Buttermilk and Honey’s Smashville vegan fried chicken sandwich (Photo by Ash Daniel)
I love turkey sandwiches. I love them to the point that my lunch only varies by the type of turkey sandwich that I’m eating: turkey Reuben, turkey Italian, turkey-havarti-apple, my “special beach sandwich” (turkey, mozzarella, tomatoes and olive tapenade). I get down with all post-Thanksgiving sandwich revelry. But I have celiac disease, and I was a vegetarian for 14 years, so the turkey sandwiches I have eaten have often contained neither turkey nor what most people consider bread.
Richmond astounds me with its massive array of vegetarian and gluten-free sandwich options, surpassing metropolises from New York to San Francisco.
One of the most vibrant stripes in the Richmond rainbow of gluten-free and vegetarian sandwiches is Buttermilk and Honey, home to the Smashville: a spicy fried “chicken” sandwich with slaw and pickles that is gluten-free, vegetarian and so good that you might cry a little, especially given the rarity of GF/veg fried “chicken” options. I felt moved to get up and thank the entire kitchen staff when I ate there. Another mind-blowing gluten-free fried chicken sandwich awaits at Pinky’s, bedecked with pickled Fresno chiles, Asiago and honey. It slays. If you’re vegetarian, grab their veggie muffuletta panino stuffed with zucchini, havarti, fennel, radish, peppers and onions and laced with lemon-dill vinaigrette and aioli.
Garnett’s is unmissable for gluten-free and veg folks, with a sandwich menu that rolls out like “Star Wars” credits, and gluten-free bread and Tofurkey available for any selection. I get the Belle, which comes fattened with zippy coleslaw, Swiss and bacon atop a pile of turkey. From the hot sandwich list, the Scribe features Garnett’s house-pickled mushrooms, Gruyere and caramelized onions. Also on the panini tip, the butternut squash, kale, caramelized onion and lemon-thyme aioli beauty from Stella’s Grocery. Cafe Zata spikes classic sammies (gluten-free optional) with horseradish, pepper gourmaise and mango sauce, with outstanding chips made in-house. See what I mean about Richmond’s commitment to creativity and quality for all diets and sandwich fans?
And, of course, there are those No. 1 stunners that Richmond vegetarians have loved for ages: the fried artichoke sub at 821 Cafe and the cheese Colombo at Coppola’s Deli (with or without eggplant), which is now available gluten-free, too. If you’ve had one of these, you’re smiling right now. They’re legendary. Even without turkey.
