Four Edinburgh sandwich shops named best in Scotland this National Sandwich Week

Four of Edinburgh’s sandwich shops have been named as the best places to go for your favourite sarnie this British Sandwich Week.

Bon Tea Room, Honeycomb Tea Room, Polentoni, and Thirsty Pallet have been singled out in a list of the top five leading places in Scotland to grab the lunchtime snack. Found in St John’s Road, Corstorphine, Bon Tea room has consistent five star ratings and glowing reviews. This bright Edinburgh cafe serves coffee, cakes, and a wide variety of ‘delicious’ sandwiches.

One Tripadvisor review said: “We had afternoon tea and everything from the sandwiches to scones to the little cakes at the top was so fresh and so tasty! All the hot drinks were also so nice, creamy and frothy! Definitely recommend!! Can’t wait to be back!!”

Edinburgh's best sandwich shops, including the Honeycomb Tea Room and Polentoni.

Also named as one of Scotland's best sandwich shops is the Honeycomb Tea Room in Morrison Street. This cosy, bright and modern eatery in Edinburgh serves coffee, cakes, lunch, brunch, and breakfast with plates bursting with flavours. One TripAdvisor reviewer gushed: “Fantastic food and drinks, toasted sandwiches amazing with great ingredients. Pot of tea with loose tea leaves and great coffee. Well recommended.”

Italian neighbourhood cafe Polentoni in Easter road was singled out for its ‘simple delicious sandwiches’. This quaint Italian bakery offers sandwiches, pastries, coffee and more, all for a reasonable price. One customer said: “Simple, delicious sandwiches of fresh crunchy bread; small, round, fluffy pizzas; cakes and pastries with price tags that make you wonder why everyone else is charging so much.”

Last but not least is Thirsty Pallet in Elm Row. A mother and son team run this friendly cafe and sandwich bar, offering cured meats with cheese, in addition to charcoal bread and homemade cakes. A TripAdvisor review said: “You could construct your own sandwich from a choice of fillings and bread or choose from the menu. I opted for cheese, tuna, sweetcorn, and salad. It was packed with filling on a really fresh baguette.”

Jim Winship, director of the British Sandwich & Food to Go Association – dubbed the ‘King of Sandwiches’ – said: “We know Brits love a sandwich – just look at the number of sandwich shops, delis, diners and pop-ups selling top quality sarnies. When it comes to British Sandwich Week, we want to celebrate sandwich retailers of all shapes and sizes. In this seven-day celebration, we focus on all versions of sandwiches in all their glory as well as the contribution that the sandwich sector makes to the economy.

“This year, it has the even greater aim of supporting the industry as it has had another difficult year. Sandwiches are a British staple to be enjoyed at any time of the day, whether shop-bought from a high street chain, supermarket, coffee shop, your local butty shop or made at home. We’d encourage Brits to support the sandwich sector during British Sandwich Week to help the industry continue to bounce back.”

The best cafes and coffee shops in Edinburgh, as recommended by us