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The Greek Burrito from The Sandwich Place in Worcester, MA

Like breakfast, lunch is a big topic, which can go in many directions when discussing some of your favorite places to eat. Lunch can be a salad, a full meal, a sandwich or so much more, so instead of writing about just “lunch” in general, let’s take a look at some of the great lunch sandwiches being created right here in Central Massachusetts. And for this article I am leaving burgers and hot dogs out of the discussion as Great Burgers or Great Hot Dogs will be discussed at some point. And Wraps too, I am pretty sure a wrap is not a sandwich, a wrap is a wrap. And no Pizza Shop subs! Not ready to debate the Great Steak & Cheese subs just yet.

So Great Places to Enjoy a Lunch Sandwich in Central Massachusetts…. well, just about every restaurant open for lunch has sandwiches, some are basic and some border on decadent. White, wheat, rye, bulky? Fries or chips? Pickle or coleslaw? So many choices! Lets start at The Usual on Shrewsbury Street Worcester where you can find all kinds of unique sandwiches for lunch including the Porchetta, the Atomic or the Elvis…. but nothing beats the incredible combination of flavors of the Bahn Mi – sliced turkey, crispy pork belly, pho aioli, pickled carrots, cilantro, cucumber and jalapeño served on a hoagie roll. At BirchTree Bread Company on Green Street Worcester there are a half dozen sandwiches on the menu at any time, all of which feature Birchtree’s freshly baked breads. A favorite at Birchtree is the Vegetarian made with roasted, marinated vegetables, house made humus, crumbled feta on seeded Levain bread. Figs & Pigs Kitchen + Pantry on Foster St. in Worcester (inside the DCU Center) has hand-crafted sandwiches for lunch that change seasonally. One favorite is The Gobbler, their ode to Thanksgiving includes house roasted turkey, bacon, cranberry jam and sage mayo on Nashoba Brook Bakery Slow Rise bread. Got a big appetite? Call ahead to Ciao Bella or Steve’s and get ready for a sandwich that truly is a meal. Travel down Rte. 9 to Harry’s in Westborough and try the Mile High Club (corned beef, pastrami or turkey with swiss cheese and cole slaw) or the Pulled Pork (slow roasted, homemade BBQ sauce) both of which will leave you more than satisfied. Head up to North County and try 435 Bar & Grille in Leominster for a great selection of sandwiches including a huge Meatloaf sandwich or the Caprese Chicken melt. Highly recommended at 435 Bar & Grille is the Salmon BLT – grilled salmon, bacon, lettuce, tomato, garlic aioli on fresh sourdough bread.

As with all our Great Places articles, our Great Lunch Sandwiches is designed to give you an overview of some of the Great Places we have visited. It is by no means a “Best of…” list, so if you have a place you’ve enjoyed let us know! That said, here are some more really Great Lunch Sandwiches in Central Mass you have to try!

Regatta Italian Grinder at Regatta Deli

In Worcester, most discussions around great lunch sandwiches start with “the Regatta.” Year in and year out the Regatta is chosen as one of the best lunch sandwiches in survey after survey. Served on their famous half load of Italian Bread, the sandwich is piled high with Genoa Salami, Imported Ham, Provolone cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion and their homemade dressing. There are dozens of condiments to add and you get all this for $5.00!

Sow Good at Flying Rhino

The Flying Rhino has a long list of great lunch sandwiches that change seasonally so there is always something to try. Some that are always on the menu are the famous Ivory Tusk Chicken Cheesesteak and a crazy good Chicken Panini but our choice at The Rhino for lunch is the Sow Good – a Latin spiced roast pork with sautèed onions, Swiss cheese, fried plantains and a special sauce on a bulkie roll.

Pastrami Sandwich at Lock 50

The Pastrami Sandwich at Lock 50 has been getting rave reviews since it was added to the lunch menu. And why not, the house-made Pastrami is piled high with Swiss cheese, homemade brown sugar mustard, homemade spicy pickles on a rich dark Rye bread. Add a Night Shift draft and let the fun begin!

Bacon & Sweet Potato Grilled Cheese at Armsby Abbey

The Grill Cheese has always been a favorite at the Abbey but this seasonal sandwich is taking it to new levels. Roasted sweet potatoes, toasted walnuts, house cured and smoked bacon, cave-aged cheddar on a honey oat bread makes for a decadent and memorable lunch sandwich.

Chicken Salad Specialty at Pickle-Haus

The Pickle-Hause is a real hidden gem located on Rte 20 in Northborough. This no-nonsense deli is open for breakfast and lunch and serves up great lunch sandwiches including a Liverwurst, a Reuben and a Rachel all worth driving for. One of our favorites is the Chicken Salad specialty sandwich that comes served with chive cream cheese, lettuce and tomato on dark pumpernickel.

Every time I have ever frequented the Boynton, the atmosphere has always been frenetic. However, amongst the constant chaos, there always seems to be something systematic and controlled about the wait staff buzzing around, trays of food being brought out of the kitchen. While the atmosphere is more or less like many of the bars in Worcester, there is something comforting about your surroundings…run of the mill enough to feel like you have been there before, while still with an edge that only the City of Worcester can provide.

When reviewing the menu, I found that it was very overwhelming. The menu is massive, spanning several pages. However, it was filled with a lot of comfort food classics, as well as a wide variety of pastas and seafood to satisfy anything that you might be in the mood for in a given night. When all was said and done, we decided to start with fried pickles ($5.99). This is always a dish I gravitate towards whenever I see them on the menu. The combination of the tanginess of the pickle and the crunchiness of the batter is a great way to activate the taste buds. When these are paired with their spicy Russian dipping sauce, you cannot go wrong. When it came to picking a meal, I wanted to go off the beaten path a bit. I find myself usually drawn towards burgers, or seafood, so I didn’t want to be a victim of my own menu choices. I decided to order the Boynton Chicken Bomber ($7.99), after it came highly recommended by another Foodie. This sandwich is shaved chicken steak is grilled and sautéed onions then topped with American cheese and mayo, served on a toasted Italian loaf with a side of French fried potato wedges. The flavors that this sandwich presented me with were great. The shaved chicken reminded me of a great cheesesteak, and the sautéed onions provided a nice sweetness to the sandwich. The bread was a great vessel for the sandwich, being light and fluffy on the interior but having a nice crunchy exterior. The only downside was that I would like to have a better ratio of bread to meat. The bread engulfed the filling to the point where I had trouble finding the meat with each bite. There can always be worse problems to have than that though.

The waitress that was assigned to us for the evening seemed to be very attentive to all of our needs. For a Tuesday night, the restaurant seemed unusually busy (although I’m told that the Boynton is busy like that almost every day). I would have like to have seen the waitress around a few more times over the course of the night, but I know the hospitality business is a hectic one. When she was around, she did a fantastic job. Her absence did not detract from my overall experience for the night.

The Boynton on Highland Street is an institution within the city of Worcester. It is nice to see how they have built it up and grown over the years into an establishment that is synonymous with great food, a large bar selection, good atmosphere and who could forget those “Boynton Buckets”. Whether you are looking for a night out on the town with your friends or a nice sit-down meal filled with a wide array of options, you would have a tough time finding a better place to satisfy your culinary wishes than the Boynton.

Tag: sandwich

5 Great Places for Lunch Sandwiches in Central Massachusetts