You may have just asked yourself "wait, did I actually need to know what sandwiches I should be eating this month?" Perhaps you didn't but it will likely just take a glance at some of these stacks of pure awesome to make you realize you have unmet sandwich needs.
It's going to be okay. There are plenty of days left in the month, and while many of these offerings will not be available forever, you can definitely work them into your eating plans before we ring in 2021.
Beetbox
Get festive this December with some of the best seasonal sandwiches available in Vancouver, like The Holiday Sandwich from the plant-based spot Beetbox. Photo courtesy BeetboxWho says you need meat to make it a festive sandwich? Not the team at Beetbox. Just for the holidays, Beetbox is bringing back their popular holiday sandwich fit for the occasion that features their fried chick-un. The sandwich is available for $9.50 and includes cranberry sauce, celery stuffing, Brussels Sprout slaw, and gravy vegan mayo. Get it for dine-in or pick up from Thursday, December 9 to Thursday, December 23.
Meat & Bread
For those who have cried foul over the happenings of 2020, take heart that this popular sandwich featuring a trio of fowl is available all December long. Photo: Turducken Sandwich/Meat & BreadI don't mean to put you in an existential quandary, but: Is it even Christmas if Meat & Bread isn't selling its Turducken Sandwich? Relax, relax, relax. Because 2020 has been a "dumpster fire" of a year, the Vancouver-born sandwich restaurant is doing us all a solid by making their legendary offering available through Dec. 24. You could even leave one for Santa instead of cookies. The Turducken Sandwich features cranberry apple mostarda, pumpkin seed crumble, turkey gravy & radicchio red cabbage slaw, and will be up for grabs daily, while supplies last each day.
Frying Pan
The Double Decker at Frying Pan's Gastown restaurant. Photo: Lindsay William-Ross/Vancouver Is AwesomeThe Frying Pan recently opened up a brick-and-mortar restaurant in Gastown, and to fill your bellies in celebration of the launch right now they are putting together a real show-stopper. The Double Decker features two juicy, tender chicken thighs expertly breaded, with one coated in a sweet soy sauce and the other in a hot yang nyeon sauce, teamed up with lettuce, marble cheese and house mayo on pillowy buns. The meld of sweet and spicy is absolutely perfect, cut by the creaminess of the cheese and mayo, the coolness of the lettuce, and the tang of pickles. It's a four-napkin (and likely two-meal or two-person) job, but oh-so-worth it.
Local Public Eatery
Here's one that will be gone before you've finished your holiday shopping: The Christmas Burger from Local. Score this towering beast inspired by the flavours of the holiday feast via DoorDash only, until Dec. 13 and while supplies last. Eat it and then take a nap. Just like Christmas Dinner!
Bel Cafe
The seasonal Turkey Sandwich from Bel Cafe. Photo courtesy Bel Cafe Downtown's Bel Cafe has a refined take on the tastes of the season with its holiday Turkey Cranberry Sandwich ($11), made with with shaved Brussels sprouts, remoulade, grana padano and cranberry sauce. If you're keeping it vegetarian, they're also doing their popular Roasted Vegetable Sandwich ($10) made with a hearty roasted squash, sliced granny smith apples, spiced pumpkin seeds and finished with creamy brie.
Bovine
Don't be fooled by the words "rice bowls" in this downtown Vancouver take-out spot's name. Yes, they absolutely rock the rice bowls (they're doing a vegan eggplant one right now that's amazing) but they also kill it in the sandwich sector, and these days they've got a special Beef Dip on the menu you'll want to get your hands on.
Potluck Hawker Eatery
The Chilly Krabby Patty “Chili Crab Dip" from Potluck Hawker. Photo courtesy Potluck Hawker Eater.SpongeBob and Patrick may have a new hangout, and it's on Cambie in Vancouver. Potluck's new holiday sando, the Chilly Krabby Patty “Chili Crab Dip,” is available only at dinner time from Wednesday to Sunday in December. The sandwich is loaded with a quarter pound of fresh B.C. Dungeness Crab on a buttery and squishy Fife bakery bun, and served with chili crab gravy for dipping. Can I be excused for the rest of my life? I have some important sandwich-eating to do.
BONUS: THREE PLACES TO TRY LOTS OF SANDWICHES
You're a procrastinator. You hate cranberries. You want to get one sandwich for you, a different one for your significant other, and split them both. You want to be surrounded by sandwiches. I feel you. So don't panic if you don't see yourself scoring one of those special December sandwiches. Here's the thing: There are lots of sandwiches to enjoy in Vancouver. You probably didn't need me to tell you that, but just in case you needed to freshen up your go-to list as the year draws to a close, I present these newer additions to the local sandwich scene.
- Pepino's Spaghetti House: The lunch menu at this Commercial Drive pasta joint is all about packing in some Italian goodness on a sesame seed-studded hero bun. There's a heroic new trio on offer: The Meatball Sub, The Roast Beast, and The Big Anthony Pork Chop Parmesan Sandwich. Order for take-out or delivery only.
- Lil' Bird: Launched earlier this year, Lil' Bird is the offshoot sandwich project from Kafka's Coffee, slinging breakfast and lunch-time sammies out of their 2525 Main Street and 577 Great Northern Way locations. There are more than a half-dozen options, but heed my advice and go for the AM or PM version with corned beef, because this is the creation of a chef who knows corned beef. Trust.
- Side Hustle: 2020 is the year of the pivot and the side hustle. Or in this case, just the Side Hustle. That's the name of a sandwich shop launched by "a collective of Vancouver chefs, with a passion for high quality and locally sourced food." They're doing a meaty Chopped Cheese, a PBLT with braised Sakura pork belly and gravlax (cured wild salmon), and a brisket sandwich, and for vegans, a pretzel bun loaded with veggies and their housemade vegan "fondue."
