The best sandwiches in Montreal you have to try

Marchigiani is officially home of the best porchetta sandwich in Montreal. We're talking about sinking your teeth into 10 inches of tender, savoury, moist pork layered with crisp vegetables and a tangy sauce—all of the goodness bursting out of pillowy soft bread with a subtle crunch on the outside. Time Out Tip: Make sure to also order a meatball sub with melted provolone (what meatball sandwich dreams are made of).

This family run sandwicheria is famous for their next-level sandwiches and long lines that are well worth the wait. We are obsessed with the Diavolo (layered aioli, salami, calabrese, capicollo, fontina, provolone, lettuce, tomatoes, banana peppers, marinated red onions, giardiniera) and the iconic Chicken Parm (basil oil, mozzarella, chicken cutlet, parmesan, hot peppers), which are made like a Bossa.

When you can't decide between the ultimate fried chicken sandwich—breaded fried chicken, homemade hot sauce, freshly chopped lettuce, herbs, pickles and pickled red onions—or the fried calamari BLT (calamari fried in polenta, braised romaine lettuce, Caesar dressing, bacon and parmesan), order both.

This bánh mì is the talk of the town thanks to crispy soft baguette, premium deli meat, homemade mayo, fresh cilantro, and their signature pickled carrots and daikon. We wouldn’t kick their famous spicy Bún bò Huế and Vietnamese buns (Bánh bao) out of bed, either.

This Mile-End staple—with a second location in Hochelaga—is casual spot takes their sandwiches seriously. The addictive grilled haloumi with mint slaw, honey and harissa mayo, and the pulled pork (slathered in homemade BBQ sauce, pickles, slaw, hot peppers and chipotle mayo), will keep you coming back for more.

Making some of the best sandwiches in town since 1928, this spot is the gold standard for smoked meat. Whether you want a classic smoked meat sandwich with fresh pickle and coleslaw, or go rogue, this is the place to do it.

From the Cuban (a spicy twist on pancetta, roasted pork, gruyere, pickles, lime, coriander and chipotle mayonnaise) to the Sconewich (a buttermilk biscuit topped with butter, 3 year old cheddar, ham and peach jam, this sandwich menu is filled with unbeatable flavour combinations.

Arguably Montreal’s most iconic diner, Beautys serves up an egg, bacon, and cheddar cheese sandwich on a bagel called the Beautys Bonjour that’s perfection. The Beautys Special— smoked salmon, cream cheese, tomato and onion on a bagel—is a close second. 

From the famous "McArthur" (think chicken schnitzel on steroids) to some of their limited edition sammies (we're still thinking about the thanksgiving sandwich), Arthurs serves up heaven between slices of challah.

From a jalapeno, gruyere, sauerkraut and caramelized onion grilled cheese to a next-level breakfast sandwich (sausage, fennel, egg and cheddar slathered in BBQ sauce), this tight menu is only made better by the accomplanying soups made for double-dipping.

If you're craving an inscrutable croque-monsieur from a bistro that brings the ultimate white tablecloth vibes, L'Express is the real deal. Make sure to take advantage of the enormous mason jar filled with cornichons placed on each table.

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You know those biggest slices of rye bread? The ones the size of a dinner plate? Those are the ones they use to make the Spécial Luc breakfast sandwich at Patati Patata, with, in the middle, everything you need to take care of a sore head: spicy omelette made with fried red onions, bell pepper and mushroom, bacon and friulano cheese, plus slices of fresh tomato, lettuce and a dollop of mayonnaise.

Everybody knows Lester as the alternate smoked meat place, but did you know they also smoke their own turkey? That’s the key ingredient in the high-stacked, even higher praised Turkey Romanov sandwich. Served on Russian black bread, it’s a no-nonsense sandwich simply loaded with their delicately spiced shaved smoked turkey, paper-thin raw onion, and the perfect shmear of mayo. Get it with the requisite side of fries, still some of the best in the city.

This Lachine mainstay (and its offshoots) draws the crowds for its main offering: a truly stellar falafel sandwich, made with falafel balls fried fresh upon your arrival. Get yours fully loaded to enjoy the cornucopia of fresh stuffings, including pickled turnip, red cabbage, green cabbage, cukes and tomato, lashings of tarator sauce and harissa for a kick. The pita is also baked right on the spot.

You ain’t tasted gyro until you’ve had it at Elatos. The homestyle gyro pita sandwich is your order of choice: puffy white pita packed with their crispy grilled shaved pork, spiced to perfection, alongside tzatziki, tomatoes, fries (in the actual sandwich) and a dash of yellow mustard. Sounds unreal? It is, in every way.

Available in chicken, tofu or tempeh, the satay sandwich is probably what made this franchise its fame. The Satay Bros know their way around sensational satay flavours, which they pack into every last millimetre of their sandwiches of saucy protein contrasting with crunchy, snappy coleslaw in a puffy grilled bun.

This sandwich is locally famous for its endless layers of home-cured mortadella, capocollo, salami and pepperoni served with provolone and shaved lettuce on a fresh baked focaccia. It’s been described as a “three-bite sandwich” for a reason—it’s so high, no man can conquer its world of flavours in one go. It comes with a side of hot banana peppers and a dipping bowl of marinara

This beloved Saint-Henri Italian restaurant is a must for pasta and pizza, but they also make a mean lunchtime hoagie, served until 4 pm only. Made with their sourdough pizza dough, the unique bread is fashioned like a sub loaf but sprinkled in an everything-but-the-bagel mix that makes every bite a delight. Get the rapini one, stuffed with tender rapini ensconced in fontina cheese with shallots and an addictive green olive tapenade.

Hoagies, cheesesteaks, beef dips: Montreal subs inscribe themselves in this lauded history and are their very own thing. Pitarifique on the Plateau makes casse-croûte food at its best, including a venerable Montreal sub: a light-as-air sub bun topped with sautéed steak and pepperoni, fried onions, mushrooms and peppers, cheese, tomato slices and shredded lettuce, and that signature sub vinaigrette. Enough food to last you days.

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A Québec tradition, the hot chicken sandwich at this west-end rôtisserie (est 1944) comes just as we like it: classic. Two slices of supermarket sliced white bread are stuffed with half a chicken’s worth of white and brown meat, then topped in tinned peas and drowned—yes, the whole sandwich—in lashings of their homemade gravy. Served with a huge side of fries, it’s a soggy knife-and-fork experience that must be lived to be believed.

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Next time you’re at Jean-Talon Market, make a pitstop by the unassuming Parma Café next door. The sandwich list promises many enticing discoveries, but our go-to is the smoked salmon sandwich, which comes on crisp ciabatta with a layer of olive tapenade—you ain’t ready for this kind of savoury.

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Westmount wouldn’t be the same without Nick’s. It’s the kind of lunch counter generations have shared family secrets at, one of which is probably how delicious the Swiss grilled cheese on kimmel is. The seeded bread lends itself incredibly to being stuffed with gooey Swiss cheese, with a couple of rashes of bacon in there, and fried in butter. Why not? Best enjoyed with black coffee and hot gossip.

The lineups for this classic all-day breakfast joint in Villeray are the only deterrent, but go on a weekday and you’ll get to enjoy the peaceful good-morning vibes and the yummilicious Rico sandwich: scrambled eggs with spinach, cheddar, bacon or tofu, tomatoes, arugula and their addictive lime-chipotle mayo on an everything bagel. Goooood morning.

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It’s special, you’re special, we’re all special! You can’t have a sandwich list without the world renowned Wilensky Special, though the myth might outdo the munch. Sliced deli meats between a flattened bun with mustard. Got you excited? Then head to this iconic Montreal deli.