I Tried the Club Sandwich at 4 Chains and Found the Absolute Best
Sometimes you can simply look at a food and without question determine it was American-born. Hamburgers, corndogs, and biscuits and gravy are all prime examples of this in addition to the club sandwich. When it comes to this common deli shop and restaurant creation, the meat selections alone give it away. More often than not, it comes stacked with both turkey (or sometimes chicken) and slices of bacon. American? Check and check.
The addition of lettuce, tomato, and mayonnaise continues to sell it, and the sandwich's epic size is the last, most obvious clue. In a classic format, it comes in a triple-layer style with a slice of bread at the bottom, top, and in the middle–a sandwich you need to be brave to tackle alone.
These hefty handhelds aren't too hard to find and even appear on a few sit-down chain restaurant menus–commonly as a filling lunch option. I set out to try four of these club iterations to see how each one stacks up. Some strictly adhered to the sammie's original recipe while others took a few creative liberties, but only one took the crown as the ultimate club. Here are my rankings from least to most favorite.
Cheesecake Factory
The Factory is home to every kind of sandwich you can think of from Cubans to chicken salad. The chain even spins up two different types of clubs including a grilled chicken and avocado variation and one that goes by the no-nonsense name "The Club". Without question, I ordered the latter as it follows a more traditional makeup with roasted turkey breast, bacon, lettuce, tomato, and mayonnaise on wheat toast. With a side of fries, the price for entry to this club was quite steep, coming in at $19.95.
The Look: This triple-decker sandwich is absolutely massive. At first, I thought they gave me two sandwiches instead of just one. Each cornered piece essentially holds two mini sandwiches: one with just turkey and lettuce and the other with bacon slices tomato, more lettuce, and mayonnaise.
The Taste: As a glorified BLT with a turkey guest star, it's filling and tasty, just nothing particularly special. You have to eat everything altogether to get the full effect which means big-mouth bites. But, the surrounding and internal white bread pieces are forgiving rather than hard and overly toasted so you don't have to worry about scraping your mouth. Giving off the impression of being fresh off the skillet with perfect levels of salt and smoke, the bacon was a highlight and miles better than any kind of fast-food slices you would come across. Theplentiturkey on the other hand was dry and lifeless. I was thankful the mayo and tomato were there to balance it out. Overall, I can't say it's anything more than just satisfactory. The good news, though, is that it will feed at least two people–and it better at that price.
Mimi's Cafe
At lunchtime, Mimi's Cafe is a soup, salad, and sandwich kind of place. French influence clashes with American favorites for le déjeuner breeding platters such as the roasted turkey club. The sandwich feeds your midday hunger with cuts of slow-roasted turkey, hickory smoked bacon, lettuce, tomato, and mayonnaise on sourdough toast. I paid $15.29 for this very familiar recipe served with a side of French fries, of course.
The Look: Just as large as Cheesecake Factory's sammie and served in the same format. Here though, something about the triangles reminded me of English tea finger sandwiches with their perfectly cut layers of white bread, turkey, bacon, and veggies.
The Taste: Structure and taste-wise, it's wildly similar to the previous handheld–both chains held true to club traditions. But, Mimi's Cafe serves up a few differences that elevate its offering, starting with the bread itself. The light tanginess of the sourdough adds complexity, helping the sandwich graduate from a white-bread school cafeteria lunch to more of an adult choice. The turkey is thicker and less deli-like and the slow-roasting process made it tender to the bite. Almost reminiscent of Honey Baked Ham, the bacon added a different element into the mix with touches of greasy sweetness. A crunch from the lettuce and dashes of creaminess from the mayo round the whole thing out.
First Watch
First Watch is all about whipping up healthful dishes made with only the freshest ingredients. So, I had high hopes for its take on a club sandwich. The chain has named it the Monterey Club and it deviates slightly from other recipes in our taste test. Its base still consists of turkey, bacon, tomato, mayonnaise, and organic mixed greens in place of standard iceberg. But, it also throws avocado and Monterey Jack cheese (presumably the sammie's namesake) onto its sourdough bread. Served with a side of lemon-dressed organic mixed greens (which can be subbed for seasonal fruit or seasoned potatoes) it rang up at $12.79.
The Look: First Watch forgoes the double-stacked method. Instead, it serves up a thick and meaty sandwich on untoasted bread. Juicy layers of turkey, greens, tomato, and bacon can clearly be seen poking out from the sides.
The Taste: The freshest of them all. Everything melds together quite nicely. The turkey becomes a bit warm tucked inside the top and bottom sourdough buns but overall holds a savory yet mild flavor. As a primarily breakfast and brunch joint, I expected the bacon here to be top-notch and it didn't disappoint. Its flavor is bold with some fat around the edges and even mind that it was more chewy than crisp. The cheese and the avocado were also welcome additions, contributing creaminess and even a little tang. No one ingredient necessarily overshadows the next or comes on strong. But, everything together was a palatable blend. I gobbled it up.
BJ's Brewhouse
The club sandwich at BJ's Brewhouse takes a completely different route. It hails from California–a telltale sign that avocado is involved–and swaps turkey for chicken breast as the main meat. Smoked bacon still supports as well as lettuce, tomato, melted Swiss cheese, the avocado, and a roasted garlic aioli. Similar to the previous two offerings, the bread of choice is sourdough which is toasted. The sandwich landed in my to-go box for a price of $16.99 along with a side of fries.
The Look: Closer to a panini than a club. It's smooshed down into a flat slab and is cut into just two triangles. Plump chicken makes up about half the height and the avocado takes up the other while everything else hides in the middle.
The Taste: BJ's takes club sandwiches to the next level. As soon as I received it, I noticed a buttery scent radiating from the bread–a good start that turned into an even better finish. The exchange of deli turkey for real juicy chicken breast was a brilliant choice and the Swiss cheese made it into more of an indulgent melt. As it always does, the avocado provided a pleasant texture and even though the bacon leaned toward the flimsy side, it still carried all its standard notes of umami. The garlic aioli was then the cherry on top. Like a grown-up mayonnaise, it elevated each bite with just enough savory pungency. The only real downside to the sandwich was the lettuce which became warm and slimy. But, that problem can easily be solved by picking it off, and voila! You're back to delicious.
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