Review: Best Sandwich Shop takes subs to a better place

Shaun Doty has been a fixture on the Atlanta dining scene for some 25 years, including working with renowned chef Günter Seeger at Seeger’s in Buckhead and serving as executive chef at Mumbo Jumbo downtown.

The string of fine-dining and fast-casual restaurants Doty has opened over the years include MidCity Cuisine, Shaun’s, the Federal, Yeah Burger and Bantam + Biddy.

His newest, the Best Sandwich Shop, opened earlier this year in the former Moe’s Southwest Grill space on Ponce de Leon Avenue.

A second place, the Wurst Beer Hall, is housed in the same building, although it’s still something of a work in progress.

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Credit: Brandon Amato

Credit: Brandon Amato

Doty notes that the Best was “engineered” for takeout, mostly as a result of his experience at Bantam + Biddy during the pandemic. Hence, ordering online via the website is encouraged.

That said, there are cozy tables near the order counter, and plenty of seats at the Wurst, where you can sit at the bar and order a beer with your lunch.

From 8 to 10:30 a.m., it’s breakfast, with egg sandwiches and sides, including a ricotta scramble and loaded hash browns.

From 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., lunch is served, with hot, cold and build-you-own subs, along with deli-style sides and soups.

The ingredients Doty procures for the Best are impressive — but not surprising, given his fine-dining roots.

All sandwiches are made with hefty sesame-seed rolls from Buckhead Bread Co., which are beloved because they hold up so well with the generous fillings. Smashed and seared meatballs made with Stone Mountain beef, Italian San Marzano tomato sauce and handmade mozzarella from Atlanta’s Cappella Cheese are used in the sandwich called the Immortal.

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Credit: Brandon Amato

Another menu offering, the Best of the Wurst, is a combo of local Patak bratwurst, sautéed peppers and onions, provolone cheese and Bertman Original Ball Park spicy brown mustard from Cleveland, Ohio.

I really enjoyed the huge, spicy Philly pork, made all-the-way with roasted pork, broccoli rabe, provolone cheese, oregano mayo, pickled garlic chips, banana peppers, hot giardiniera salad, marinated chopped olives and roasted bell peppers.

There also is a Philly beef version made with slow-cooked brisket and the same ingredients.

Among the cold sandwiches, the Usual features a winning combo of roast beef, mustard, tomato, shredded lettuce, shaved onion and hot giardiniera salad.

The sides are a nice surprise, too, evoking the flavors of Eastern Europe and packed in petite to-go cups. The fragrant cucumber salad is mixed with shallots, fresh herbs, sour cream and red pepper flakes. The hefty Ukrainian beet salad combines roasted beets, kidney beans, mayonnaise and dill. Fingerling potato salad is tangy, with grainy mustard, shallots, light mayonnaise and herbs.

Overall, the Best Sandwich Shop takes classic subs to a better place, using premium ingredients and fine-dining know-how.