Sandwich renaissance: Where to get the best sandwiches in Bengaluru, Mumbai, Goa, Pune

From bagels to banh mi and Hokkaido milk buns stuffed with veggies and meats - the sandwich has many delicious avatars. (Photo courtesy Veronica's Mumbai)

Once the preserve of home cooks and inexpensive canteens, the sandwich in India is undergoing a transformation. While traditional favourites like the Bombay sandwich, vada pav and Club sandwiches continue to evoke nostalgia, a new iteration of gourmet sandwiches has emerged. The trend also points to how the top-end of the dining market has appropriated timeless street food.

Vietnamese Pork Banh Mi at Candice's Gourmet Sandwiches, Bengaluru

Sandwich renaissance

The pandemic forced a culinary evolution upon us and sandwiches found their way back into our hearts. What is new is the gourmet revolution. Once, economics did not support serving sandwiches in a premium restaurant. “Who would pay Rs 300 for a sandwich? But during Covid we embraced comfort food, which makes it economically viable for us to put out gourmet versions of old favourites,” says Chef Gresham Fernandes, Culinary Director of Impresario.

Yash Bhanage, co-founder of Bombay Canteen, recognized the potential in sandwiches during lockdowns and decided to open Veronica's. “During the Covid years, both our restaurants were shut. For survival, we created different delivery menus. The one with sandwiches worked beautifully.” He designed Veronica’s beverage program, including wine, to enhance the sandwich experience.

Sandwich Combo at Salt Water Cafe in Mumbai

Sandwiches at Veronica’s, which opened in Mumbai in early 2023, venture into complex territory. Take The Big Floyd, Veronica’s version of Japanese, Hokkaido-style, pillowy soft, milk bun filled with fried chicken that's dunked in hot butter and topped with shredded lettuce, tangy tamarind ranch sauce and lemony dill pickle. Or Everything’s Bandra Bagel, which pays homage to New York-style bagels with an East Indian bottle masala topping. To complement its sandwiches, Vernonica’s offers coffees, kombuchas, and a wine list curated by Goa-based bar consultancy, Countertop India.

But Veronica's isn't alone in rewriting sandwich rules. Across India, cafes and sandwich shops are pushing the boundaries. Nothing is off the table: truffle oil and actual truffles, exotic peppers from Latin America, Mexican salsa, and of course, artisanal bread.

Best sandwiches in Mumbai, Pune, Goa, Bengaluru

 At Mumbai’s inventive Kashmiri-cuisine inspired restaurant Noon, Chef Vanika Choudhary serves a sandwich filled with a ripened Kashmiri cheese called Kalari or Kaladi or even Maish Krej.

Says Chef Choudhary, “It is indigenous to Udhampur, Reasi districts of Jammu region and Pahalgam in Kashmir. It's sautéed in its own fat on a hot griddle and served with just salt and red chilli powder. While it’s crispy on the outside, it retains a soft and gooey texture on the inside. While growing up, my Nani made sure that she bought the kalaris from the Gujjar/Bakarwal community, nomadic shepherds of the Kashmir valley. These pastoralists have been processing milk in the form of butter, ghee, cheese, yoghurt, and kalari since milk has a short shelf life. It is one of the oldest forms of food preservation, and is traditionally made from raw full-fat cow or buffalo milk, vigorously churned in an iron pot with a wooden plunger-like tool.”

Big Fat Duco at Cafe Duco, Bandra West

 Chef-owner Urvika Kanoi of Café Duco in Bandra West serves three kinds of gourmet sandwiches. Big Fat Duco is a super-loaded veggie sandwich in buttery slices of brioche (of French origin with a high egg and butter content for a rich and tender crumb), packed with all kinds of flavours and textures. The Avo Toast’s Latin American influences are obvious in ingredients such as Aji Chilis (a chilli pepper), roasted corn, juicy tomatoes, Chimichurri oil and Tiger’s milk (the Peruvian term for spicy and tangy citrus-based dressing). For the Moreish Pork Bahnmi, the café uses three different kinds of pork cuts — pulled shoulder, chorizo sausage and belly bacon, topped with crunchy veggies and loaded with a homemade hot sauce.

 At Route 66, an American diner on the edges of Goa’s Latin Quarters, Owner-Chef Xavs Norr serves huge portions of American sandwich varieties, such as BBQ pulled pork sandwiches, pastrami, corned beef sandwiches, fried catfish sandwiches, and the famous BLT (bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich).

Jade&Ginger Chicken Katsu Sando

 Mumbai’s Out of the Blue deli has experimented with sandwiches stuffed with single-origin chocolate from an estate in Kerala and a Brie & Chocolate sandwich. Owner Rahul Bajaj insists the sandwiches are anything but sweet. “A good dark chocolate is bitter and when combined with, say, peanut butter.

 Seeds of Life, Mumbai has turned falafel into a modern-day sandwich with its baked version served with sautéed and pickled vegetables, hummus and harissa spread, nestling in sourdough bread.

Roboto Kimchi Grilled Cheese Sandwich, Goa

 At Roboto in Goa, Chef Oishik Neogy serves the Khimchi Grilled Cheese Sando, a Yoshoku or western-inspired Japanese sandwich, made with in-house Hokkaido milk bread and kimchi along with three varieties of cheese, grilled slowly to a glorious golden crisp and served with Togarashi (seasoning blend of seven spice), seaweed seasoned chips and fermented hot sauce.

 At Pune’s The Elephant Co’s the crowd-favourite is What the Guac, generously slathered with homemade guacamole, seasoned with pickled onions, blistered cherry tomatoes, and roasted almonds.

 Andrea’s Restaurants Brand Chef Mohit Jaggi puts out a delightful Pesto Burrata Sandwich that combines the creamy richness of burrata cheese with the vibrant flavours of pesto.

 At Bengaluru’s Candice’s Gourmet Sandwiches, Chef Candice Lock serves Vietnamese Pulled Pork Banh Mi, The Cuban made with roasted pork, Sloppy Joe with a soya twist and Melted Caprese infused with Italian flavours.

Andrea's Pesto Burrata Sandwich

Bread evolution

Sourdough's popularity has been a game-changer, allowing for creative open-faced sandwiches. Quality bakers have introduced Japanese milk bread, Focaccia, and croissant sandwiches.

Chef Gresham grew up in the then East Indian-dominated Bandra enclave and Goa, dining on salty tongue sandwiches, ham and salami sandwiches, and ever-popular Mumbai vada and samosa pav, and the famous Leela Hotels’ sandwich (where he worked once), the humungous Club Sandwich. He says, “For a while sandwiches fell out of favour because of the unhealthy bread, which made them calorie-intense, nutrition-low meals. A lot of chemicals are added to the industrial bread to make them last longer, and it has led to a rise in gluten sensitivity.”

His roster of great sandwiches includes Bagel Cream Cheese, the mustardy Egg Salad Sandwich, which has come to our shores from Japan, and the Brie Sandwich, overflowing with brie cheese, jammy cranberry relish and pink peppercorns.

Lox & Bagel at Bombay Baking Company

In Bangalore, Vikas Seth, Chef and Culinary Director, Embassy Leisure, calls the Khameeri Roti (with origins in the Mughal era, it is whole wheat flour fermented with milk and yeast) the Indian sourdough. Through their catering brand, Zest, he serves ham and balsamic, a jackfruit sandwich and even a smoked bagel.

At Mumbai’s Slink and Bardot, Chef Ali Akbar creates sandwiches using fluffy baos, among them a popular Jackfruit Bao, with a curry emulsion inspired by Chicken 65, and a pork belly & spicy peanut bao sandwich, besides serving their homemade brioche and milk bread.

Mumbai’s Seeds of Life cafes have experimented with a gluten-free Panini Flatbread, which is served with sautéed mushrooms tossed in truffle mayo. Founder Mohit Bulchandani says, “Sandwiches when prepared with fresh, high-quality ingredients and paired with nutritious fillings, have made a remarkable comeback as a convenient and healthy meal choice.”

Veronica's Chef Hussain Shahzad, whose first memory of eating a sandwich is a savoury French toast and the bread and omelette sandwich in Chennai, says, “We pay a lot of attention to the construction of the sandwich. The bread is of the right thickness so that the sandwich doesn’t fall apart. We use a three-finger rule while making the sandwich so that it fits right into the mouth.”

From the first sandwich ever served to John Montagu, the 4th Earl of Sandwich, an 18th-century English aristocrat; 1900s America, where bakeries sold pre-sliced bread filled with meat; and farm labourers in France who carried this wholesome meal to their work, to the 21st-century with its thriving gourmet sandwich scene in India, the sandwich has come a full circle.