This town has a plethora of sandwiches make on subs and hoagies -- as well as a multitude of fancy sammies made on fancy breads -- but where does one go to have a classic sandwich? You know, the classic kind with two pieces of bread and meat and / or cheese and / or various veggies and condiments in between?
It the sandwich world, it would be totally sacrilegious to ignore Koppa’s Fulbeli Deli, 1940 N. Farwell Ave., despite the fact the quirky grocery store with a penchant for making tasty sandwiches gets a fair share of press. But they deserve it.
The Fulbeli Deli has multiple great food-items-between-two-slices-of-bread offerings. Most are just under $5. The Frukwine, for example, is a combo of turkey, swiss cheese, red onion, tomato, alfalfa sprouts, cranberry mustard and a "secret spice" on grilled natural rye bread.
The Yellonedcab (aptly named for a yellow cab driver named, you guessed it, Ned) is another gift from the sandwich gods, featuring white albacore tuna, pepper-jack cheese, tomato, green pepper, red onion, alfalfa sprouts, mayo and "secret spice" on natural wheat bread.
For a great grilled cheese, Kopp’s Frozen Custard (multiple locations) has cornered the market. For under $2, a lust-filled lactose-y eating experience is available. Seriously, the Velveeta-type cheese used in this sandwich is somehow delicious and the bread is always a perfect crispiness.
Benji’s Deli, 4156 N. Oakland Ave., offers a great corned beef sandwich, served on rye bread. The amount of corned beef is usually in the range of perfect: well-stacked but not a choking hazard. And although a little fat is part of the corned beef fun, it’s never too gristly. The cost for carry-out is $7.96 and for a dine-in sandwich is $8.12 because it comes with potato chips.
Riverwest Co-op Cafe, 733 E. Clarke St., makes a mean grilled cheese, too, called the Super Grilled Cheese. It’s $7.50 and can be made with dairy or Teese cheese on whole grain bread. But the co-op’s true gem of a sam is the tempeh rueben, which local, organic tempeh marinated in a special sauce, then piled between two slices of rye bread along with Teese cheese and 1,000 island dressing. The cost is $6.95.
Alterra cafes make a few sandwiches with sliced Breadsmith bread. The turkey club, for example, is $7 as is the avocado BLT and the chicken salad sandwich. (The chicken salad can be special ordered with bread instead of a roll.) All of the sandwiches are made on sourdough or wheat bread.
Beans and Barley, 1901 E. North Ave., makes a fresh and delicious egg salad sandwich for $5. The recipe for the egg salad is classic enough, but has a signature twist with the addition of extra toppings like alfalfa sprouts and shoyu sunflower seeds.
Honeypie, 2643 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., has a sweet list of sandwiches, including the U-Boat, an $8.50 creation that includes pastrami, Gruyere cheese, tomato onion, lettuce and red pepper aioli on rye. The curry chicken salad is good, too, served on wheat bread that's also $8.50.
Molly Snyder started writing and publishing her work at the age 10, when her community newspaper printed her poem, "The Unicorn.” Since then, she's expanded beyond the subject of mythical creatures and written in many different mediums but, nearest and dearest to her heart, thousands of articles for OnMilwaukee.
Molly is a regular contributor to FOX6 News and numerous radio stations as well as the co-host of "Dandelions: A Podcast For Women.” She's received five Milwaukee Press Club Awards, served as the Pfister Narrator and is the Wisconsin State Fair’s Celebrity Cream Puff Eating Champion of 2019.