What do the names Tidbit, Bruin, Hotsy, Stilton and Beach Bum all have in common?! They’re all local sandwiches and if one thing is for sure, there is no shortage of awesome sandwiches in Greenwich. We’re always on a mission to taste test sandwiches throughout town and encourage our followers to accept a similar challenge but this is especially true on November 3rd, National Sandwich Day. Check out some of the local top sandwiches suggestions below! Please note that some of the included photos were taken before the pandemic.
Below we write about our favorites (in no particular order) from Greenwich Prime Meats, Rinaldi’s Country Deli, Garden Catering, Alpen Pantry, Firehouse Deli, Upper Crust Bagel Shop, Corbo’s and newcomer to our sandwich list Grigg Street Pizza (yes, a pizza spot has some of the best sandwiches in town).
There are so many other great sandwich locations like Tony’s Deli, Arcuri’s, Stateline Deli, Joey B’s, Executive Corner Deli, Green & Tonic, Chicken Joe’s, Ada’s Kitchen + Coffee, Villa Nuova, Pemberwick X-change, Cardillos, Lenny’s Bagels, etc., but you’d be reading this all day if we included them all. Feel free to send us your top picks to add to this list.
Greenwich Prime Meats
Greenwich Prime Meats, located on Bruce Park Avenue, is not just any butcher shop! When longtime Greenwich steakhouse Manero’s and its accompanying butcher shop closed their doors for good in 2006, Sal Genario stepped in to fill the void by creating Greenwich Prime Meats. In addition to fresh cuts of beef, handpicked by Genario from the Hunts Point Meat Market in the Bronx, N.Y., he offers other items, like prepared foods, pantry items, dog bones and of course items carried over from Manero’s like steak sandwiches, Gorgonzola salads and garlic bread. And so, Greenwich Prime Meats steak tidbit wedge with fried onions and the shop’s signature steak sauce had to make the IN Greenwich list of one of the best sandwiches in town! is one of Greenwich Prime Meat’s best sellers, its owner said.
Open seven days a week, and closed only for Christmas, New Year’s, Easter, and Thanksgiving, Greenwich Prime Meats is a “family-style butcher shop.”
Address: 100 Bruce Park Ave, Greenwich, CT 06830
Photos by Jess Reid (pre-pandemic)
Rinaldi’s Country Deli
Since 1986, Rinaldi’s Country Deli in Cos Cob has been a breakfast and lunch hot-spot for teenagers and locals alike. The deli is run by sisters Michelle Rinaldi and Antoinette Martinez, who have come to think of their loyal customers as an extension of their family. Just a short ways away from Greenwich High School and the Cos Cob business district, if you go right at lunch time, there is bound to be a crowd.
Rinaldi’s has an array of signature deli sandwiches, but when you ask around the sandwich name you’ll hear again and again is “The Bruin.” Packed with chicken cutlet, bacon, melted fresh, mozzarella and covered in homemade sweet barbecue sauce, there’s a reason “The Bruin” is so popular. The sweetness of the barbecue sauce combined with the melty mozzarella over the chicken cutlet make it simply irresistible and one of our favorite sandwiches IN Greenwich.
Address: 70 Orchard St, Cos Cob, CT 06807
Bruin sandwich, photo by Dan Wurst
Garden Catering
Garden Catering is a Greenwich staple! Located in both the heart of Old Greenwich and in Chickahominy (as well as locations outside of Greenwich), Garden Catering is home to their world famous chicken nuggets. Aside from their nuggets, Garden Catering has a large selection of meals, salads, awesome sides like cones and plenty of sandwiches.
When it comes to a breakfast sandwich, Garden Catering’s Hotsy is at the top of everyone’s list. The “Hotsy” is filled with bacon, egg, cheese, and Hotsy’s famous house-made chili. Frank “Hotsy” Bertino was a longtime Cos Cob resident, purple heart recipient and worked at Garden Catering well into his 90s. His original chili recipe has been unchanged since 1944. For most, the “Hotsy” sandwich is their go-to when ordering a breakfast sandwich. FYI, Hotsy Day is July 13th which you can celebrate by enjoying $1.00 Hotsys!
Addresses: 185 1/2 Sound Beach Ave, Old Greenwich, CT 06870 + 177 Hamilton Ave, Greenwich, CT 06830
Hotsy sandwich, photo by Dan Wurst
Alpen Pantry
An Old Greenwich institution on Arcadia Road, Alpen Pantry is known for their gourmet sandwiches and famous black bread. Considered a specialty sandwich store rather than a deli, the Alpen team offers a wide variety of imported cheeses, Schalle & Weber Meats and gourmet foods. This year Gary retired and new husband and wife owners (and Greenwich native) Drew Nemetz and Frannie Willsey are currently renovating Alpen Pantry to hopefully open at the end of this month, Nov. 2021.
The menu is comprised of sandwiches that all have creative names giving you a hint of what’s inside. Folks are passionate about what their favorite Alpen sandwich is! Top of the list are the Stilton, Bomber, Gobbler and the Rueben (photographed) with corned beef, red cabbage, and mustard-horseradish sauce served on black bread, of course. Also photographed is a personal favorite, the the Veggie with blue cheese, lettuce, tomato and swiss cheese. Every sandwich is terrific, it just depends on what you prefer!
Address: 23 Arcadia Rd, Old Greenwich, CT 06870 (under renovation until end of Nov. 2021)
Photos by Jess Reid, pre-pandemic
Firehouse Deli
Firehouse Deli sits in the heart of Byram directly across from, you guessed it, the Byram Firehouse. Owned by the Labrosciano family, Firehouse has been serving up gigantic and delicious wedges to the community and their loyal customers for more than 20 years.
Upon walking in you’re bound to find something on their extensive menu from paninis, to wraps, grill specialties and so much more, but where you’ll want to focus your time, and where we recommend choosing your sandwich, is from Anthony’s Crazy Combos. It’s in this section of the menu where you can find specialty sandwiches with names such as the Backdraft, Cousin Vinny and the Hot Balboa.
On this visit to Firehouse we went with the namesake sandwich, the Firehouse – Smoked Turkey, Swiss Cheese, Bacon, Lettuce, Tomato, Roasted Peppers, and Honey Mustard Dressing – on your choice of a roll or wedge. We opted for the wedge and when we said “gigantic wedges” earlier, we meant it. This wedge could easily feed 2-3 people, or one VERY hungry person. We loved the freshness of the turkey and the roasted red peppers.
Address: 265 Mill St, Greenwich, CT 06830
Photos by Jen Manke
Upper Crust Bagel Company
Many good ideas have come from driving to and from Tod’s Point, including Rob and Amy Guerrieri’s idea to open a bagel shop in Old Greenwich! Over 25 years ago Upper Crust Bagel Company opened on Sound Beach Avenue and they’ve been making great bagels and offering other delicious foods ever since. In addition to their bagels, they’re known for both their friendly, comfortable environment and as a business that gives back to the local Greenwich community.
Though there are many terrific sandwiches that you can get at Upper Crust, our favorite is the Beach Bum – turkey, bacon, cheese, lettuce, tomato, bermuda onion and mayo on a bagel of your choice {we recommend an everything bagel}. Other popular sandwiches include the O.G., the Muenster Melt and the Beach Club, though you can’t go wrong with anything from their menu.
Address: 197 Sound Beach Ave, Old Greenwich, CT 06870
Photos by Jess Reid
Corbo’s Corner Deli
The only thing better than the perfect sandwich is the perfect sandwich with a nice group of friends, making Corbo’s Corner Deli a favorite sandwich spot in town. All Corbo’s delis are family and friend owned and operated – a majority having grown up in Greenwich. They have two locations, one on the Westside of town as well as in Harbor Point in Stamford, with their first spot having opened in 2004. At Corbo’s you get to enjoy great food and even better staff personalities!
We love all the food from Corbo’s whether picked up or catered {FYI, you should try their mac & cheese and pizza from Stamford} but our favorite sandwiches from here often revolve around chicken cutlet. Number 12 is especially nice on 3+ foot wedges with chicken cutlet, fresh mozzarella, roasted peppers and balsamic vinaigrette. The #14 includes cajun chicken cutlets, swiss cheese and bleu cheese dressing. Another personal favorite is the Lucas breakfast sandwich with double egg, bacon, chili, cheese, potato and ketchup. We’d be remiss if we didn’t say their meatball parm is tremendous as well.
Addresses: 470 West Putnam Avenue, Greenwich, CT 06830 (West) + 90 Washington Blvd, Stamford, CT 06902 (Southside)
Photos by Jen Manke & Jess Reid
Grigg Street Pizza
Yes, a pizza spot IN Greenwich offers epic sandwiches in addition to their epic pizza! Longtime friends and Greenwich natives Matt Watson and Jon Corbo opened up Grigg Street Pizza in April 2020 and a pandemic did not slow them down. They focus on quality not quantity which, as many of you know, means that they sell out quick on most nights.
Keeping with the special sourdough element of their pizza dough, Grigg Street sandwich bread is a specially made sourdough baguette from the Kneaded Bread in Port Chester (another great sandwich spot, by the way). There are six sandwiches on the menu which doesn’t seem like a lot however when you want all of them it’s plenty to choose from.
They’re all great but our favorites include the Fried Chicken sandwich with fried chicken thigh, fresh coleslaw, spiced mayo and pickles. As well as the Roasted Pork Sandwich with broccoli rabe, provolone and roasted red peppers. The portions are huge and easily feed two people but our suggestion is to slice it into four or five pieces and then you can share with friends.
Address: 1 Grigg St, Greenwich, CT 06830
Photo by Jess Reid
There are so many great sandwiches in Greenwich that we’re ending our “sandwich research” here for now. It’s worth noting that there are delis and sandwich locations that sadly no longer exist, like Vito’s (they had the best roast beef sandwiches) and Pastrami Dan’s (a popular spot from years ago that is now in Florida).
There’s the question of what is a sandwich?! In this piece we didn’t include lobster rolls for instance – though last year we wrote about where to get them locally – lobster roll article here. We haven’t even begun to discuss the best burger in town. Then there are others that should be mentioned as they could be sandwiches, like the chicken parm with chili from the Two Door on Thursdays, though it’s typically served as a dinner over pasta.
Our sandwich research has taught us one thing for sure, there is no shortage of great sandwiches in Greenwich. Let us know your favorite sandwiches that you think we should include in the future and we challenge you to enjoy our suggestions above.
