Hoagies/Heros/Cold Sandwiches in Toronto?

[Hulker]

Hi All,
Long time lurker, first time poster. I recently moved back to Toronto from Philadelphia. After living in Philadelphia, I've got a massive craving for some Hoagies!

I'm talking about some amazing sandwiches with my choice of toppings!
I used to frequent a place called Primo Hoagies (a very popular chain in Philly).

http://primohoagies.com/main/?page_id...

There are some really great Panino places in Toronto and the GTA, but I'm not looking for those.

Are there any places similar to this in Toronto or the GTA?
If I can't find a place, I'm going to have to attempt to make them myself.
Thanks in advance for all the help.

[hoagielove]

Hulker I completely agree with you. I've been to Philly a few times and I have yet to find a place in Toronto that compares to a real Hoagie. I'm sure all the sandwich shops mentioned are great tasty places but when you find a real hoagie you'll know what you've been missing. If you do luck out and come across a place please do share. I'm ever so tempted to take a drive down to Chestnut St. just for a taste of Philly. :)

[Jaredg]

I know it might be heresy but I have had a couple good hoagies in Buffalo. Joe's Deli on Hertel Ave does a great sandwich. So does.....shhhh.....Wegmans at their sub counter.

[kwfoodiewannabe]

I believe it is a pretty well known fact that Wegman's serves DiBella's subs...

Delicious, but not really "Philly hoagies"

[TorontoTips]

My first post was obviously deleted
(probably because I asked for best sandwich shop & location suggestions to be sent to me personally, note-to-self don't do that)

HOWEVER, I am also aching for a real Italian hoagie!

Mr. Sub and Belly Buster are ENTIRELY different things. And my first-and-last personal experience at Belly Busters was tasteless meat, slippery, wilted lettuce, crunchy white tomatoes, and was so inedible that despite wanting a late-night post-gig treat, I tossed it out!
(but I am since told that Turkey&Bacon rather than cold-cuts is the only way to go).

How about along St. Clair West or College St? Has anyone found great bakery/deli italian cold-cut sandwiches there? How about great crisp-outside but soft inside hoagie rolls?

[TorontoTips]

Update: my craving sent me to Nina D'Aversa Thornhill today, and the cheerful deli woman was more than happy to humour me and whip up a moretadella, genoa, sopressata and capicollo sandwich with sharp provolone, lettuce and tomatoes on a crusty long italian roll. She thought I was odd opting for olive oil & balsamico instead of mustard+mayo, but she was lovely and accommodating.
Admittedly it's not quite Primo's or DiPasquale's or Faicco's but it hit the spot until I open my own sandwich shop :-)

[crawfish]

I am not an expert on subs/hoagies but when I worked in Scarborough we used to walk to Colangelo Brothers, an Italian grocery on Midland north of Progress, for sandwiches. You picked out a bun in the bakery section, tomato from the produce section and took them to the ladies at the deli counter and they loaded it up with whatever meat and cheese you wanted. They had condiments but I'm sorry I don't remember exactly what. Anyway, I'm not sure they were up to your standard but I am sure there must be other Italian grocers that do something similar so you might want to look there. I'm actually craving one of those sandwiches now and I really don't like subs :)

[TorontoTips]

Great Idea crawfish! I forgot all about Colangelo's!
They make some of the best italian sausage I've found anywhere - especially the hot one with fennel seeds :-)
I will definitely check them out for a sandwich - thanks for the tip!

[disgusti]

VERY surprised you had that experience at belly buster. i've been going since i was a kid, bacon combo on brown (used to be white but i guess ou gotta grow up eventually) and i've never once had wilted lettuce or shitty tomatos. i've taken countless new people there over the years and they have all gone way, way out of their way to get back there too.

more on topic, it is absolutely true that we're lacking in basic sandwich spots here. i don't always want a porchetta or a veal or a panini whatever. i just want a deli meat on a roll. i'll have to try nino d'aversa next time i'm uptown, sounds right up my alley.

reggie's is a terrible place. it was promising when they first opened, especially as a 24 hour joint, and i loved the duck and brie sandwich they had - unfortunately they took it off the menu right quick and the couple times i've been back since (not for at least a year) were hugely disappointing.

murray's is another option - not deli style, not gonna get mortadella or gabagool (lol) but the blt is pretty legit. not open late and not really a destination but it's worked once or twice

[Jaredg]

Every micro trend gets its own restaurant in this town. Someone open a place where you can get a hoagie or grinder. I am tired of the woman at the deli counter looking at me funny every time I order 6 slices each of 5 different kinds of meat!!!

Anyone got any suggestions? Belly's is delicious, but looking for a spot downtown as well.

[GoodGravy]

Angelo's Hot Table on Yonge near Lakeshore. Chicken and veal parm. Not the best, but huge and tasty for the price, $8 for a large sandwich that's easily two meals.

-----
Angelo's Hot Table
20 Bermondsey Rd, Toronto, ON M4B1Z5, CA

Lakeshore Restaurant
2390 Lake Shore Blvd W, Toronto, ON M8V1C3, CA

[abigllama]

Second for Belly Buster. It's the closest thing I've found in Toronto to a submarine shop in the U.S. I've always enjoyed what I had there.

Not a big fan of Reggie's at all. I've been twice. Both times the person that took my order and made the sandwhiches had bloodshot eyes and seemed super stoned and out of it. On both visits my not very complicated orders were screwed up badly.

[prima]

Have you tried Belly Buster? It's almost always lined up late at night(mostly with male teenagers & 20somethings), especially after the bars let out. The toppings were just the standard ones, but everything tasted fresh. I've only ordered one, and it was better than Mr. Sub.

Not sure if you've tried Reggie's Sandwiches. While they don't seem to have any subs/hoagies, their menu is more interesting than a typical sub shop's. They do have a prosciutto/salami sandwich, and some other cold sandwiches on the menu that might work for you, even if they aren't served in a sub/hoagy bun. http://www.reggiessandwiches.com/menu.html

Brick Street Bakery also serves good, cold sandwiches, but they're served on sliced bread, not in hoagy buns.

http://www.torontolife.com/features/b...

-----
Brick Street Bakery
55 Mill St, Toronto, ON M5A, CA

Reggie's
571 King St W, Toronto, ON M5V, CA

Belly Buster Submarines
3447 Yonge St, Toronto, ON M4N2N3, CA

[iMarilyn]

Have you tried Mr. Submarine?