Leytonstone sandwich shop Earl’s specialises in breaded giants of inspired 4am fridge filling raids—fried Rice Krispies, tahini-smothered aubergine parmigiana, and lashings of butter chicken. We recommend leaning into the slightly lighter focaccia and sourdough numbers at this Cann Hall Park spot. And be warned, they tend to sell out before, or during, the afternoon school run.

The only thing that separates Crunch’s sandwiches from a really good burger are thick slices of brioche, instead of buns. But we’re not mad about it. Fillings like beef patties with truffle mayo and crispy onions blend into the brioche toast with every bite. Although the Soho spot only has around 10 seats, the turnaround is fast and the patty melt is so good that we’d happily eat one of these standing on Dean Street.

Walthamstow’s The Coven Of Wiches is ‘666% vegan’ and is a cross between a Halloween store and the kitchen at your witch-core friend’s house. They make delicious, creative sandwiches—like a slab of lasagne between confit garlic ciabatta. Sit at the counter, order a beer, and peer into the open kitchen debating another sandwich to-go as Meat Loaf plays and you take your first crunchy, tangy bite of a ‘vishie finger' (vegan fish finger) roll.

Fat Pat's is a delivery-only Bethnal Green dark kitchen and the ordering system has been created by someone who must’ve enjoyed mazes as a child. But it’s worth the faff. Fat Pat’s American-inspired fillings—think philly cheesesteak and shrimp po’boys—are served in pillowy milk rolls the size of a child's rounders bat. Our pick of the bunch is the well-sauced hot honey fried chicken, with juicy cutlets, warming paprika spice, and the creeping heat of peppers.

Cafe Mondo, a lively sandwich bar between Peckham and Camberwell, uses neighbour Toad Bakery's pillowy tin loaf for one of our favourite sandwiches—the Turkey Caesar, which has tender chunks of meat poached in chipotle butter. Heed the recommendation for extra napkins from the friendly gaggle of chefs who fry fish fingers, wrap hoagie rolls and sesame subs stuffed with pork and greens, and spoon koji caesars into takeaway boxes.

There are half a dozen options on Bánh’s menu, and with each one you’re guaranteed perfect, crispy-shelled bánh mì with a fluffy and saucy interior. There’s likely to be a polite crowd at this Vietnamese cafe in Dalston come lunchtime: one person eyeing up the marinated pork shoulder, another craving the tofu curry bánh mì. The special is our favourite. It’s filled with char siu, pâté, a slice of pork belly roll, ham hock, a pork patty, and pork floss—a handful of pure, unadulterated oink.

Every sandwich from The Black Pig contains a small mound of juicy, tender, slow-roasted pork shoulder between springy bread. The doorstop-sized ciabatta sandwiches from the perma-busy Borough Market stall are a dry cleaner’s dream, but there’s balance (as well as generosity) to these creations. Our favourite extra fillings are in the Salsa Verde—the tangy, fresh apple and fennel slaw, creamy aioli, and herby salsa verde cut through the rich meat.

In a world full of towering, TikTok-ready sandwiches and frankly weird cheese-injected fillings, there is something heartwarmingly straightforward about the sliced white or wholemeal triangle sandwiches from Paul Rothe. The Marylebone deli has been around since 1900 and one can only assume that workers have relied on it for buttery bacon baps and coronation chicken-smeared lunches ever since.

There must be science behind why canapé and slider-sized bites are often so satisfying. But it relies on them being as delicious and as flavourful as the menu from Shree Krishna Vada Pav. This Maharashtrian mini-chain specialises in deep-fried bits in doughy white bread baps, alongside whacks of chilli and coconut chutneys. Onion bhajiya, potato bhajiya, a Sichuan samosa—you name it, Shree Krishna Vada Pav will put it between bread.

The sandwiches at Chatsworth Bakehouse are only available to pre-order and sell out in under 60 seconds. It’s a faff but if you can get on board with the ruthless ordering system, this is an excellent sandwich. Thick, dimpled wedges of focaccia have golden, crispy crusts and hold weekly changing fillings. Previous sandwiches have included tuna with a creamy basil and garlic aioli, chilli artichokes, and tangy balsamic shallots.

If you’ve never eaten a sandwich that felt more like a warm embrace, then you may not be able to understand our excitement about this spot inside Shepherd’s Bush Market. This kiosk is serving up Algerian street food in the form of sandwiches filled with your choice of lamb’s liver, merguez, marinated chicken, fish fillet, or minced meat. All the meats are cooked to order, and as well as the meaty filling, each sandwich is stuffed with chips, a fried egg, the perfect amount of salad, and harissa.

A golden-fried schnitzel stands high on the podium in the pantheon of great sandwiches. And, if you’re after a handful, then a trip to Johnny Schnitzel is worth your while. The idyllic deli sits on a quiet corner between Islington and Clerkenwell, but nothing about these brutish focaccia sandwiches are particularly subtle. The bread is doughy and flecked with olives, the pounded meat crispy and tender, and a handful of mayo-slathered crunchy slaw the perfect foil for this KO of a sandwich.

Going to a pizza place and not ordering pizza is very wrong, unless you’re going to Theo’s and getting a panuozzo, in which case it’s very right. Both the Camberwell and Elephant and Castle locations offer a choice of delicious lunchtime-only panuozzi—sandwiches that are made out of pizza dough—which is basically the smartest thing we’ve ever heard. The take on a tuna melt is a go-to. As is their chilli sauce on the table.

We’re not sure what exactly the secret is about this Notting Hill spot, but we don’t care when the sandwiches taste this good. This Japanese-influenced place has colourful walls, black booths, and a menu with 10 hefty sandwiches. They're aesthetically pleasing, perfectly formed blocks of Tokyo milk bread, with the perfect ratio of filling—whether that’s tuna mayo and lettuce, or the T.L.T (turkey, lettuce, tomato).

Catalyst’s menu switches up regularly but its magnificent sandwiches always remain. A classic bacon number wedged between doorstop slices of pain de mie bread is a ketchup-sodden breakfast of the traditionally British variety, with a little onion and dill relish thrown in as well. But there are other things too: a homemade take on a familiar fish filet sandwich, only this one features chunky goujons, a tangy homemade coleslaw, and a creamy slice of American cheese.

This Filipino bakery in Marylebone has created something wondrous between two slices of grilled pandesal bread—a corned beef hash sando. The deep-fried corned beef patty is soft and crunchy, with potato flecked throughout. The sweet bread combined with a tart sauce, a wipe of mayo, and lettuce that’s there in spirit, combines to make a truly warming, generous sandwich. We also rate Panadera’s chicken and mushroom sando. They’re served at their Soho location, too.

The sub is an unappreciated sandwich-type on this side of the pond. More often than not, there’s only one way to have a sub in London, and it’s not the best possible way. You’ll realise this once you eat from Dom’s on Hackney Road. There’s ‘The Cold Cuts’ loaded with bresaola, salami, provolone, tangy peppers and more. There’s ‘The Grapow’, a Thai-inspired sub that caused us to almost unintentionally amputate our right (sandwich-gripping) thumb.

You know those day-off sandwiches you make? The ones that require a blueprint and planning permission? Those are the kind of sandwiches that Dusty Knuckle, off Kingsland Road, makes everyday. Being a bakery, the bread (whether sourdough or focaccia) is seriously good and the fillings, be it saucy meatballs, roasted beetroot, or sticky tofu, are the same. In fact they’re so good that we wrote an entire ode to one: the go-to roasted beetroot and carrot number.

Crispy buttermilk fried shrimp, sweet brioche bread, top-quality honey mustard sauce. No you haven’t fallen into an M&S ad, we’re just letting you know what to expect from the seriously tasty and seriously hefty sandwiches from Poor Boys. A New Orleans-style street food deli in Kingston, this casual spot is all about po’boys. In case you haven’t come across a po’boy before, it’s a huge sandwich situation that was handed out to strikers in New Orleans way back in the 1920s.

If you’ve ever looked at a main course and thought, ‘yeah, but it’d be better between two slices’, then you’re really going to like Max’s Sandwich Shop. This cult spot in Stroud Green serves many-ingredient and multi-condiment meals between two slices of homemade focaccia. The classic ham, egg ’n chips remains the best, but the guinea fowl caesar with garlic croutons is a close second. And yes, that is bread in bread.

There are doorstop sandwiches, and then there are St. John’s white bread sandwiches. These guys are like the unplanned but happy result of a hookup between the Yellow Pages and the Oxford English Dictionary. The fillings - cheese and chutney, egg and watercress - are British classics, which is very St. John, and although eating one can get a little bit messy, they’re very tasty.

For Brooklyn transplants or NYC-obsessives, there’s only one place to get your bagel sandwich fix, and that place is Papo’s. It’s an NYC-style takeaway spot in Dalston that will impress even the most knowledgeable friend. Papo’s bagels mix crisp crusts with light but doughy interiors. There are plenty of classic combinations, like a gooey tuna melt or an Italian-ish cold cuts number, but it’s the thickly spread schmear with smoked salmon, capers, onion, and tomato that has our hearts.

Is a sandwich even a sandwich if its contents don’t fall out and become finger food? We think no. And if you do too, then head to Farringdon to get The Eagle’s steak sandwich. This enormous crusty Portuguese sandwich is big enough to have its own gravitational pull, but gravity means slices of marinated steak will definitely end up on your plate. This thing has been on the menu since day one for good reason.

Wraps are perhaps our favourite subcategory of sandwich. If you think about it (preferably under the influence) they’re like edible socks filled with food. Anyway, Mr. Falafel in Shepherds Bush makes one of the best wraps in London. There are about 12 different varieties, with guest appearances ranging from fried cauliflower, and pickled aubergines, to mashed broad beans. They’re seriously good.

If you want a tongue-twister, try saying: smoked eel sandwich at this Soho stalwart, ten times over. By the time you finish it’s the only thing you’ll be able to think about, which is a good thing. This is one of London’s most famous things between two toasted bits of bread and once you try this smokey eel on a load of horseradish with some pickled onions on the side, you’ll know why.