Wicked Wiches

Long gone are the days of soggy subs from the local strip mall.

The ultimate expression of Italian-American cuisine, subs represent all the goodness of Italy’s fresh, spicy and savoury flavours paired with the gluttony of the American diet. Filled to the brim with cured meats and ribboned deli cuts, layered with cheese and veg, and schmered with spreads and sauces, the one-time lunchbox special is now a culinary spectacle thanks to the creativity of today’s sandwich makers.

There are really not too many restrictions when it comes to composing these hoagies, but these chefs are making us at-home stackers look like amateurs. Taking some of the best ingredients and creating their own in-house schmears, pickles and sauces, these nine sandwich shops are giving the Italian sub the renaissance it deserves.

Lambos Deli's Italian Trio sandwitch

Toronto

LAMBO’S DELI AND GROCERY’s Italian Trio is owner Justin Leon’s love letter to Italy. Combining fresh fior di latte with mortadella and capicollo and prosciutto, oh my!

176 Bellwoods Ave, Toronto, lambosdeli.ca

A1 SUBMARINE’S Cold Cut sub is chef Jesse Fader’s (Superpoint, Paris Paris) creation, stacking salamis and shredduce with a no-muss, no-fuss philosophy.

1265 Dundas St. W, Toronto, extraburger.ca/contactus

THE BODEGA at Maker Pizza is the sub of all subs. “The Bodega was [Canadian chef] Matty Matheson’s brainchild. He created it well over five years ago and it has garnered a legitimate cult following,” says Maker Pizza founder, Shlomo Buchler.

The Italian sub, stacked high with premium cold cuts like mortadella, smoked turkey, Genoa salami and ham, is a good mix of classic and creative.

“At the time, Matty and I saw it as a great complement to our pizza menu. Years later it is still surprising to see how many customers order a large pie and a Bodega to split,” says Buchler.

59 Cameron St, Toronto, makerpizza.com

Spolumbos sandwitch

Calgary

SPOLUMBO’S DELI is a Calgary institution. The Spolumbo’s Special is an ode to the lunch’s owner Tony Spoletini’s mama used to make.

1308 9 Ave SE, Calgary, spolumbos.com

PEPPINO GOURMET FOODS’ Calabrese Delight is made southern Italian style – no lettuce or veg here.

101-1240 Kensington Rd NW, Calgary, peppinogourmet.com

KEITH’S DELI has been providing hot and fresh subs for over 48 years.

6100 Macleod Trail SW, Calgary, keithsdeli.com

LaGrotta sandwitch

Vancouver

LA GROTTA DEL FORMAGGIO’s custom sandwiches have been selling out since 1981.

1791 Commercial Dr, Vancouver, lgdf.ca

PEPINO’S SPAGHETTI HOUSE Roast Beast is the Pranzo del Capo (Boss’s Lunch) for a reason.

631 Commercial Dr, Vancouver, pepinos.ca

DI BEPPE’s mortadella sandwiches substitute hoagie rolls for fresh made focaccia.

8 W Cordova St, Vancouver, dibeppe.com

Matty Matheson headshot

Make Matty Matheson's Bodega Sub at Home

Recipe

Makes: 1 Sub Sandwich
Prep time: 20 minutes
Difficulty level: 2/10

Ingredients:

  • sesame seed roll (Maker gets theirs daily from The Drake)
  • mortadella
  • ham
  • smoked turkey
  • genoa salami
  • mozzarella
  • provolone
  • tomato
  • white onion
  • iceberg lettuce
  • roasted red peppers
  • pickled jalapeño
  • Pepperoncini
  • Maker’s house-made top-secret sub sauce (don’t fear we’ve got a sub sauce substitute below)

How to Make It

Get Your Prep Going

  • Wash and shred iceberg lettuce into razer thin slices
  • Slice tomato into thin translucent slices
  • If using store bought roasted red red peppers, take them out of the oil and slice into half inch slices and then rough chop
  • To make this dish super authentic, roast red peppers (stemmed and seeded) at 450 degrees F for 15-20 minutes or until the skins have blackened. Leave peppers to cool for about 10 minutes for easy skin removal. Once skin has been removed proceed with the directions above.
  • Rough chop jalapeno peppers
  • Dice white onion
  • Combine pepperoncini, pickled jalapenos, white onion and roasted red pepper in a bowl for easy spreading

Make Your Sub Sauce

Matty Matheson keeps his bodega sub sauce under wraps, so you’ll have to head into Maker for the real thing, but that doesn’t mean you can’t recreate a similar one for your at-home version.

  • 1 tsp grated garlic
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning
  • ¼ tsp of kosher salt
  • Ground pepper to taste
  • ¼ cup red wine vinegar
  • 6 tbsp olive oil
  • Combine all in a small bowl or glass jar, whisk together or shake to combine.

Stack Your Bodega

  • Slice open your sesame bun
  • Spoon a generous amount of sub sauce on the bottom half of your bun
  • Add a hefty spoonful of your onion, red pepper, pepperoncini and jalapeno mix
  • Sprinkle a handful of shredduce
  • Layer tomato slices
  • Add your mozzarella and provolone across the surface of your sub
  • Now it’s time to layer your meats. Take turns with each cold cut and don’t be afraid to stack ‘em high
  • Fold over, slice in half and dig in

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