Toronto's newest viral sandwich shop keeps selling out hours before closing time
There's a new sandwich shop on the block in Toronto, and the city is already going crazy for it.
Lambo's, Vilda's, La Salumeria: Toronto is crazy for a good sandwich, and lucky for those of us that live here, there's no shortage of shops and restaurants in the city that crank out really, really great ones.
Lucky for aspiring sandwich artists, the city has made a habit of raising its favourite sandwich shops to legend status when they feel it's deserved, so starting one, however risky, poses serious potential.
That's a lesson that Pitmaster and Executive Chef Alex Rad, of Smoque N' Bones fame, is learning with his latest venture, Alfie's Sandwiches+Market.
The doors of the Baldwin Village sandwich shop and market opened just a hair over two weeks ago, and, to put it lightly, people in Toronto are utterly obsessed.
You don't have to take my word for it, though; instead, refer to the Instagram stories they post nearly every day, within hours of opening, that the shop has sold out of homemade bread and sandwich fixings for the day, or take into account the ever-present lineup of eager eaters ready to get their fix.
The lightning-in-a-bottle success of Alfie's isn't lost on the team behind the sandwich shop. A representative from the team tells me that the reception thus far has been nothing short of "incredible."
"From day one, the community has supported us in such a big way," she says. "The lineups, the excitement, the customers coming back again and again—it’s been everything we hoped for and more."
To see the city flock to the shop so quickly, she tells me, has been a humbling experience. That people would believe in and support a venture so different from Chef Alex's bread and butter so quickly is, to them, "deeply meaningful."
Perfection doesn't just come out of thin air, though. In fact, the representative says, Alex and the team in the kitchen worked long and hard before even opening to get to where they are.
"[They] worked for over six months finalizing recipes, crafting our signature cramas and spreads, and perfecting our dough," she tells me.
"Our signature sourdough Bacio and focaccia breads are made fresh daily in small batches. The goal was to create a bread that would elevate our sandwiches in both texture and flavour."
Suffice it to say that the goal was met. Traditional Italian sandwiches loaded high with premium ingredients like burrata and buffalo mozzarella, mortadella, and 24-month aged prosciutto sweeten the deal, to be sure, but that bread is where these sandwiches really sing.
It's something that, if you can, you've really got to try for yourself.
Alfie's is located at 36 Baldwin Street, and they're open Tuesday to Sunday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. If you want my advice, I'd plan to get there early.
Fareen Karim
