A new sandwich shop celebrated its grand opening this week at 412 Amsterdam Ave. (between 79th and 80th streets), taking over the space formerly occupied by Bettola.
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Sandwell, which offers a “healthy-ish” menu of mostly sandwiches and salads, aims to provide an “affordable, approachable option that’s meant to be part of your routine,” said Andy Gottlieb, owner and founder.
“A lot of things are upside down in the world now. One of them is costs,” added Gottlieb, 37, who lives in the neighborhood with his wife and three-year-old daughter. “We wanted to offer a relatively affordable option. Not a splurge.” The most expensive item on Sandwell’s current menu is $13.
READ MORE: Former Kirsh Bakery & Kitchen Space Leased to New Restaurant
Gottlieb is the CFO of Blackfoot Hospitality, which operates well-known West Village restaurants Little Owl, The Mary Lane, The Clam and more. His career has spanned real estate and hospitality, including working as a chef and attending culinary school. Moving from the Village to the Upper West Side three years ago sparked his desire to open Sandwell, which is not affiliated with Blackfoot.
“It’s food we want to eat. Food I make for my family every day,” said Gottlieb. “There’s lots of stuff that’s healthy but that’s hard to viscerally enjoy. We couldn’t find anything in the community with food the way we make it. So we made it ourselves.”
Sandwell makes everything in house, from their classic semolina and multigrain bread to toppings like vegan avocado ranch and their vegan spicy secret sauce. Sandwich highlights include a turkey meatball sub, a mushroom cheese “steak” (with truffle roasted mushrooms in lieu of meat), chicken pesto burrata, and a broccoli cheddar melt. All the sandwiches are served toasted and everything is made to order.
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“All the recipes come from my experiences through life,” said Gottlieb, who cited mac and cheese and peas, a Sandwell side that features gluten free cavatappi.
Sandwell also offers Stumptown coffee and a limited selection of beer, wine and hard seltzer. The storefront will be open from 11 a.m.- 5 p.m. from Tuesday through Sunday for the next few weeks. Hours will eventually expand and they will begin to offer breakfast and an early dinner.
Check out the Sandwell menu here.
Looks good. Is everything gluten free if you get the GF bread? I see GF breadcrumbs are used on the sandwiches. Those of us who have to buy GF for strict medical reasons need to know if it’s ALL gluten free or just the optional bread.
Tried the “lunchbox special” turkey sandwich. Not much flavor to it. Still prefer the sandwiches at the deli across the street.