Whatever happened to Club Sandwiches?

[VillageLite]

When I was a teenager, my friends and I used to go to this American style diner in town for birthdays. We thought we were so sophisticated ordering steak and ribs, and all you can eat salads.
I always used to have a club sandwich and fries.
I thought I would try and book somewhere with a similar vibe for an old friends get together as we all have big birthdays this year - sadly the place we used to go is long gone.

I’m imagining dark wood, light up Route 66 signs, Coke in glass bottles, burgers, ribs, steak (extra points for T bone steak), Caesar salad, ranch dressing - and of course, club sandwiches cut into 4 triangles and each pronged with a cocktail stick.

Burgers are easy enough to find, but club sandwiches and all you can eat salad bars in particular seem to have vanished off the face of the earth.

Does anyone live near the sort of restaurant I mean? Is it an impossible dream (in the UK at least)? Will I never taste a club sandwich ever again?

TGI Fridays is this vibe?

Love these sandwiches and those places of yore.

last summer visited a greek island I last visited on holiday in the late 90s: had an amazing club sandwich with fries, took a bite and was transported right back!

If you ever come to Denmark you need Bones restaurant.

I really want a club sandwich now

I have a friend who works as an environmental health inspector and another who works in a hospital laboratory and they have both told me never to use salad bars, especially ones where the food is kept under lights that give off heat. Any food environment where the public helps themselves is a bit of a food-poisoning risk but, apparently, salad bars are the worst.

I miss when you ordered a club sandwich and it came with a few crisps on the side.

Depending where you are, Red’s True Barbecue sounds like the right sort of vibe, although no club sandwich and no salad bar. IME though, the places that serve good steaks and ribs are different to the places that serve good club sandwiches, maybe that’s just where I live.

Hard Rock usually had a club sandwich.

Did your restaurant diner used to begin with B ?

Check out Mollie’s Diner! It’s a restaurant and a motel I think, run by Soho House so probably a nice place to stay and has a club sandwich on the menu 👌

There's a cafe near me, just in a shopping centre, and it does an amazing club sandwich. Me and DP often go just so we can have one!

Club sandwich and a glass of wine in your PJs on room service while watching shit TV after a long journey is the absolute best thing about business travel.

You need Zak's in Norwich https://www.zaks.uk.com/our-food/the-rest/

No salad bar though, sorry....

Frankie and Bennys used to be HEAVING in the noughties.

You need to check into a hotel for the night. Club sandwiches are still a staple of 99% of room service menus

I have had the best club sandwiches in Italian hotels! They add egg mayo and it’s divine.

Last time I had one was room service on a cruise, time before was in the bar staying at a Hilton hotel

We stopped at this place on the way to Bicester Village once and I think it might be what you're looking for. No idea if the location works though!

https://mollies.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/AllDayyMenuOctoberr2023A3.pdf??_gl=117ustr77upMQ..&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIgtugrr3khAMV1khBAh3Y0wVCEAAYASAAEgJ7yDDBwE

Hotel in Llandudno does amazing ones and gorgeous afternoon teas with bottomless tea in pots.

I live near the seaside and a lot of places here do a club sandwich and chips! I think it's because it's associated with holidays. I get them all the time!!!

I am speechless at the fried egg mentioned by @PawsisShady

can get them in Crete.

Does a club sandwich have egg in it? I thought it was like a posh BLT with chicken and double decker style 3 bread and 2 fillings cut into 4 with the cocktail sticks with frilly ends. Never heard of an egg in one.

I too love a club sandwich but they only seem available as room service / hotel bar food. I’ve had the one at the Arch bar at the intercontinental park lane….. it’s bloody amazing but £26!! 🤯 gorgeous as an occasional treat though
https://parklane.intercontinental.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/abwl-menu_dec23-DIGITAL.pdf

@PilatesPeach oh yes egg must feature. I prefer the egg mayo layer rather than a fried egg although would be open to trying it!