Over the last few months, the UK has seen an influx of American fast food chains launching here or announcing plans to cross the pond.
We’re getting everything from Chick-fil-A to Carl’s Jr. and Captain D’s (dubbed the ‘McDonald’s of the sea’).
And one chain from the US, that’s already set up shop in the UK, is looking to expand its offering here – but many people won’t have ever heard of it, myself included.
As a food writer, I pride myself on knowing all the latest restaurant news, but when I heard Which Wich was planning to open a second site in London, I was stumped.
The chain, founded in Dallas, Texas, has been serving up sandwiches in England’s capital since 2018, but this was the first time I’d ever come across the brand.
The company’s first site is located in the Central St Giles development, a couple of streets over from Tottenham Court Road and they unveiled a newfranchise model in 2023 as a way to expand across the UK, with a goal of opening 100 sites within seven years.
This week the chain has revealed a second shop will be launching on Fleet Street in June, with the hopes the business can keep ‘building momentum’ to scale up.
Which Wich had initially planned to open 10 sites across London when they first opened, but the pandemic put a damper on this and they ended up launching a dark kitchen in 2020 instead – a dark kitchen, also known as a ghost kitchen, is a space where food is prepared and cooked for delivery or take-out, but there are no tables or chairs like at a traditional restaurant.
While there might not be very many locations in the UK, the brand has 183 shops across America, with numerous more in locations worldwide in Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
What does Which Wich sell?
Which Wich is serving up a range of sandwiches for breakfast and lunch, with sides like fries and sweet potato fries, coleslaw and sauteed mushrooms.
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Popular sandwiches include the Philly Cheesesteak, the Ultimate BLT, Mushroom Avocado Melt, Big Italian Meatball, Garlic Chicken, and the Shrimp Po’Boy. Vegan and vegetarian options are also available.
If none of these options sound appealing, customers are also able to build their own sandwich on white or wheat bread, or turn it into a salad, ‘lettucewich’, or spinach wrap. A children’s menu is also available.
What do fans think of Which Wich?
Reviews for the chain are rather mixed online, with some Google reviews claiming it’s ‘a level or two above Subway’.
Gabby T thought the food was ‘just ok’ but added that it was ‘served quickly and is reasonably priced’ for the area, while Bobby Boy admitted to being disappointed with his experience.
He commented: ‘I had high hopes for Which Wich Sandwich Shop, but unfortuantley, it was a huge letdown. The sandwiches were incredibly bland —absolutely no flavour or seasoning— and at £15 a sandwich and fries, that’s just laughable.’
However, other customers had more favourable things to say, with Alexandra Loffstadt writing: ‘Popped by for lunch, we had the regular Salt Beef and Big Italian Meatball Sandwiches with some sweet potato fries on the side. The sandwiches and fries were really delicious. The air conditioning in the restaurant was also really lovely in the heat. Really great concept with good execution.’
Similarly a reviewer known as Enrico, gave five stars, posting: ‘Stopped here for a quick bite and I am so glad I did! I had the steak philly and it was delicious. Abundant cheese and filling. Great bread and strong flavour.
Fairly cheap as well.. I paid around £7.50 for the medium and felt happy and full at the end. Great new discovery!’
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Abraar Khan went as far as to claim the shop was ‘London’s best-kept secret’ as he felt they take ‘the art of sandwich-making to the next level’, while Yiannis Leandrou said they’d had ‘the best sandwich in London’ at Which Wich.
These comments will likely prove controversial, as many Londoners will have their own take on where the best sandwich in London can be found – for some it will likely be Sandwich Sandwich, a business known for making giant sandwiches chock full of fillings.
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Other sandwich hotspots in the city include The Black Pig in Borough Market, Max’s Sandwich Shop in Finsbury Park, Crunch on Dean Street and the newly opened My Favourite Sandwich in Shoreditch, which is serving up Monster Munch Sarnies that you can pair with a midday cocktail… Crisps and a Cosmo sound pretty tempting to me!
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