What’s on the menu at Knuckle Sandwich, a casual spot for giant sandwiches and craft beer

Name: Knuckle Sandwich
Neighbourhood: Woodbine Heights
Contact: 969 Coxwell Ave., 647-748-7999, knucklesandwich.ca, @knucklesandwich
Owners: Ran Han and George Talidis
Chefs: Kevin Brannick and Max Kuleszynski

The food

Sandwiches, obviously. All of the basic proteins are covered: chicken two ways (grilled, fried), porchetta, brisket, shrimp, plus a couple meat-free options for good measure (portobello, grilled cheese). Almost everything on the menu is made in-house, right down to the aïoli. “It’s just a sandwich shop,” says Han, “but we put a lot of love and time and effort into the ingredients.” Sides include fries, two different poutines, soup and a few salads.

Porchetta topped with salsa verde, grainy dijon mustard and parm. $9.

Fried chicken on roasted poblano slaw, topped with chipotle honey and garlic aïoli. $9.50.

Grilled piri piri chicken topped with bacon, avocado, tomato, arugula and onion jam. $9.50.

Deep-fried shrimp doused with house-made remoulade and topped with pickle, tomato and shredded romaine. $9.50.

Charred portobello mushroom topped with goat cheese, roasted eggplant, olive tapenade, tomato, arugula and herb oil. $9.

The classic grilled cheese is tweaked with smoked cheddar and served with sriracha ketchup. $6.

There’s poutine, too. One comes topped with peppercorn bacon, cheese curds, dark lager gravy, green onions and sour cream (left, $7). The other is loaded with brisket and cheese curds, then topped with guacamole, dark lager gravy and pico de gallo (right, $7).

Hey, look! Vegetables! The arugula salad (left) comes with goat cheese, figs, toasted walnuts and a balsamic-honey vinaigrette ($5 and $9). The kale salad (right) comes with crispy prosciutto, parm, cranberries, sunflower seeds and an lemon–olive oil vinaigrette ($5 and $9).

The drinks

Talidis, previously the general manager of King West’s Bier Markt, put together a selection of tallboys from local breweries. For minors, there’s pop and water.

Here’s the beer.

The space

The small room seats around 20 guests, and is guaranteed to be flooded with students from neighbouring East York Collegiate (the high school both Han and Talidis attended) during weekday lunch hours. A street-facing patio is licensed for 14 and will open as soon as the weather cooperates.