Salumi's magic is all in their meat. Personally, I think their sandwiches have too much bread. And the bread is too tough- you take one bite and salami starts shooting out the other side before your chompers can penetrate.

I usually just buy the salami by the pound and make my own. Their meatball subs own, though. (Use a knife and fork.)

Grand Central Bakery is up the street, not Essential.

Damn, I hadn't realized Synapse206 had left. Anyone have further details?

You had to bring Nietzsche into this? Good writing, though. Now I'm hungry.

If you have not tried the Lox sandwich at Delicatus then you are in for a treat. They smoke their own salmon. And you can't find that at either of the other two spots you mentioned.

These three sandwich shops make for an excellent lunch trifecta for any of us who work in the area. They also help to sooth our sorrows for the loss of the other businesses.

@2: Dammit! You're right, of course.

I worked across the street from Grand Central for eight friggin' years. I apologize to you and to Grand Central and to Essential Bakery. We've fixed it online.

Thanks for the catch.

Tat's doesn't make original sandwiches. It makes very good South Jersey-style hoagies and steak sandwiches. Delicatus makes a pulled lamb shank sandwich. PULLED LAMB SHANK! Really great.

Grand Central Bakery also makes some damn good sandwiches.

These three places are all fantastic. As a devotee of chicken sandwiches I'll say that Tat's Chicken Parm sub is easily the best chicken parm in the city, and the BBQ chicken sandwich at Delicatus has a great jalapeno kick that elevates it to the next level. Also in the same 3 block radius, Cafe Paloma makes a great chicken panini with a homemade pesto that is really fantastic. God I love sandwiches.

Delicatus sucks! Overrated, dry, soulless

Cherry St coffee makes better sandwiches

@10 agreed. The BBQ chicken sandwich I had there was dry, not spicy, and lacking much chicken.

As the folks at Salumi will tell you (I just got back from getting an always amazing porchetta sandwich), the only sandwich they make their that uses two different kinds of cured meat is their muffo. All of the salami sandwiches use a single kind of salami, which doesn't make them any less amazing.

I went to Delicatus for lunch today and I really liked it. I had the Pavo Diablo: Hickory smoked turkey, sliced avocado, spinach, cilantro, havarti, chipotle aioli and roasted poblano peppers on sourdough. It was wonderful. I should have saved half for later, but instead powered through. Happy belly.

The only suggested improvements would be to hire more than one person for lunchtime table service (it was busy) and maybe toast the sourdough. I am a sucker for toasted bread for my sandwiches. I'll absolutely be back.

Agreed that Salumi needs better bread, and less of it.

And this nearly made me spray sandwich all over my screen:

it looks like Quinn's wandered westward from Capitol Hill, had drunken sex with Jimmy John's on First Avenue, then squatted down and gave birth before staggering shamefacedly home.