH ST., MIAMI 305-573-4681 ENRIQUETAS.COM You’ve probably already tried the pan con Ms. Cheezious 7418 BISCAYNE BLVD., MIAMI 305-989-4019 MSCHEEZIOUS.COM When the siren song of grilled cheese calls, head to Ms. Cheezious. This Biscayne Boule- vard hotspot takes on childhood favorites such as mac and cheese, s’mores, Frito pie, and grilled cheese in myriad variations, but once you feast your eyes and stuff yourself with the “Croqueta Monsieur,” you’ll likely look no further, as Miami’s quintessential fin- ger food and France’s beloved snack join forces to create an edible thing of beauty. It packs three ham croquetas, shaved tavern ham, Swiss cheese, béchamel sauce, and a few handfuls of gouda on sourdough bread that’s grilled to perfection. Photo courtesy of La Sandwicherie bistec at Enriqueta’s, the jam-packed Cuban lunch counter/cafeteria that caters to fami- lies, workers, and hipsters on the corner of NE 29th Street and Second Avenue in Wyn- wood. It’s a hearty sandwich, crammed with thin slivers of steak, tomato, onion, cheese, and potato sticks. Some say it’s the best pan con bistec in Miami, but you’d be missing out if you didn’t try the Cuban sandwich stuffed with croquetas, which takes the standard Cu- ban — ham, roast pork, melted Swiss cheese, pickles, and mustard between two pieces of bread — and adds a welcome twist of crispy, cheesy croquetas. Hungry Bear Sub Shop 10521 SW 109TH CT., MIAMI 305-595-8385 Have you ever been hungry enough to feel as though you could eat like a large carnivorous mammal? If so, head over to Hungry Bear, a hole-in-the-wall sandwich shop hidden in a strip mall across from Miami Dade College’s Kendall campus. This longtime favorite serves a variety of hot, tasty, mammoth-size subs that are guaranteed to tame a beast of an appetite. The hamburger subs are pretty cool, but you’ll do yourself a disservice if you don’t try standouts like the honey-mustard chicken, crammed with a mountain of meat and veggies and drenched in the shop’s own sticky-sweet sauce, or the “steak bomb,” packed with Philly-style steak, grilled onions, mushrooms, and green peppers, and topped with steak sauce and a choice of Swiss, Amer- ican, or provolone cheese. (There’s a second location at 3399 NW 72nd Ave., Miami.) La Sandwicherie delivers some of the best eats served between two slices of bread. La Sandwicherie MULTIPLE AREA LOCATIONS LASANDWICHERIE.COM Serving sandwiches in Miami Beach since 1988, La Sandwicherie — now five locations strong — delivers some of the best eats served between two slices of bread that you’ll find in these parts. A combination of fresh ingredients, crisp baguettes, and soft croissants, cou- pled with the French-themed eatery’s own Di- jon vinaigrette, make for an un- forgettable trip into sandwich heaven. You’ll find locations in Brickell, Wyn- wood, North Beach, and Coral DARNELL AND SANTANA LAUNCHED OFF SITE TO CREATE THE PERFECT SANDWICH SHOP, RESTAURANT, AND NANO BREWERY. Gables, but don’t miss the original in South Beach, which offers the most old-school vibe. Here, the myriad sandwich combina- tions include offbeat ingredients like tuna mix (a French-style tuna salad with olive, ar- tichoke hearts, and hard-boiled eggs), pâté, and prosciutto. Or spring for the signature Frenchie: a simple and satisfying melding of fresh-sliced French salami and Brie. Don’t forget to take home a bottle of that dressing while you’re there. Off Site 8250 NE SECOND AVE., MIAMI 786-360-4237 OFFSITE.MIAMI Miami restaurateurs Adam Darnell (Box- elder) and Steve Santana (Taquiza) launched Off Site to pair their passions and create the perfect sandwich shop, restaurant, and nano brewery. Today, the spot is best known for its perfectly fried chicken thighs wedged be- tween two slices of bread. Topped with let- tuce, garlic mayo, and housemade pickles, it pairs perfectly with the house Super Good la- ger. Of course, so do the other half dozen or so sandwiches on the menu, whose draw lies in their precise curation. Like the Benton’s ba- con that goes into the country Cuban and club sandwiches, or the Laubscher Swiss cheese that marries perfectly with the house- corned prime brisket but also makes the most sublime grilled cheese when paired with but- tered and griddled milk bread. Proper Sausages 9722 NE SECOND AVE., MIAMI SHORES 786-334-5734 PROPERSAUSAGES.COM Freddy and Danielle Kaufmann’s quaint Mi- ami Shores butcher shop, Proper Sausages, has been the go-to spot for artisanal sausages and responsibly sourced meat since it opened in 2013. The shop also offers an exceptional grab-and-go sandwich menu made with the same antibiotic- and hormone-free, grass-fed, organic meats and poultry it sells. About a dozen sandwiches are on offer, along with a daily special and burger of the week, all listed on a chalkboard menu. Served on Portuguese muffins, they include the sausage, egg, and cheese, as well as a pulled pork made with dry-rubbed and roasted pork shoulder and slaw. The “Cubanish” and “Reubenish” take both traditional sandwiches up several notches with roasted Berkshire pork shoul- der, Wagyu corned beef, homemade pickles and sauerkraut. MONTH XX–MONTH XX, 2008 OCTOBER 13-19, 2022 NEW TIMES | MUSIC | CAFE | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | NEWS | LETTERS | CONTENTS | MIAMI NEW TIMES | MUSIC | CAFE | FILM | ART | STAGE | NIGHT+DAY | METRO | RIPTIDE | LETTERS | CONTENTS | miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com miaminewtimes.com
