Best sandwiches in Singapore: Where to get stuffed stacks from smoky pastrami to gooey grilled cheese

The greatest thing since sliced bread, in our opinion? Sandwiches . Between two humble pieces of bread is a flavour explosion just waiting to happen – from gooey grilled cheese to fluffy tamago, sando to Cubano. And hey, they’re delivery -friendly too.

If you’re hungry for some heaven in a bun already, here’s our shortlist of the best sandwiches in Singapore to sink your teeth into.

Park Bench Deli

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Freshly revamped with a bigger space and heftier menu, this CBD deli is beloved for putting the thick in sandwich. While you’ll find a rotation of quirky stacks like Kalbi Loco Moco ($21) each month, our heart belongs to two mainstays.

The Pastrami Reuben ($24) is a melt-in-the-mouth affair of smoked pastrami and Swiss cheese spilling out of crusty sourdough, with a tangy burst of sauerkraut cutting through the richness.

Another staple, the melty Grilled Cheese ($15), gets funkier in all the right ways with blue cheese, prosciutto, and pickled onions. 

Park Bench Deli is located at 179 Telok Ayer St, Singapore 068627, p. +65 8892 0408. Open Tuesday-Saturday 9am – 3.30pm and 5pm – 10pm, Sunday 9am – 4.30pm. Closed on Monday.

Caffe Pralet

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Fancy your har cheong gai on toasty sourdough bread? A hidden gem on the outskirts of Tiong Bahru, Caffe Pralet dishes up superb fusional sandwiches like the Signature Har Jeong Gai ($14).

This cross of succulent prawn paste chicken dabbed with sweet chili comes with your choice of fresh-baked breads – from crusty sourdough studded with garlic and chye poh (preserved radish) to buttery croissants.

We also have a soft spot for the Teriyaki Mushroom & Cheese ($12), which brings together sautéed shimeji mushrooms with a triply sinful blend of cheddar, colby, and mozzarella.

Caffe Pralet is located at 17 Eng Hoon St, #01-04 Eng Hoon Mansions, Singapore 169767, p. +65 6223 5595. Open Monday-Saturday 11am – 8pm. Closed Sunday.

Porkypine

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Tucked away behind a curry place on Telok Ayer Street is a shrine to the Cubano.

Dubbed Porkypine, this hole-in-the-wall joint does only one thing – the classic Cuban sandwich – and they do it very well, with pork shoulder tenderly cooked for 24 hours and ham cured with gula melaka to a caramel richness.

These meats are then stuffed generously between fluffy double-fermented Cuban bread, along with pickles brined in apple cider vinegar and herbs. Oh, and the cherry on top? Pork lard mayo hand-whipped with eggs till it’s fabulously airy.

Porkypine is located at 112 Telok Ayer St, Singapore 068581, p. +65 8874 2606. Open Tuesday-Saturday 5pm – 10.30pm. Closed Sunday & Monday.

Burnt Ends

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The Burnt Ends Sanger ($21.40) is the stuff of legend, a standout even amidst the smoke-kissed meats that the one-Michelin-starred restaurant plates up.

Bite into this pulled pork sandwich and your teeth will sink right through the pillowy brioche bun, meet a blanket of gooey cheddar, and finally close around a meltingly tender mouthful of pork shoulder slow-cooked for 12 hours.

Throw in a spicy slathering of chipotle aioli and pickled jalapeños for balancing out that umami bomb, and it’s pretty much bliss in a bun.

Burnt Ends is located at 20 Teck Lim Rd, Singapore 088391, p. +65 6224 3933. Open Monday-Saturday 11.45am – 11pm. Closed Sunday. Islandwide delivery is available Tuesday-Saturday via their ordering platform.

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Two Men Bagel House

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When the bagel hankering hits, you can bet on Two Men Bagel House for all sorts of hearty, hand-rolled creations. For a light breakfast fix, the Nova Lox ($14) delivers with a supple heap of smoked salmon and pickled dill cucumber slicked with scallion cream cheese.

If you’re in the mood for big and bold, the Lambchuri ($15) brings together succulent slabs of roast lamb and grilled halloumi, brightened up with zesty smears of chimichurri. They offer plenty of add-ons for customizing your bagel as well, from basil buratina to balsamic shiitake.

Two Men Bagel House has outlets in Tanjong Pagar, Novena, and Holland Village. Open Monday-Friday 8am – 4pm and Saturday-Sunday 9am – 4pm. Delivery is available via their ordering platform.

Live Twice

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This Jigger & Pony Group bar serves up some of the best sandos in town – and it isn’t just our drunk munchies talking.

To pair with their polished Japanese tipples, Live Twice’s Beef Katsu Sando ($37) is the stuff of sandwich legends – a slab of juicy, breaded steak graced with tonkatsu sauce and pillowed between two milky pieces of Hokkaido toast.

For something lighter, the recently launched Tamago Sando ($23) amounts to a fluffy, buttery cloud of egg cradled by crisp toast.

Live Twice is located at 20 Bukit Pasoh Rd, Singapore 089834, p. +65 9011 8304. Open daily 4pm – 10.30pm. Islandwide delivery is available via their ordering platform.

Nassim Hill Bakery Bistro Bar

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Nassim Hill is known for fresh bakes from brioche donuts to chewy sourdough, and some of the latter finds its way into their well-stuffed sandwiches.

There’s no question that the Cheese Crust Grilled Steak Sandwich ($25) is a stunner, with its center of lusciously marbled ribeye steak, caramelized onions, and gherkin dijon aioli. That’s not all – it comes in a warm hug of sourdough slices that are completely encrusted with crisp-baked cheese.

Their massive Hot Reuben ($19) is a crowd-favourite too, with corned beef and melty emmental barely held together by more sourdough bread.

Nassim Hill Bakery Bistro Bar has outlets in Tanglin Road and Killiney Road. Islandwide delivery is available via their ordering platform.

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Sando

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Sandwiched between the industrial buildings of Alexandra Technopark, Sando is a hidden haven for its namesake Japanese-style sandwiches.

This sleek eatery uses springy, milky shokupan to pillow its hearty breakfast and lunch sandos.

At only $6, the signature Tamago Sando is incredibly pocket-friendly while not skimping on fixings – think a fluffy cushion of omelette taken up an umami notch with bonito flakes and kombu mayo.

It’s easy to love their Katsu Sando ($11) too – this crisp-breaded pork loin sandwich comes packed with onions confit in duck fat.

Sando is located at Alexandra Technopark, 438C Alexandra Rd, #01-04/04A The Hub, Singapore 119976, p. +65 9771 0388. Open Monday-Friday 8am – 2.30pm. Closed Saturday & Sunday. Islandwide delivery is available via their ordering platform.

Salted & Hung

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Born during last year’s lockdown, Salted & Hung’s Wagyu Pastrami Sandwich ($25) is quite the hunky head-turner.

Layers upon layers of smoky, fatty beef are piled so thick you can barely count them, but you hardly need to – just let them melt over your tongue with a dab of mustard instead.

Luckily, their sourdough toast is more than up to the job of holding everything together – crisp-crusted, lavishly buttered, and just as smoke-kissed. For something cheesier, their Cubano ($25) comes loaded with pork shoulder and dripping with cheese, plus a kick of pickled chili.

Salted & Hung is located at 12 Purvis St, Singapore 188591, p. +65 6358 3130. Open Tuesday-Wednesday 6pm – 10.30pm, Thursday-Sunday 12pm – 2.30pm and 6pm – 10.30pm. Closed Monday. Islandwide delivery is available via Oddle and Chope.

Korio

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Besides their Brooklyn-style brioche donuts , sammy spot Korio also gets us drooling with their well-stuffed breakfast fuel.

The Breakfast Sammy ($14) is a guilty indulgence of crisp-fried Spam, slathered in tangy sauce gribiche and oozy cheese before being swaddled in toasted brioche. But speaking of cheese, it’s the Grilled Cheese ($13) you’ll want for your fromage fix.

Gooey American cheese and cheddar make for the perfect cheese pull, with all that savoury balanced by the deep sweetness of caramelized onions.

Korio is located at 135 Amoy St, #01-03, Singapore 049964, p. +65 9771 6491. Open Tuesday-Friday 9am – 1.30pm, Saturday 9am – 1pm. Closed Sunday & Monday. Islandwide delivery is available Tuesday-Saturday 10.30am – 1pm via their ordering platform.

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This article was first published in City Nomads.