Cult Shop: Are these the best old-school sandwiches in London?

Featured Sponsor

Store	Link	Sample Product
UK Artful Impressions	Premiere Etsy Store

London is full of sandwiches. From broccolini-stuffed focaccia wedges to £12 multi-layer sandwiches, today’s appetite is so adventurous that some forget that a sandwich is just a filling and two slices of bread.

But in a side street in Marylebone, the lunch service remains humble. Paul Rothe & Son have been making sandwiches by hand for over 100 years, and takeaway prices rarely exceed £6. “The most popular is the pastrami with Swiss cheese, gherkins, mayonnaise and mustard,” says Paul Rothe, who runs the deli with his son, Stephen. “It’s closely followed by Coronation chicken.” Any combination of fillings (choose from around 30) is available, plus seven types of bread, including ciabatta, granary, and classic white rolls.

Paul’s grandfather opened a store as a German deli in 1900, when much of the trade came from the grocery section of the store. As LondonThe city center has been emptied of residents and lunchtime has taken precedence, this offering has been streamlined into an Aladdin’s Cave of special preserves. Marmite is a strong suit: “we have truffle, chili, extra strong.” Like mustard, among which tarragon, Pommery and Edmond Fallot Dijon stand out, “the Dom Pérignon of mustard”.

Madonna and Anthony Hopkins have tasted deli food

Although today’s menu veers towards British tastes, there’s a hint of Rothes heritage in the hot frankfurter sandwiches. Other Germanic delicacies include spicy liptauer cheese, which Paul prepares fresh alongside prawn mayonnaise, mackerel pâté, “nice with pickled cucumber,” and roast beef top. The frankfurters are a hit now, but it wasn’t always so easy being a “Deutsche Delicatessen”, and Paul is full of stories about the two world wars. When a customer asked her grandmother about her “German-friendly husband,” her grandfather chased him out of the store with a carving knife.

At noon, a long line begins to wind around the block, made up of accountants, lawyers and architects, “representatives of the operations around here.” “Most of our customers come every day,” says Paul, who credits his generous portion sizes. The 1950s Formica tables, nailed to the ground to prevent people from moving them, not only attract regular customers, but also the occasional celebrity. Madonna, Guy Ritchie, and Anthony Hopkins sampled the deli food—Hopkins even ate a grapefruit meant for a Paul Rothe employee. (Instead of mourning him, “Jackie was glad.”)

The Rothes are unfazed by the current obsession with big, fancy sandwiches—”We don’t have the option of putting broccoli in there” (Paul tries to cook as little as possible), but there’s still room to experiment. Recent requests include egg mayonnaise with potato salad and coleslaw, and honey, banana, and cream cheese. Peanut butter and bacon was a regular favorite of a late customer, an opera singer. Most unusual, however, was “the young lady who came in and ordered Branston sardines, pork sausages and pickles”. At first, Paul thought she had misrecited an order: “so she came back every day in December.”

The shop closes at 4:00 pm, and the last sandwich, wrapped as lovingly in Paul Rothe & Son paper as the first, is served a little earlier. It’s tempting to wonder how the deli could expand its offering, but Paul is happy as he is. The last time he updated the menu was to add baked potatoes, a decision he has regretted ever since. “Makes life so complicated,” he sighs. “You have to wait for them to warm up.” (The Rothes hate messy lines.) But, like Formica tables and wieners, the line is just another part of the Paul Rothe experience. Recently, a customer was overheard complaining about the wait time. “The person in front turned around and said, ‘Don’t worry, it’s worth it,’” says Paul. “I thought that was pretty nice.”

Paul Rothe & Son, 35 Marylebone Ln, London W1, @paulrotheandson