We tried 'daring' sandwiches in London and these are the best ones

Metro

15-05-2025

Welcome back to The Slice!
Sandwiches are no longer just a bit of sad ham and cheese between bread. They can have all sorts of weird and wonderful flavour combinations. And they can be breakfast, lunch or dinner – at least for us, there are no food rules over here.
That's why this week we're trying three sandwiches that aren't scared of a twist: ham, egg 'n' chips, mushroom 'meatball' marinara and a slab of focaccia with a crispy piece of fried chicken inside. Don't say we don't give you variety! Find out where's worth spending in this week's London best.
Any Jurassic Park fans? You can soon experience the upcoming film Jurassic World: Rebirth, and come face to face with a huge collection of dinosaurs. Find out how below.
Plus: We're telling you how you can get tickets to the music festival famous for helping launch Billie Eilish. Headliners include Mabel and NAO.
Read on for a whole range of recommendations for 17-18 May, handpicked as always by The Slice.
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Click here for this week's edit of the best things to do in town.
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If you're looking for something to do this weekend, here are 11 of the best activities, dining, and drinking spots in the capital.
By Lola Christina Alao
Honey & Smoke is a family-run grill house in Fitzrovia serving up beautiful Middle Eastern mezze. The vibe is laid back, with rustic limewashed walls and vibrant, abstract paintings. What's cool about Honey & Smoke is that you can get refills of any of the mezze dishes of your choice, which is great value, as you will want more. The falafel, served on a beautifully creamy layer of sumac laced tahini, is light on the inside and golden brown on the outside. Fried cauliflower is dressed with a vibrant pickled amba sauce and tahini. Mop it all up with delicate flatbreads drizzled with lashings of za'atar spiced olive oil.
Not willing to share? The Ali Nazik main, with lamb shish, baba ganoush, urfa chilli butter, pomegranate, and peas & fennel is my big pick. Though the lamb shish was slightly oversalted, and the baba ganoush seriously smoky, the pillowy bread makes for the perfect base. To finish off, there's a selection of small creative canapés to finish off. My favourite? The chocolate brownie bite, with surprise raspberry bits to balance the sweetness.
Spring sharing menu – £65pp for three courses, £57.5pp for two courses. 216 Great Portland Street, Fitzrovia. Book here.
Best for: make it Italian
There are three things Arcane prides itself on: coffee, focaccia and cocktails. I can't tell you whether or not they do a good job of the first and last, but I can confirm the focaccia sandwiches are out of this world – especially the Social. Made with marinara sauce, crispy chicken, mozzarella and basil, the Social is an absolute classic that's been dialled up to the max. The focaccia is pillowy soft with a golden crust, the flavours are spot on and there's no scrimping on filling whatsoever. It's absolutely delicious and good value too.
Sandwiches, from £8.50. 42 Devonshire Road, Chiswick. Just walk in.
Best for: doing it simple
We feel oddly patriotic knowing that one of this capital's greatest sandwiches is a common-as-muck pub classic. Not a Texas BBQ hoagie. Not a zippy Banh Mi. But Ham, Egg 'n' Chips from Max's Sandwich Shop, born in bread. It's mind-boggingly unpretentious – slow-cooked ham hock brings the luxe, while runny fried egg, implemented like burger cheese slices, makes it breakfast, brunch or brinner acceptable. Finally, malt vinegar mayo combines with shoestring fries to create a modern age crisp-chip butty.
Ham, egg 'n' chips, £13.95. 19 Crouch Hill, Finsbury Park. Turn up early for to avoid queues!
Max's Sandwich shop also have a book available to buy: Max's World of Sandwiches: A Guide to Amazing Sandwiches. Recipes range from an easy prawn cocktail sandwich to the more time-consuming tuna katsu sando. Get your copy here.
Best for: umami without the meat
Spitalfields' My Favourite Sandwich stands out thanks to daring twists on classic fillings: mortadella with pickled onion Monster Munch crisp, tuna mayo with spicy jalapeño chips and coronation chicken with champagne-pickled raisins. The meatball marinara (we tried the mushroom version) is our highlight, its pillowy bread soaking up a rich tomato sauce, while fresh basil cuts through the umami filling.
Mushroom meatball marinara (V), £11. 141 Commercial St, Shoreditch.
My Favourite Sandwich will be at three-day sandwich festival Sarnie Party on 16 May! Other eateries on the line up include Pophams, Mondo Sando, KÊU and more. All tickets are £30 and include entrance plus three sandwiches of your choice. Book here.
By Courtney Pochin
I don't think we eat enough breakfast burritos in the UK. So I was in my element when I discovered a business that combines the two. Bad Manners has moved from Hackney Central to the grounds of Shoreditch Church, serving up fully-loaded burritos from a shiny new silver Airstream trailer. Their brand new menu features barbacoa and aubergine burritos for lunch, as well as breakfast bangers like the sausage burrito, egg and bean burrito – my favourite.
It contains a house-made pork patty, soft-set omelette, tater tots, American cheese, pickles and salsa roja. If you love the McDonald's breakfast wrap, this is similar, but elevated with a few extras – and it tastes a hundred times better too. The quality of the ingredients shines through in every bite, from the succulent meat to the soft tortilla wrap. It's a naughty option for breakfast or lunch but trust me, you'll feel pretty damn good about eating at Bad Manners.
Burritos from £10.50 (veggie), from £12.50 (meat). Shoreditch Church, 119 Shoreditch High Street, Shoreditch. Available on Wed-Sun, at 9am-3pm.
Palestinian restaurant akub has launched a special collaboration series with five chefs. Each chef brings along with them a unique style, and their cultural heritage – like Asma Khan, whose dishes will be on the weekend brunch menu throughout May, followed by Rachel Ama's dishes in June. Find the rest of the line-up here.
Running the Hackney Half marathon on Sunday? Head down to Pan-Asian hot spot UBA, where you'll be able to claim a free Hugo spritz and a taco of your choice!
Italian food maker Crosta Mollica is launching its very own pizzeria, Il Leopardo, with pizzas priced at just £2.50 this Friday and Saturday! All proceeds will be donated to Crosta Mollica's charity partner, EMERGENCY. So go on, get your hands on some salty, cheesy tastiness.
Want more sandwiches? Sandwich and coffee shop Yolk has opened its 10th store in Holborn. The new menu is led by Yolk's signature, fresh ciabatta sandwiches – with newbies including the Crying Tiger Steak (bavette steak, nam jim mayo, coriander, crispy shallot, pink pickled onion and lettuce). To celebrate, you can get 50% off everything from 14-16 May by using the code YOLKYES at checkout.
Festival season is well and truly kicking off, and we've got a FREE one for you. The Urban Village Fete 10th edition takes place at Greenwich Peninsula on 18 May, 11am-7pm. Expect performances from up-and-coming talent, panel talks and food from 30 of London's best food producers. Find out more here.
Jurassic World: The Experience is opening its doors at Battersea Power Station on 23 May. For all ages, expect to be immersed in scenes inspired by the beloved films including walking beneath a towering Brachiosaurus. Plus, get a rare up-close look at the most vicious dinosaur of them all, the Tyrannosaurus rex . Get your tickets here.
The British Museum and Outernet London are putting a spotlight on the timeless work of Japanese artist Utagawa Hiroshige through a brand new digital installation. A print from Hiroshige's Famous Places in Japan series (1832) is being reimagined across Outernet's 16k wrap-around screens. The exhibition is FREE and is a unique opportunity for everyone to experience Hiroshige's artistry in a brand new way.
It may not look like it but summer will soon be here. Regent's Park Open Air Theatre kicked off its 2025 season on 10 May with the alfresco UK debut of Shucked, the hit Tony award winning musical comedy about an American community whose corn supplies are running dry. And from 19 June, Rodgers & Hammerstein's Dream Ballets: A Triple Bill will air, celebrating dance and music from some of the UK's leading musical theatre choreographers. Find out what else you can watch here! More Trending
Shucked, 10 May-14 June. Rodgers & Hammerstein's Dream Ballets: A Triple Bill, 19-22 June. The Regent's Park, Inner Cir. Book tickets here.
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