It’s not the first time Stevie Nguyen brought Sandoitchi to Denver, but with each pop-up the popularity of the Japanese sandwich shop grows.
“What you see today is the product of evolution over the past six years,” said Nguyen while showcasing the concept in RiNo. “We keep things rotated and constantly add and take away. We have an archive of tons of sandwiches we’ve done throughout the years.”
It’s been almost two years since Sandoitchi landed in Denver, and the first inside The Source Hotel + Market Hall. The company started in Dallas in 2020, and has since expanded to nationwide pop-ups and a brick-and-mortar shop in Dallas (with one on the way for Houston). The concept remains consistent across the board: fresh sandos modeled after the popular ones found in Japanese konbini convenience stores.
The menu always features the classic egg salad, done three ways, as well as the homemade chantilly cream with strawberries and a classic chicken katsu. As Nguyen said, everything else on the menu periodically changes.
This year Sandoitchi offers a spicy truffle chicken katsu, curry ebi shrimp, chicken parm, and a wagyu burger, which gets breaded and fried like the katsu and served with superb housemade pickles. Don’t skip the sides either, the cucumber salad offers a refreshing bite among the rich foods, and the tangy Elote Corn Karaage brings Mexican and Asian cuisines together in an addictive way. The team makes just about everything, except for the special bread that gets flown in from Japan.
Chef Nguyen comes with a rich New York restaurant pedigree and, before moving to Dallas, worked at Momofuku Ko, Morimoto, and the omakase Shuko, which just closed last month after 12 years. When he landed in Texas he took a stint at Uchi. But soon he longed for something different.
“The original concept was supposed to be Japanese breakfast and lunch,” said Nguyen. “I was over fine dining, I wanted to do something in the morning, and I wanted to have a different life essentially.”
Then COVID hit, and the chef and his partners pivoted. They asked themselves what could be packaged while still looking good; what remained unique in the market; and, what could be scaled for production.
“I’ve always wanted to do sandwiches. I started in sandwiches, and I eat sandwiches every day still,” he said. “At the time everyone was doomscrolling on their Instagram because there was nothing to do, right? So as soon as something new popped up on their feed, we caught this viral moment.”
Nguyen has never marketed Sandoitchi beyond the concept’s own social media. Between the quality of the food and the bright, photo-ready sandwiches, the sandos sell themselves. The chef also had good timing when it came to pop-ups, which the dining scene in Denver (and other cities) continues to crave and flock to.
“We kept improving upon it, and we didn’t want it to define or settle us,” he added. Taste one of the modern Japanese sandos yourself. Just make sure to visit soon, the pop-up only goes until Saturday, March 7. Pre-order for pick up or dine in from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday. Sandoitchi took over the former Acorn and Bellota space inside The Source (3330 Brighton Blvd.).
