As regular readers of this blog know, I was a Londoner for a few years. London, England that is! While working, I ate quite a few boxed sandwiches. What! I can hear you saying Boxed sandwiches! Aren’t those sold at gas stations! Well, I suppose they are here but in London they are pretty mainstream and very good. They make them fresh daily, with top quality ingredients and box them up for the hungry masses. I always wondered why it wouldn’t work here, and owner Marie-Claude Gallant has decided to test out the concept here in Montreal.
I had a quick chat with her as I ran around taking photos. She was definitely influenced by the British chain Pret-A-Manger and ate A LOT of their sandwiches in NYC, London and Chicago trying to figure out what made them work. You’ll find similar sandwiches here and I had an excellent chicken & avocado sandwich. The bread was fresh and soft, the chicken had just the right amount of mayo and the avocado was perfect – not mushy and not hard.
She also has salads, soup and hot sandwiches. One day, she hopes to offer breakfast including warm porridge which would be perfect on a cold day, or even a brisk summer morning.
The space itself is beautiful, with a fun mural on the wall done by a friend who is from San Francisco but now calls Montreal home. There is ample space to sit and eat in, and mamans – there is lots of room for strollers. She even has a high chair and is just waiting for someone to be the first to use it!
She has lots of specials going on right now, so you might as well try it out and give boxed sandwiches a go. Don’t be afraid! I promise, they don’t resemble anything you’d get at a gas station.
Decor: Bright and fun.
Service: There is no table service. I was there at an early time, so I can’t say what the lineups are like during the lunch rush.
Price: Reasonable – $6.25 for my chicken & avocado sandwich. With the current specials it’s downright cheap.
Good For: A quick lunch, coffee, lunch with a friend.
Baby Friendly: Yes! There’s lots of room for strollers. I saw there was a readily accessible clean bathroom too, but I am not sure about change facilities. She also has a red high chair just waiting for use.
Michelle Little
Writer & Photographer
Exactly my thoughts, looks like a complete knock-off of London’s Pret-A-Manger chain: from the food, to the branding to the decor…
Let’s hope they don’t get into any legal trouble…
On my last trip to London I was totally impressed with the quality of the boxed sandwiches and salads at Prêt à Manger. I thought their marketing was genious as well. If Sanbox compares, it’s a good addition to Montreal, but we’ll need to see more of it 🙂