The ultimate handheld device isn’t the iPhone or some tablet it’s the sandwich. A meal in portable intuitive form. When dining out and in sandwich mode, I’m looking for something that’s not only tasty but also would be a pain to make at home, whether due to an involved process and/or sourcing necessary ingredients. Paying restaurant margin for a basic sandwich doesn’t compute. Besides, life’s too short for boring sandwiches. Below are five sandwiches, besides burgers or barbecue, I recommend from Huntsville restaurants.
HONEY BUTTER FRIED CHICKEN SANDWICH
Domaine South, 200 West Side Square, domainesouth.com
If you mourned the discontinuation of Chick-fil-A’s honey pepper pimento chicken sandwich, a 2023 seasonal menu item from that popular chain, prepare to be happy. Domaine South’s honey butter fried chicken sandwich is a local upgrade.
Succulent fried chicken with delicate exterior crunch. Rich, house-made pimento cheese. Hot honey butter and two surfboard-shaped pickles. Bless this sandwich’s bun because that’s a lot of messy yum to support. Don’t be ashamed to switch to fork and knife halfway through.
Food from an artisanal restaurant like Domaine South, known for their charcuterie boards, isn’t usually this messy or fun. You get fries or house salad as side with the pimento chicken sandwich. But Domaine’s best costar is the dining room’s cozy charms and big window views of Big Spring Park West.
KNUCKLE SANDWICH
Peppered Pig, 1305 Four Mile Post Road S.E. Ste. C, pepperedpig.net
Peppered Pig’s the burger badass of south Huntsville. In 2023, owners and married couple Shawn Duvall and Lacy Duvall opened their Jones Valley brick-and-mortar after operating a food trailer of the same name on Memorial Parkway for 10 years. Peppered Pig’s Korea-tinged bulgogi burger is, in my opinion, the best in Huntsville.
But don’t sleep on the Pig’s non-burger stuff. Especially their “knuckle sandwich,” a pesto-fried-onion-tomato-provolone-kissed pile of house-roasted beef on butter-toasted roll. A balanced, textural and tasty chomp.
SPECIAL BANH MI
Viet Cuisine, 210 Jordan Lane N.W., facebook.com/vietcuisinellc
Within tranquil confines, Viet Cuisine does nifty pho, sizzling lemongrass chicken and other forms of Vietnamese awesomeness. Their front-of-house service is kind and thoughtful. The food gets out quick.
They’ve also earned rep for their banh mi, Vietnamese sandwiches on a baguet chassis. Viet Cuisine does pork, chicken, beef and veggie versions, but their “special” banh mi is the move. The fresh tasting baguet of this pig-positive gem is lined with ham, head cheese, pork pâté and ham. Fresh cilantro, jalapeno, carrot and onion on top. Peanut-sauce, soy-sauce and house-made mayo are involved, too. (Trust me, it works.) This banh mi’s easy exoticism that -- at just seven bucks, easily cheapest sandwich on our list -- is also easy on your debit card.
“NAUTY” CUBAN
Ale’s Kitchen/Straight to Ale at Campus No. 805, 2610 Clinton Ave. W.
The 2023 closing of Puerto Rican café Dolce Pan Bakery left a Cuban sandwich shaped void in Huntsville. But Ale’s Kitchen, at local brewery Straight to Ale, does a solid version too.
The name “Nauty” Cuban’s a nod to Monkeynaut India Pale Ale, Huntsville’s signature beer, which is used in the mustard on this sandwich. Rustic, house-smoked pork, pit ham and gooey Swiss cheese on two slices of jalapeno-cheddar from local bakery Fredbread. As is tradition, the Cuban’s pressed. Kind of like a junkyard car-cruncher for sandwiches. You end up with meaty, fatty, salty, crunchy kicks.
Ale’s Kitchen’s hand-cut fries are rad. But if you want to lower your fry intake, you can opt for spicy slaw as a side, which gives the Cuban zingy counterpoint.
CLASSIC PANINI
Big Papa Gyro, 4925 University Drive, bigpapagyro.com
Whenever it opens, Big Papa Gyro’s long-gestating downtown location will be a hit. Their mothership, located in a University Drive shopping center time forgot, has been a bustling local lunch spot for decades.
Zesty aromas hit you right as you walk through the door. For a space in a faded strip mall, Big Papa Gyro has better than decent vibe. World music on the sound system. Ocean blue walls. Plenty of natural sunlight. The obligatory replica Greek statue. The business got its start out of a Harvest convenience store, before opening this location as Papa Gyro around early 2005, and after later expansion was rechristened Big Papa Gyro after expansion.
Big Papa Gyro’s scores high on Mediterranean flavors and blue-collar value. Spanakopita, falafel, gyros, etc. Their classic panini is my recent go-to. Toasted flatbread filled with rotisserie lamb and beef, feta cheese, peppers, onions, Basmati rice and home-made tzatziki sauce. Really good. No wonder, as so many Huntsville restaurants have come and gone, Big Papa Gyro remains relevant.
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