FIND MORE FOOD & DRINK COVERAGE AT WESTWORD.COM/RESTAURANTS CAFE Breaking Bread THE TEN BEST SANDWICH SHOPS IN DENVER. BY MOLLY MARTIN From hoagies, grinders and subs to po’boys, tortas and banh mi, sandwiches come with many names and in many forms. Most restaurant menus include at least one sandwich, so when we set out to fi nd this city’s best sandwich shops, we set some ground rules. First, we’re sticking with eateries where sandwiches are the focus, and spots that are not national chains (sorry, Jersey Mike’s fans). And while this city has thriving food truck and pop-up scenes, we limited our choices to brick-and-mortar locations to ensure that these are places you can hit up on the regular, all year long — with one notable exception. Here are the ten best sandwich shops in metro Denver, in alphabetical order, as well as a bonus pick: The Bagel Deli 6439 East Hampden Avenue 303-756-6667 bageldeli.com A certain spiky-haired television personality may have been the one to turn a lot of people on to this strip-mall eatery in southeast Den- ver when he stopped by in 2011, but now 55 years old, the Bagel Deli was a favorite with fans of Jewish deli fare long before that. One part of the space is a bare-bones deli where you can get black-and-white cookies, celery- fl avored Dr. Brown’s sodas and scoops of egg salad to go. The other is a dining room with walls covered in family photos and other memorabilia. Matzo ball soup and knishes are some of the menu staples, but sandwiches are the real stars, whether it’s a breakfast sand- wich on a bagel, a Reuben made with latkes instead of bread, or a simple but classic pas- trami on rye, with the thin-sliced meat piled high. Up next for this longtime Denver staple: an outpost at DIA, expected to open in 2023. Banh Mi Station 2439 South University Boulevard 303-722-7113 Lucky us: There are a number of places in Denver that excel at banh mi, the Vietnam- ese sandwich served on a French baguette. Banh Mi Station opened just over a year ago as Little Bakery House, but owner Tom Xu (who worked at his family’s now-closed dim sum restaurant King’s Land for eighteen years) quickly realized that the clientele in the University of Denver neighborhood was confused by the moniker. In Vietnam, “bakery” is synonymous with banh mi, but customers kept coming in looking for cup- cakes. By August 2021, a new sign with the new name was up. This is the only banh mi spot in town that offers a fried chicken option for the sandwich, but we can’t get enough of the lemongrass grilled pork. No matter which version you choose, it’s served on bread baked in-house daily with the classic additions: mayo, cucumber, jalapeño, cilan- tro and pickled radish and carrot. Carmine Lonardo’s 7585 West Florida Avenue, Lakewood 303-985-3555 Carmine Lonardo’s is way more than a sand- wich joint. The cozy, family-owned Ital- ian market and deli has been around since 1976, and its shelves are lined with imported pasta of all shapes and sizes, olive oil, canned goods, frozen foods like housemade sausages and so much more. Still, the sandwiches — huge, messy masterpieces loaded onto freshly baked rolls, which you can custom-order with that Italian sausage and a variety of other meats in hot and cold varieties — are unbeatable, and reason enough to visit. Curtis Park Deli 2532 Champa Street, 303-308-5973 2700 East Sixth Avenue, 303-900-9028 curtisparkdeli.com Curtis Park Deli has a small but thoughtful selection of classic deli sandwiches, and it ups the game with the freshest ingredients and loving touches such as housemade aiolis, the best cheeses and light but chewy ciabatta rolls from the bread experts at City Bakery. These aren’t gut-busters like some other sandwiches on this list, but rather the perfect size for a lunch break — which is why both locations are always busy mid-day. Soon, Boulder will get a taste of Curtis Park Deli, too, when a third location opens at 3000 Pearl Parkway. D’Deli 1207 Washington Avenue, Golden 303-279-8020 ddeligolden.com ”Trust the process” should be the unoffi cial motto of D’Deli, a Golden sandwich shop that’s been open since 1975. There’s almost always a line out the door, but the friendly staff is happy to chat and joke around as they sling together ingredients in often confound- ing combinations from the huge menu. The classics are covered, but you can also opt for the Jackwagon (peanut butter, jelly, honey, sriracha, sunflower seeds, bacon, crispy fried onions, pineapple, jalapeños and ba- nana peppers) or the employee favorite, the Knuckle Sandwich, with smoked prime rib, artichoke dip, cayenne honey and jalapeños served panini style on a super-soft roll turned inside out and grilled. The 120-plus ingredi- ent options include house-smoked bison and The sandwiches at Lou’s are big enough to split. elk, too. The sandwich that results from your order may not be exactly photogenic, but it’s certain to be completely delicious. The Grateful Gnome Sandwich Shoppe & Brewery 4369 Stuart Street 720-598-6863 thegratefulgnome.com The Gnome opened in 2018, and while cold beer is a great reason to visit the spacious brewpub, the sandwiches are the headliners. Chopped cheese, Taylor ham and housemade meatballs are some of the standouts in the wide selection of New York- and New Jersey- inspired options, all of which you can enjoy while listening to a soundtrack of Phish and Billy Strings (or live music, which the Gnome often hosts on weekends). The huge variety of top-quality meats and cheeses coupled with the relaxed atmosphere make this the kind of place where you’ll soon be a regular. Las Tortas 5307 Leetsdale Drive 720-379-7269 lastortasendenver.com Tortas take all the deliciousness of Mexican fare and pile it on soft rolls. And the tortas at Las Tortas, which also has locations in Thorn- ton and Greeley, are the most delicious of all. When ordering at the counter, newbies will be told that the Norteña, with carne asada, breaded steak and cheese, is the best seller. Like all of the standard torta options here, it comes fully loaded with mayo, avocado, tomato, lettuce and beans. But there’s another type of torta on the menu that requires a fork and knife to eat: the torta ahogada, which comes loaded with juicy, fl avorful carnitas and smothered in a spicy chile and tomato sauce for a messy meal reminiscent of dipping a grilled cheese sandwich in tomato soup. It’s best eaten immediately, so consider toting your own silverware if you’re dining in, as the plastic stuff that the shop has on hand can’t really handle the job. Lou’s Italian Specialties 3357 Downing Street 720-287-3642 lousitalianspecialties.com In 2018, Rosenberg’s owner Josh Pollack added this East Coast-style deli in Five Points to his growing collection of New York-in- spired concepts, which includes Original Famous J’s (which landed on our list of the ten best pizza places). Lou’s has a solid selection of both hot and cold sandwiches, available in full or half sizes — and a full is indeed enough to split or last for two meals. Generously loaded with freshly sliced meats and cheeses, the Louie is a great intro to what this place does best, as is the hot porchetta broccoli rabe. Spinelli’s Market 4621 East 23rd Avenue 303-329-8143 spinellismarket.com Spinelli’s opened in Park Hill in 1994, but it feels like it’s been around far longer. The friendly neighborhood market is stocked with essentials as well as some gourmet fi nds — but before you browse, head directly to the deli counter in the back to place your order from a long menu of continued on page 18 17 westword.com | CONTENTS | LETTERS | NIGHT+DAY | CULTURE | CAFE | MUSIC | WESTWORD JULY 28-AUGUST 3, 2022 FROM THE HIP PHOTO
