Six spots for scrumptious sammies in Springfield

It’s a simple concept: meat and cheese between bread.

A few twists and turns, some creative toppings and high-quality ingredients can transform the modest sandwich into something mighty. Springfield is home to many marvelous restaurants serving up sandwiches. There are too many to mention, but if a craving strikes you, here are a few places with a stellar sandwich.

The Sandwich Scene

One of my pet peeves is when I order a sandwich and it’s all bread. That won’t be a problem at The Sandwich Scene. This groovy spot with a walk-up window was once known as the Secret Sandwich Shop. It started in the back of a bar and is now located on McDaniel Street, downtown. You can order online for pickup, delivery or walk up to the window and place an order. Sandwiches can be served hot or cold. A gluten-free baguette is an option for a $2 upcharge.

Cordon Rouge is the number one seller and includes chicken, sliced ham, pepper jack cheese, house pickles, crispy onions, shredded lettuce and house-made chili mayonnaise.

The Beefy Boursin is another summer favorite. It features pressed bread with roast beef, house-made Boursin (herb cream cheese spread), sliced red onion, roasted red bell peppers and fresh greens, and the kicker is the horseradish mayonnaise, made in-house. These are creative sandwiches for sure. Check out the menu and see for yourself.

Missouri Mike’s BBQ

When it comes to the sandwich world, Reubens are king. I wrote a story a few months ago highlighting a few of my favorite Reubens. Mike Hickman, who owns Missouri Mikes BBQ, emailed me and felt I had overlooked his version. I love his barbecue but had never tried his Reuben. Once I did, it was added to the list.

There’s a lot of attention to detail in this sandwich. It starts with the corned beef brisket, which is seasoned with pan-toasted spices that are ground in-house. They rub the meat and let it marinate for 72 hours. It’s lightly smoked, cooled and shaved. They make their own Russian dressing (Reubens can have Russian or Thousand Island, but Hickman prefers Russian). Then all the beautiful ingredients come together on buttered, toasted marbled rye, with melted Swiss, sauerkraut, and dressing. It is worth a visit.

Missouri Mike's has two locations, one on West Chestnut Expressway and the other on East Battlefield Road.

Derby Deli

The club sandwich is a classic. The Derby Deli, inside Brown Derby International Wine Center, makes my favorite club in town. It takes your whole hand to pick up this scrumptious beast.

It starts with shaved all-natural, oven-roasted turkey, rosemary ham, crispy applewood-smoked bacon, provolone cheese, smashed avocado, lettuce, thinly sliced tomatoes, pickled red onions and mayonnaise on toasted wheat berry bread. The avocado, pickled red onions and rosemary-kissed ham really take this to the next level.

Sandwiches come with your choice of coleslaw, side salad or chips and I always order the salad because they have the best balsamic vinaigrette. It is made in-house and is for sale if you want to take some home. The dressing is so delicious you will want to bathe lettuce in it. If you’re a light eater, the club provides two meals.

Beth’s Bake Shoppe & Tea Room

While Beth Perry is known for her sweet treats at Beth’s Bake Shoppe & Tea Room, she has some wonderful sandwiches on the lunch menu.

The Hot Tuscan Chicken melts in your mouth. It starts with spongy herb focaccia bread drizzled with their Italian dressing, then a generous smear of the creamy and garlicky Garlic of Eatin’ spread, sliced grilled chicken, melted provolone cheese and fresh red onion. The creaminess from the cheese, the zip of the dressing and the garlic spread are all harmonious in your mouth. This is my favorite menu item.

Another popular one is the Hot Ham and Apple Butter, which is lovely in the fall. This is an elevated ham sandwich served on a toasted pretzel bun with honey ham, apple butter and Swiss and American cheeses. Perry has been in business for nearly 30 years, so you know she’s doing something right.

Gettin’ Basted

Gettin’ Basted in Branson attracts throngs of tourists, but the Springfield location is never as busy and I don’t know why. One of the owners is the most highly decorated pitmaster around, with wins at Memphis in May for his pork shoulder and a Jack Daniel World Championship, and they are the only team in history to be named KCBS Team of the Year three times. You can taste the success in their food.

I recently tried their Cuban and it’s my new favorite. Dubbed “The Miami,” it starts with their juicy, mouthwatering smoked pork, ham, salty pickles, Swiss cheese and mustard on Cuban bread that is all pressed and melted together. It’s scrumptious. It’s all classic ingredients, but the house-smoked pork makes all the difference. Get the fries for your side option because they are seasoned, light and not greasy. Excellent fries!

“The Berkley” is another winning sammie. It has turkey that they smoke in-house, topped with bacon, fresh spring mix and aioli, and the kicker is the bacon jam. These ingredients are pressed together like a panini and it’s scrumptious. If you want classic barbecue, then the pulled pork is my favorite in town. It’s simple, just juicy and flavorful.

Big Easy Grill

At Big Easy Grill, a Louisiana-themed restaurant, you might expect a good po’boy — and you’ll find one — but it’s also a spot to score a mean pork tenderloin. The pork is hand pounded, double dipped in buttermilk, hand-breaded and fried, then served on a kaiser roll with your choice of Creole mustard or mayonnaise. Creole mustard is traditionally made with brown mustard seeds and has a pronounced flavor; if you love Dijon or a German mustard you will probably love it.

The roast beef po’boy is another great option. It starts with beef, peppers and onions that have slow-cooked in a beef and dark roux gravy. The dark roux has a deep, rich flavor. The meat is sliced, topped with pepper jack cheese and stacked inside French bread. It’s served with a generous smear of Creole mustard, but I like to swap out the Creole mustard for mayo on this one because I think it makes the meaty flavor shine.

If you’ve never been to a Louisiana restaurant and don’t know what they mean when they ask you if you want a sandwich fully dressed, it means it do you want it with shredded lettuce, tomato, mayonnaise and pickles.

Juliana Goodwin

Juliana Goodwin is a freelance journalist with experience covering business, travel and tourism, health, food and history. She is a former Food and Travel Columnist for the Springfield News-Leader, a former business reporter for The Joplin Globe, and has written for USA Today and Arkansas Living Magazine, among others. More by Juliana Goodwin

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