The best takeaway sandwiches in London – Twisted’s ultimate guide

Lunch times have got a bit fancy, recently. These days, there’s so much to grab on the high-street, from pastas to salads to soups, but are we at risk of forgetting about the best food-to-go option of them all?

In London, we’re blessed to have some of the finest sandwich shops on our doorsteps, offering everything from best-loved classic fillings like Ploughman’s and BLT to quirky loaded baps, full of just about every fusion filling imaginable.

Whatever they’re stuffed with, can you really get any better than protein, veg and a healthy dollop of condiment, shoved in-between two slices of bread? In all honesty, we think not.

Here at Twisted, we consider ourselves sandwich connoisseurs (we’re the founders of Sandwich Goals, after all). So, without further ado, here are our very favourite sandwich spots in the Capital to grab a takeaway lunch.

They’re the very best, and you should absolutely visit them all.

Max’s Sandwich Shop 

Max’s Ham, Egg ‘N’ Chips and Morning Reviver (Credit: Max’s Sandwich Shop)

Max Halley is indisputably the sandwich King – it’s just a fact. He runs Max’s Sandwich Shop in north London’s Finsbury Park, which offers up a huge selection of loaded sarnies which all promise to be “hot, cold, sweet, sour, crunchy and soft” in equal measure.

Max’s fillings aren’t your bog standard fare. The changing menu offers everything from a sandwich filled with crispy veggie spring rolls to another filled with silky bechamel lasagne.

Their most popular option might just be the Ham, Egg ‘N’ Chips (pictured above). It’s made with slow cooked ham hock, piccallili and a fried egg, with a healthy bunch of shoestring fries thrown in for good measure.

Another ethos of his is “fuck sourdough” – so, expect none of that here. Only the finest shit white bread – delightful.

Sons & Daughters

Sons & Daughters’ egg sandwich and their chicken and bacon sandwiches (Credit: Sons & Daughters)

From the team behind Dalston’s Pidgin, Sons & Daughters in London’s Kings Cross is all about making the best sandwiches out of the freshest local ingredients, and they’re absolute pros at elevating popular classics.

Their ham sandwich comes with mortadella and taleggio cheese whilst their chicken sarnie is accompanied by soy-cured parmesan, pickled cucumber and miso mayo. Basically, all the fillings will make you go oooh errr!

We have a special place in our hearts for Sons & Daughters’ egg salad sandwich, stuffed with truffle crisps, it’s officially the poshest crisp sandwich you’ll ever have.

Dusty Knuckle

Dusty Knuckle’s aubergine katsu sando and their sandwich stuffed with marinated chicken thigh and Nduja charred corn (Credit: Dusty Knuckle)

Dusty Knuckle is an east London bakery who not only make the best potato sourdough in the city, but also knock up some of the most incredible sandwiches, to boot.

Tucked down an unassuming side-road just a stones throw from McDonald’s, we implore you to go here instead next time you’re in Dalston and are pondering a Big Mac.

With an ever-changing seasonal menu, these fully loaded sandwiches are filled with everything from chicken and pesto to smashed cucumber and labneh.

Vegans always have an interesting choice, too, so they can say goodbye to dry humous baps. Take the aubergine katsu sando – with curry sauce, pickled carrot and daikon, breaded fried aubergines and vegan mayo stuffed into home-made bubbly bread (cut so thick that it likely won’t fit in your mouth), it’s hella messy but genuinely off the charts.

Dom’s Subs

Dom’s Subs’ vegan Soy Face and their iconic Le Roast Beef (Credit: Dom’s Subs)

Dom’s Subs is another infamous sandwich spot in the Capital, and for good reason.

Its first tiny store only landed in Hackney Road back in 2020, but already the eatery has carved an unrivalled reputation in the east end, and gone on to open a Bevis Marks shop, too.

Offering delivery and takeaway options, Dom’s goes by Impeccable Sandwiches on Instagram, and the name fits the bill. Expect sarnies filled with spicy Thai ground chicken, and others with cold cuts of salami mortadella and roast porchetta all served in semolina sub-rolls.

There’s a reason these guys have blown up so quickly. Move over Subway, these are the only subs we have time for, now.

Mondo Sando

Mondo Sando’s pork belly special and their Peri-Peri chicken baguette (Credit: Mondo Sando)

Mondo Sando is made in Camberwell’s Grove House Tavern and they’re big dogs on the south London sandwich scene.

Absolute experts at jamming delicious stuff into slices of bread, the best dishes on their menu include a Peri-Peri chicken thigh baguette and a fennel and picante salami roll, both of which are certified flavour sensations.

Props to them for creating a super-unique veggie offering in their Cornholio, too. It’s stuffed with Elotes corn fritters, cheese crumbles, lime crema and salsa verde. We’ll take 10, please.

Oh, and PS… if you have room for dessert, they do ice-cream sandwiches, too.

Bodega Rita’s

Bodega Rita’s roast turkey special and its veggie Stracciatella Versace (Credit: Bodega Rita’s)

Missy Flynn and Gabriel Pryce’s Rita’s are all about comfort food, and so it’s no wonder their cult Clerkenwell bodega is all about sandwiches that make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

Featuring American-style deli subs packed with a plethora of interesting fillings, Rita’s favourites include The Second City, made with fennel, roast pork belly and crackling, alongside spicy mayo, parmesan pork dust and greens, and Le Merguez, stuffed with lamb merguez, harissa mayo, salad, lemon oil and crunchy chip sticks.

Expect sarnies so big you can barely get your chops around them and a delightful mess all over your t-shirt afterwards. That’s the sign of a good lunch, though, right?!

Secret Sandwich Shop 

Secret Sandwich Shop’s Breakfast Special and their vegan Crispy Greens sarnie (Credit: Secret Sandwich Shop)

This is probably London’s worst kept secret.

Secret Sandwich Shop in Notting Hill might be inconspicuous from the outside, hidden behind a store-front you wouldn’t look twice at, but it’s got a reputation that keeps it pretty busy nonetheless.

Having launched a store in 2021, their sarnies are based on the Japanese wanpaku sandwich (which means cheeky) – and that they are. They use Japanese milk loaf cut in thick wedges, and huge dollops of filling are to be expected, too.