Do you ever wake up (usually after a night of heavy drinking) and just crave a really good, meaty, authentic sandwich? I thought so. While a lot of places in Shanghai claim they serve “sandwiches,” what you wind up getting is two pieces of white bread with a slather of mayonnaise and a miniscule portion of meat – if you’re lucky, they might throw on some wilted lettuce leaves. Fortunately, this city’s getting better at making real, honest-to-goodness sandwiches – and the places I’ve listed below are some of the best.

I’m not even going to pretend to be unbiased – Sofa Bar is the place I go when hungering for a sandwich. I sometimes wake up craving their Sofa Sandwich, a delicious combination of freshly cooked bacon, ham, turkey, cheese, and lettuce on a crispy ciabatta roll still warm from the oven. Other options include their yummy Super Pita, a collection of four different mini pitas with various fillings including prosciutto, ham, and bacon, and their Curry Chicken Wrap, a slightly spicy option. With its cosy atmosphere, free wifi and fresh ingredients, you’ll be very glad to have tried out this little hole in the wall. And with sandwiches around the 35 to 45 RMB mark, it’s one of the more reasonable places in town.

Some say that Element Fresh’s delivery portions have been downsized a bit – I don’t know about that, but I do know they still make a killer sandwich when you eat in-house. The Warm Italian (inexplicably listed under the “Cool Sandwiches” heading) is hard to beat, with colossal portions of ham, salami, prosciutto, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, black olives and peppers covered in melted mozzarella cheese – they have to leave it on an open faced baguette because the thing’s so big they can’t even close it! The Grilled Tandoori Chicken Wrap is an intriguing mix of American and Indian flavours – their lafa bread is absolutely a must try. Prices are aimed at the nostalgic expat, however, with 70 to 100 RMB sandwiches.

Consistently ranking as one of the best sandwich places in the city, NYC Deli certainly has a leg up on variety. Every sandwich comes with your choice of white, wheat, rye, or French baguette, which helps make the choices pretty much limitless. The prices for their “regular” sandwiches (100 grams of meat) - like smoked chicken and cheddar cheese - are a reasonable 30 to 40 RMB. Order one of their “monsta” deals, however, and you’re looking at upwards of 55 to 65 RMB. Still not too bad, considering what a rarity good sandwiches are around here.

You’ll hear that City Deli has the best sandwiches in the city – I’m here to say that while they’re good and certainly one of the top five sandwich joints, they’ve been slacking of late and need to really watch themselves if they’re going to keep from going downhill. Portions have been sliced while prices have not – but that being said, their Turkey and Avocado Sandwich is still one of the tastiest on offer. Their strengths are definitely their Italian meats, which are deliciously authentic tasting. Prices are a bit outrageous but if you’re really jonesing for a sandwich, it’s worth a stop.

If you’ve lived in Shanghai for, oh let’s say five minutes, you’ve undoubtedly heard of Wagas. The ever-popular café with about a million locations boasts old-fashioned sandwiches and sleek wraps that definitely fill the lunchtime sandwich cravings. While they sometimes skimp a bit on the meat (more chicken please!), their freshly baked bread and delightful flavour combinations keep people coming back for more. Free wifi doesn’t hurt either. Prices are on the higher end but are far from ridiculous. The sandwiches always taste fresh; a definite plus in anyone’s book.

Venue Listing:
Sofa Bar& Cafe  沙发咖啡酒吧View In Map
Add: 41 Xianghuaqiao Lu, Changning District, near Xinhua Lu, Shanghai
上海长宁区香花桥路41号,近新华路
Tel: 021 6294 9477

Element Fresh (branch)View In Map
Add: 1/F, Shanghai Centre, 1376 Nanjing Xi Lu, near Xikang Lu, Shanghai
上海南京西路1376号 上海商城1楼, 近西康路
Tel: 021 6279 8682

NYC Deli (branch)View In Map
Add: 103 Fujian Nanlu, near Jinling Donglu, Shanghai
上海福建南路103号，近金陵东路
Tel: 021 6326 2835

City DeliView In Map

Add: 6/F, Golden Eagle Square, 278 Shanxi Bei Lu, near Nanjing Xi Lu, Shanghai
上海陕西北路278号. 金鹰国际购物中心6楼, 近南京西路
Tel: 021 6256 1973

Wagas (branch)View In Map
Add: B/F, Citic Square, 1168 Nanjing Xi Lu, near Jiangning Lu, Shanghai
上海南京西路1168号B楼, 近江宁路
Tel: 021 5292 5228 

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Keywords: Best sandwiches Shanghai best sandwich shops Shanghai sandwiches Shanghai