Wicker Park's latest hotspot, Sando Street, was so jam-packed this past Saturday that the sandwich shop sold out of its East-meets-West concoctions in a mere three hours, and they've now decided to shut down Mondays to keep up with the noshing frenzy. Sandwich lovers were queuing for a taste of Korean beef, tonkatsu, and fruity whipped ube cream delights.
The shop, which swung open its doors on February 16, riding on the coattails of successful ventures by co-owners and cousins Rich Letheby and Chris Yoo, experienced an unexpected influx after Instagram influencers, who were not actually invited to the party, started buzzing about the joint during its grand opening weekend, according to a report by Eater Chicago. Waits hit the roof, outstripping 40 minutes and Letheby revealed they churned out around 200 sandwiches before the "Sold Out" sign had to be regretfully displayed.
Meanwhile, in the sweet realm of Bronzeville, Pookie Crack Cakes has locals and international dessert lovers forming lines that snake down the street for a bite of Dedra Simmons' southern-inspired "crack cakes", as reported by the Chicago Tribune. Simmons, whose bakery can cuff out 500-plus cakes a day, is revered for flavors that have roots in the family tradition and her signature butter pecan praline is a sweet shout-out to her great-grandmother's praline glaze legacy.
Simmons told the Tribune, "I use her praline glaze on top of that butter pecan cake," Simmons said. "She used to put that on top of her bread pudding." The demand is so constant and the labor so intense that Simmons, who experienced health issues due to the workload, declared that henceforth January will see the bakery's doors closed for a breather and that when they reopen, the inevitable line forms early, with their awning proclaiming, "One Bite and You're Addicted." Still, no one seems to mind the wait or the two cakes per flavor limit set to give everyone a shot at indulging.
Back at Sando Street, Letheby's ambition isn't dimmed by the bustling first week, with bread sourced from Crescent Bakery setting each sandwich apart, and unique creations like spam musubis laden with crispy rice noodles instead of traditional sushi rice defining their menu. Yoo and Letheby's combined expertise kept calm heads during the rush, managing expectations with clear signage about wait times, "That's from experience," Letheby explains. They're primed for continued popularity, and if you want to dive into this sandwich saga, expect to join the throngs early – they're already a part of the city's beloved sandwich culture, right alongside revered eateries like Phodega, Kasama, and Hermosa.
