There’s a new late night sandwich shop hidden inside a bar in Toronto
Published October 18, 2024 at 4:24 pm
One of Toronto’s newest sandwich shops is hidden all the way in the back of a local neighbourhood bar.
Coire is located inside and has the same hours as Danu Social House, which describes itself as “a bar for learning, conversation, and building community.”
Danu is the name of a Celtic goddess, and a magical cauldron or “coire” is one of four mythical Irish treasures. Like the magic cauldron, Coire produces a solid lineup of sandwiches out of a tiny space that only measures a few square feet, and is operated by just two people until late night.
The tiny kitchen space was entirely built out in the back of Danu by Coire operators and high school friends Taylor Roberts-Carlton and Rolando Argueta, consisting of little more than an ordinary four-top stove and a few other appliances.
Their menu includes options like a grilled cheese sandwich, classic Monte Cristo and even a vegan meatball sub, all priced from $13 to $15. Argueta has worked at Hogtown Vegan so it should be no surprise that there’s a great veggie option on the menu, and Roberts-Carlton has worked at sandwich destinations Primrose Bagel and Caplansky’s, so he knows his way around two slices of bread.
They use breads from local bakeries like Paris Bakery, Lev and Haymishe, including the challah used for their Monte Cubano. The Monte Cubano is a mashup between a Monte Cristo and Cubano, with ham, cheese, pickles and house roast pork that’s marinated for 12 hours then roasted off for up to seven hours. The entire thing is dredged in egg and pressed for a crispy but juicy sandwich.
But wait, there’s more. Coire also offers some small snacks and sides that have more to them than meets the eye, like house roasted peanuts and popcorn that comes in rotating flavours like salt and pepper or Old Bay.
You can order by heading to the sandwich shop at the back or by ordering from within the bar, and you can expect table service unless it’s super busy. Coire also offers takeout.
Coire also extends far beyond sandwiches. They aim to have family dinners once a month, where they push the tables together at the back of the bar and offer a family-style prix fixe menu that can be paired with wine, showcasing anything but sandwiches, such as lasagna or seafood.
“You come and have dinner with your friends,” Roberts-Carlton tells YourCityWithIN.com. “The community comes out, everyone is talking to each other.”
Other than upcoming family dinners, Coire also hopes to expand their offerings with a retail fridge with items like pickles and hot sauce.