Now it’s fair to say I’ve eaten a healthy number of sandwiches in my time. As a born-and-bred Dubliner, and someone who spends most of their week testing recipes, I can confidently declare that we’re in the golden age of sandwiches.

Are sandwiches one of the best things you can buy? In my opinion, yes – they’re portable, endlessly customisable, and socially acceptable to eat with your hands. You can slap last night’s roast between two slices of bread and call it a meal.

They work for breakfast, lunch, dinner, hangovers, heartbreak, and every snack in between. Any food that lets you hide crisps inside it deserves respect. 

Dublin’s sandwich game has levelled up massively in the last few years, it’s no longer just a toastie special on offer (all hail the special). From pillowy soft focaccia piled high with slow-roasted meats to ciabatta loaded with melty cheese, this fair city is full of serious sandwich talent.

Here are some of my favourite spots in Dublin when only a deadly sambo will do.

Juniors, Beggars Bush

Located just off the Grand Canal and a stone’s throw from the Aviva, Juniors has been slinging out hefty sandwiches to locals  since 2008. Run by brothers Barry and Paul, the Pastrami Reuben is the one to beat: hot pastrami, tangy sauerkraut, Swiss cheese, and Russian dressing, all grilled to golden perfection.

It’s messy, melty and completely worth queuing for. Grab it with a bag of crisps and eat it along the canal if the weather’s behaving itself, or dine in if you don’t mind the queue. 

The Pig and Heifer, Pearse Street

Staying South, it’s over to The Pig and Heifer, tucked between office blocks and Trinity halls, The Pig and Heifer is the kind of spot you could walk past many times before realising it’s an institution. A New York style deli in the heart of Dublin. At lunchtime, there’s a proper queue with happy punters waiting their turn.

Stacked like a skyscraper The Mile High Club is an absolute unit: pastrami, crispy bacon, chicken and ham. It’s the type of sandwich that demands a nap after, which, surely is the true measure of a sandwich? This is one club you can enjoy at lunchtime without needing a boarding pass…or an alibi.

The Pepper Pot Café, Powerscourt Townhouse

When I’m showing off Dublin to visitors I always take them to Powerscourt Townhouse, and lunch has to be at the Pepper Pot Café  and bakery, which feels like a proper escape. Their roast pear, crispy bacon, mustard mayo and Hegarty’s cheddar on crusty white bread has become a bit of a cult favourite.

It’s salty, sweet, sharp and buttery all at once – imagine a cheeseboard in sandwich form. Perfection. 

Green Bench Café, Montague Street

An iconic lunch spot for anyone working in town, I just wish it had been there when I still worked in the city. They’re only open weekdays and the queues can be wild, but there’s a reason: big, bold sandwiches stacked with flavour.

This tiny hole-in-the-wall spot near Stephen’s Green has become legendary for its daily specials, thick sandwiches stuffed with the best fillings like roast chicken, caramelised onions, spicy ‘slaw, or slow-cooked beef.

There’s usually a queue out the door by half 12, a mix of office workers and die-hards who’d happily eat standing on the pavement. Which, to be fair, is exactly what I often end up happily doing. 

Daddy’s Café, Rialto

No sandwich round up would be complete without a sausage sambo. This is no greasy fry-up roll. Daddy’s in Rialto does excellent brunch and comfort food, and their sausage sandwich is no exception.

Juicy free-range sausages, fried eggs and harissa mayo on toasted sourdough. Balanced, punchy and still has that satisfying breakfast energy.

The café itself is always buzzing, full of locals, families, and people, like me, who came for “just a coffee” and leave with a parcel of sandwiches. You can even take home their homemade brown sauce. 

Poulet Bonne Femme, Dun Laoghaire, Blackrock & Avoca

This isn’t just rotisserie chicken, it’s golden-skinned, marinated overnight in their secret blend, slow-roasted then carved fresh and packed into a sourdough, white or granary sandwich. And maybe a few crispy bits if you’re lucky (the best bits).

Poulet Bonne Femme has quietly nailed the art of a proper roast chicken sandwich that’s rich, juicy, and needs a napkin or three. Plus you can add on a side of roasties.  

Ger’s Deli, Ballyfermot

The only way to end a sandwich round up is on a chicken fillet roll. Ger’s Deli is a Ballyfermot institution, famous across Dublin for serving one of the city’s best chicken fillet rolls. A proper generous fillet of chicken, seasoned just right, fried to crispy perfection then piled high in a soft, fresh baguette, then loaded with lashings of mayo and grated cheddar.

That’s exactly how I want my chicken fillet rolls to be.  If that’s not your thing, give the breakfast roll a whirl. 

Laoise Casey is head of food for Plate Up, a recipe and grocery delivery app that makes grocery shopping smarter and more seamless. From Dublin originally, she began her career in HR before moving to London and retraining as a chef at Leiths School of Food and Wine.

Following this, she undertook a number of restaurant kitchen roles, including at Robin Gill’s The Dairy in South London. In addition she
began food writing, styling and recipe development as well as writing regular recipe columns for the Evening Standard and The Independent. She then joined Marks & Spencer as a development chef before her current role with Plate Up.

Follow Laoise on Instagram: @LaoiseCooks