This is news to me but August 2022 marks the 70th anniversary of National Sandwich Month! It was founded in 1952 by the Wheat Flour Institute. I feel like sandwiches are one of those underrated food items. When people ask me about my favorite food I always say pizza, but I LOVE a good sandwich. So many options, the possibilities are endless, tbh. I had so many amazing sandwiches while I was home in Ohio- grilled cheese, subs, breakfast sandwiches, you name it I was there for it.
Melt – Cedar Point Location (Sandusky, OH): Starting off with the OG sandwich place. I have visited their Cleveland location a few times, but I was beyond thrilled when my mom told me Melt had a new location inside CP! I have only ever ordered this one sandwich before- grilled cheese toasted to perfection and stuffed with mac n cheese, like can you blame me?! My mom and I split the sandwich because it is huge and I needed to save room to stuff my face with an elephant ear for dessert. Great Lakes Grinders (Sandusky, OH): Subway who? Not sure if a grinder is classified as a sub, but we are just going with it. My mom raved about this place so we got it for lunch one day while I was working. OMG. These were amazing. The bread, the seasoning, the banana peppers! All perfection. Hard to hold in the air for my typical ‘food in the air’ pics, but that is just me being extra.Saucy Coffee (Sandusky, OH): Saucy quickly became my favorite coffee shop while I was home. My mom, Wally and I were regulars for those three weeks. If you make it to the shop before 10:30am you will be lucky enough to order a bagel sandwich or burrito! The bagels were great, I definitely had at least five while I was there, but who is counting? Saucy loved this pic so much, they shared it on their insta and rewarded me with a free latte! What a time to be alive.Goodtime Cafe (Sandusky, OH): If you see a tiny, unassuming little building on Jackson Street Pier while you’re driving through, pump your breaks and head on over for a bagel sandwich! I got their pizza bagel and it did not disappoint. It must have brought out my inner ‘Sandusky local’ vibes because three people came and asked me for directions and info on the Jet Express while I was eating this. Kewpee Hamburgers (Lima, OH): I recently bought my first Kewpie doll from a vintage Instagram page, and now I am full blown obsessed with them. So much so I made my friends come with me to get burgers and malts at Kewpee Hamburgers! The food was dang good, and the prices were dang cheap! You can’t beat that in this economy. I also discovered I love malts during our visit and now I can’t stop ordering them any chance I get.
Sterling’s Amish Deli (Bowling Green, OH): My friend Kim has been raving about this spot for years. We ventured off to bop around campus but were too late in the day since all the dining options had already closed. We opted to order takeout from the deli and have a picnic on campus. I can’t imagine a more beautiful picnic lunch! I ordered fried bologna and she had the Jarlsberger.
Derrick Jr.’s BBQ (Sandusky, OH): I was a huge fan of the old Derrick’s Diner in Sandusky and was so sad to hear when it closed in 2020. Now he has a new restaurant, so of course I had to go! It is located inside the new Marketplace at Cooke. Anytime I see a sandwich with mac n cheese on top, I have to order it. This was breathtaking. And peep Derrick posing behind my sandwich!Vita (Sandusky, OH): This was the first place I had on my list of new places downtown I needed to try. It is located inside an old bank and the inside is so cool We got breakfast there my first morning in town- they had special to-go hours on a Sunday for the Iron Man race taking place. My mom also tried her first iced latte on this visit and she loved it. Mr. Smith’s Coffee House (Sandusky, OH): The OG downtown Sandusky spot! On Tuesdays they have a deal on Honey Oat lattes if you buy a large it is the price of a medium, so I had to plan my morning around said deal before I started work. I also ordered a breakfast sandwich to accompany it. Bless Mr. Smith’s for serving sides of cottage cheese as well *insert prayer hands emoji*Brewed Awakening (Vermilion, OH): Downtown Vermilion holds a special place in my heart. I loved taking trips here in the summer in high school to go thrifting and get custard from the diner downtown. My mom and I stopped here on one of my last days for a late lunch of bagels and iced lattes. I tried their buffalo chicken bagel. I forget the actual bagel type- some kind of cheese was baked on it and it was ahhmazing.
Cheers!