Kawartha Localist is an editorial series from kawarthaNOW sharing trusted local recommendations, hidden gems, and favourite discoveries from people who know and love this region. It’s what we love about where we live. Kawartha Localist is sponsored by Kawartha Financial Services.
Do you know one of the most popular lunchtime meals enjoyed around the world might exist because of a gambling addiction?
Legend has it that, in the 18th century, John Montagu, the fourth Earl of Sandwich, was getting hungry, though was unwilling to step away from his card game. He demanded a servant bring him meat placed between two slices of bread so he could eat while continuing the game. His guests followed suit, and the rest is history.
Over the centuries, the sandwich has continued to evolve — and there’s still some great debate around what classifies as a sandwich (is a hotdog a sandwich?). As we head into the cooler months of the year, it’s the perfect time to rediscover your love for the ultimate mid-day comfort food as many sandwich shops and delis across the greater Kawarthas region are rolling out their fall menus.
From vegetarian to meat lovers, sub sandwiches to wraps, pestos to mustards (my personal sandwich requisite), here are some must-try sandwiches found across the greater Kawarthas, as voted on by our readers.
The Italian Stallion at The Grape and Wedge in Apsley
It’s possible The Italian Stallion at The Grape and Wedge was named because it could feed a whole horse. In fact, all the sandwiches at this Apsley shop are hefty enough to feed multiple people — without the price to reflect it.
A gourmet food shop serving up a collection of artisanal cheeses, charcuterie items, gourmet groceries, and local, artisan-made goods, The Grape and Wedge was founded by sisters Lonita Grant and Bonita Kay out of a love of cheese and wine (hence the name!).
The famed Italian Stallion is stacked with four Italian meats, provolone cheese, hot peppers, and a homemade spicy sundried tomato mayonnaise all loaded on a ciabatta bun. Other favourites on the menu include a roast beef melt — topped with caramelized onions, smoked cheddar, and horseradish mayo — as well as a vegan wrap full of sweet potatoes, hummus, and vegan cheese.
The Grape and Wedge offers gluten-free buns and gluten-free wraps with substitutions available to meet most allergies and dietary restrictions. Rounding out the menu are salads, soups, and dips as well as day-of-the-week specials that rotate monthly.
Many of the sauces from the horseradish to mayonnaise to the Thousand Island dressings are made in house, using local honey, maple syrup, and other products sourced close to home. Some of these products (largely female-made) you can buy wholesale in store, so you can try to make your own decadent sandwiches at home.
The Grape and Wedge is located at 168 Burleigh Street in Apsley. To learn more, visit thegrapeandwedge.ca.
The Italian-inspired Meat Trio sandwich on housemade foccaccia at Muster Point in Bobcaygeon
Owners of Bobcaygeon’s Muster Point, Danielle Malcolm and Kyle Walsky have been to Italy on a few occasions to take cooking classes with the intent of honing their skills in making authentic focaccia bread, tiramisu, and other traditional staples of Italian cuisine.
From the meat to the cheese to the vegetables, everything found on Muster Point’s sandwiches is sourced from Ontario where possible, and stacked on homemade focaccia that’s been perfected over several years since the couple operated a focaccia food truck. Every sandwich can be served cold or panini pressed.
Topped with three types of deli meat (salami, capicollo ham, and mortadella), fresh mozzarella cheese and fior di latte cheese, pesto, and balsamic glaze, the Meat Trio is a customer favourite. The other bestseller is the Emilia, made with a housemade pistachio cream, mortadella, and stracciatella cheese.
No trip to Muster Point is ever the same, because each week you’ll find a different featured sandwich, often taking inspiration from seasonal or worldly flavours. Did you know there’s a geography lesson to go along with each sandwich you order? Every staple sandwich is named for the place in which the meat originates!
Muster Point is located at 49 King Street East in Bobcaygeon. To learn more, visit musterpoint.ca.
The Muffuletta Sandwich at the new veteran-owned Mindful Crowe Lunchbox in Marmora
One of the newest spots across the region is already becoming a favourite destination for sandwich lovers.
With a name inspired by his wife Andrea’s wellness studio of the same name in the same building, Mindful Crowe Lunchbox in Marmora is owned and operated by retired veteran Jay Christie.
The grilled muffuletta is the talked-about sandwich of the town, crafted using three Italian meats, two types of cheeses, and olive tapenade alongside roasted red peppers, vegetables, and Italian dressing. Other favourites include a smoked pork loin sandwich that’s topped with a housemade honey garlic butter, and a chicken salad sandwich, made with green apple, cranberry, and slivered almonds.
Alongside the sandwiches, Mindful Crowe serves up salads, including some dragon noodle and Thai noodle salads made with a Thai basil which is Jay’s “favourite ingredient of all time.” While you’re stopping in to pick up a sandwich, be sure to pick up some of Jay’s homemade barbeque sauces, preserved, relishes, jams, and other goods sold in-store.
The Mindful Crowe Lunchbox is open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays at 1 McGill Street. To learn more, follow the Mindful Crowe on Facebook.
A sourdough panini with housemade soup at Milk and Honey Eatery in Lindsay
At Milk and Honey Eatery in Lindsay, you can be assured everything you eat is made using high-quality ingredients in-house as much as possible.
You just know Milk and Honey Eatery is a passion project built on a love of hospitality, because owner Olivia Moore was just 22 years old when she opened the restaurant in 2020. From a young age, she loved cooking and baking and began working at a local café part-time as a teen.
Today, her sourdough-bread sandwiches are well known in Lindsay, with the Chicken Caesar being the local celebrity. Housemade Caesar dressing complements the chicken alongside mozzarella, aged cheddar, applewood smoked bacon, and herb and garlic cream cheese on this creamy sammie.
Another one-of-a-kind bite can be found with the Bacon Brie sandwich that blends mozzarella, melted triple crème brie, cranberry salsa, and applewood smoked bacon.
With rotating specials available, the sandwiches can be enjoyed alongside a salad or homemade daily soup.
Customers also return time and time again for the gluten-free crustless quiche and the homemade takeaway dinner meals, which must be ordered in advance.
Milk & Honey Eatery is located at 18 Kent Street West in Lindsay. To learn more, visit milkhoneyeatery.ca.
Jacob’s Big Boy at Tobi’s Grab and Go Sandwiches in Bancroft
Another new kid on the block that’s gotten a lot of buzz this summer is Tobi’s Grab and Go Sandwiches located in Bancroft. After years of dreaming about opening her own place, Tobi Labram decided to take the leap earlier this year and, so far, Bancroft is all on board.
Tobi’s Grab and Go Sandwiches is rolling out a new menu for the fall, featuring all-new sandwiches as well as soups and chilies. These can be paired with homemade lemonade, bubble tea, and smoothies, or you can take your pick at some of Tobi’s fresh baked goods including the famous peanut butter chocolate chip cookies.
Locals in the small town in Hastings County have been drawn to the “Talk Turkey to Me” sandwich, made with turkey, mozzarella, cranberry, and apple.
Extra-hungry diners can order a sandwich curated by Labram’s son-in-law, called the Jacob’s Big Boy. Made with ham, salami, pepperoni, spicy cheese, tomatoew, lettuce, and hot pepper, this sandwich is not for the faint of heart — Tobi uses nearly half a loaf of bread for one sandwich!
Tobi’s is located at 17 Snow Road in Bancroft. To learn more, follow Tobi’s Grab and Go Sandwiches on Facebook.
“The Best Sandwiches in Cardiff” at the Cardiff Country Store
Would you believe that a small-town general store would be on our list of best sandwich spots around the region?
There are hardly more than 200 homes in the hamlet of Cardiff in Hastings Highlands, and yet there’s a lot of buzz around the sandwiches being served up here — they’re known as the “Best Sandwiches in Cardiff.”
Alongside her late husband Brock, Brenda Park has spent 30 years running the store, where you can find just about anything: gas, LCBO, groceries, and, of course, the deli.
The friendly staff is the specialty at this unassuming spot, which serves well-portioned and conservatively priced Western sandwiches and loaded egg salad sandwiches.
The ham, turkey, and roast beef sandwiches also punch well above their weight, and pair well with the daily rotating soups.
The Cardiff Country Store is open at 23233 Highway 118. To learn more, visit cardiffcountrystore.com.
An apple club grilled cheese from Corner Bites Eatery in Lindsay
Lindsay has no shortage of good sammies on the lineup, but Corner Bites Eatery has been a staple in the community for nine years.
Patrick Buhr and Sandy St. Amand have created a restaurant that’s focused on daily fresh home-style meals that are comforting and of high quality. There are also scones, butter tarts, fruit tarts, and other baked goods made fresh daily.
While the customer favourites change with the season, the corned beef is often high on the list, as well as the apple club grilled cheese, made with bacon, chicken breast, cheddar cheese, and a housemade sweet apple butter.
At Corner Bites, you’ll also find rotating specials like a Cuban grilled cheese made with shaved pork roast, black forest ham, mozzarella, Swiss cheese, pickles, mustard, and mayonnaise. That sandwich will be sticking around for the new fall menu, which will also see the return of a sloppy Joe grilled cheese and other fall comforts.
The eatery also serves homemade dinner foods, including individual portions of lasagna, meat pies, and shepherd’s pie, as well as a popular butternut squash and apple soup that can be served fresh or purchased frozen by the litre.
Corner Bites Eatery is located at 169 Kent Street West in Lindsay. To learn more, visit cornerbites.ca.
“The Best Samwiches in Town” at Sam’s Place in Peterborough
We probably don’t need to tell you to check Sam’s Place every week to find the weekly feature, but it’s on our round-up anyway! Just last month, the downtown Peterborough eatery celebrated 16 years of selling “The Best Samwiches In Town.”
Owned and operated by Sam Sayer, Sam’s Place continues to be a favourite among locals and there’s a reason for it. All the pork and beef come from Otonabee Meat Packers in Otonabee-South Monaghan and gets cured and smoked right in house in the deli. The bread comes from Kawartha Wholesale Bakery in Lindsay and the cheese from Empire Cheese Company in Campbellford — meaning the sandwiches at Sam’s Place truly offer a taste of the Kawarthas region.
One of the most beloved sandwiches is the California Club, complete with a quarter-pound of house-smoked sliced turkey, lots of vegetables, and old white cheddar on toasted marble rye. Other loved ones are the Mack Attack, the barbeque beef brisket, and the Italian Club which is Sayer’s personal favourite.
You’ll also find a whole collection of vegetarian-friendly sandwiches from a smoked tofu to an egg salad and grilled cheese.
Sayer says one of the most enjoyable parts of her job is coming up with the creative names of some of the sammies, which are inspired by the news, friends, customers, and inside jokes between friends.
Sam’s Place Deli is located at 188 Hunter Street West in Peterborough. To learn more, visit www.samsplace.ca.
A fast-selling meatball sub hidden in a retro store at The Counter on King in Colborne
When it’s meatball sub day at The Counter on King located inside Retro Rewind in Colborne, you’ll want to pre-order as soon as possible. When the subs made with homemade meatballs, slow-simmered marinara sauce, and melted cheese in a garlic bun are gone, they’re gone — and they sell fast!
Hidden within a nostalgia-inducing store full of throwback treasures, The Counter on King — founded by Geoff Davis, who brings more than 20 years of experience as a chef, and baker Krista Goddard — become a regular lunch spot for many locals.
Davis and Goddard save you from having to make a difficult decision because there’s only one featured item on the menu each day. The week’s menu is posted on Monday with high sellers and favourites constantly on rotation, alongside all-new sammies and occasional alternative lunches like shawarmas and donairs. The daily lunch combo features a sandwhich, choice of soup or side salad, cookie, and a canned beverage.
Everything is purchased for the day, so once it’s sold out, it’s sold out. But that just means everything is prepared fresh and never frozen.
At Counter on King, you’ll also find baked goods on rotation, including daily muffins, scones, croissants, and cookies, while from Thursday to Saturday you’ll find additional specialty desserts like cheesecakes, crème brulees, and mini pies.
The Counter on King is located inside Retro Rewind is open at 8 King Street East in Colborne. To learn more and keep up with the menu for the week, follow The Counter on King on Facebook.
The Chicken BLT at Wattle & Daub, a non-profit social enterprise in Bancroft
Wattle & Daub in Bancroft is often talked about both by locals and visitors not just for the exceptional customer service, but also for the hearty signature sandwiches on the menu.
Everything on the sandwiches at Wattle & Daub is housemade using ingredients sourced as close to home as possible. Customers often come for the original Chicken BLT, made with a full roasted chicken breast and Swiss cheese, or the Chicken Pesto Panini, made with a signature pesto mayo and topped with Havarti cheese.
Want to go even bigger? Meat-lovers may be drawn to the Great Canadian Grilled Cheese Panini, made with smoked cheddar and black forest ham, while the Ultimate Green Sandwich is a vegetarian’s dream with edamame, avocado, pickled onion, cucumber, and fresh arugula.
Wattle & Daub is very flexible when it comes to allergies and dietary restrictions, and all sandwiches can be made on gluten-free bread.
While picking up a sandwich to go or enjoying it in the new courtyard, be sure to check out the homemade baked goods on rotation, including butter tarts, Chelsea buns, famous large cookies, tea biscuits, and so much more.
What’s more, you can feel good about loading up and spending your money at Wattle & Daub because you’ll be giving right back to the community. The beloved café is a non-profit social enterprise that supports Bancroft Community Transit, which provides door-to-door public transportation across North Hastings.
Wattle & Daub Café is located at 26B Station Street in Bancroft. To find out more, follow Wattle & Daub on Facebook.
Kawartha Localist is an editorial series from kawarthaNOW celebrating the places, experiences, businesses, and communities that make our region extraordinary. Written by people who live here, work here, and have spent nearly 30 years exploring the Kawarthas and surrounding region, each edition shares trusted local recommendations, hidden gems, and favourite discoveries from across Peterborough County, the City of Peterborough, Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland County, Haliburton County, and Hastings Highlands.
Whether you’re looking for your next hiking trail, favourite patio, scenic drive, farmers’ market, or weekend adventure, Kawartha Localist is what we love about where we live.
Kawartha Localist is sponsored by Kawartha Financial Services.
