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?

I used to work behind the bar in a place that was exactly how you described in the late 90's. I used to have to wear a red striped shirt with black braces. The club sandwiches were amazing and always served with seasoned curly fries!

At night it turned into a bar/ nightclub where they played cheesy music, it was great!

@Itneverrainsinsocal interesting - google says no egg - says sometimes poultry is replaced by egg and then called club breakfast sandwich - I don't know as am vegetarian but when I remember club sandwiches from the pubs and Heathrow hotels, never any egg.

@DevaleraSpawnOfSatan I'm going in a few weeks so I might try it then!

@PilatesPeach oh gosh really, I always assumed egg was standard! I really want a club sandwich now!

Found this website.. it shows some pics which even have the fried egg variety 😆

https://www.clubsandwichreviews.com

Yes - this is always a dinner of choice for me on a work trip. That or a macaroni cheese but after a very burnt offering from a Jury's Inn in Manchester I've gone off the latter...

I thought you meant the Jacob's biscuits!

I can’t help but only found out recently (at the grand old age of 45) that CLUB stands for chicken, lettuce, under bacon! Mind blown

Come on then - by the power e of mumsnet let's get these delicious sarnies back onto the menus of Britain!

Ooh, I like the website of club sandwich reviews.
But the photos are showing lots that do not meet my standards!
Has to be three slices of toasted bread, and definitely not a burger bun!

The sandwich I am fondly imagining does not contain egg, but I am open to the possibility.

I quite like the look of both Mollies and the OK diner - Ok diner on the A1 could be a fairly convenient location for a few of us, although it seems a bit strange to stop somewhere on an A road. I suppose that is actually more authentic.

Bold Street Coffee in Liverpool does a great club sandwich.

The Electric Diner at the Ned in London does a turkey club sandwich. Should be the right kind of atmosphere.

That was my first thought too! 😂

Oh dear this thread is really making me

miss business trips with overnights in hotels

wish I lived near Mollies

want to go on holiday and have a club sandwich by the pool

I was scared of club sandwiches when I was younger as I couldn’t fit them in my gob and could never work out how to make them smaller without collapsing them. I never understood where the fillings ended and the bread began.

OP - if you’re anywhere near Chelmsford, this fits the bill

https://www.backinntime.co.uk

Holiday Inn have one in their restaurant and room service menu, and I’m traumatised at the thought of it still.

Three slices of white bread, which huge pieces of microwaved ( I think ) chicken, ( not nicely sliced ) bacon with too much fat, lettuce I think, and definitely a fried egg.

It was horrible.

The bread wasn’t even toasted. It was one of the worst sandwiches that I’ve ever eaten ( a little of anyway)

Thanks @MississippiAF that looks perfect, I think we may have a winner!

Mollie's Diner is great, and the rooms in the hotel are great too.

I was just about to say that the thing about a club sandwich is that it's almost impossible to mess it up: even a crap club sandwich is still pretty good. But you do have to toast the bread, that's the thing that makes it into a proper meal rather than a tragic Boots Meal Deal abomination.

Not my thing at all, but I was curious & googled "American diner UK".
Over 8 million results.

So you could do the same, but change "UK" to wherever you plan to meet.

Wow, this is a game changer. You should tell more folk about this!!

A kiwi club, is three slices of bread, and the fillings are mashed egg with mayo, tomato, lettuce and ham. I just can't quite make it right, and it ticks me off something chronic!

Pitcher & Piano where we live is where I go for my club fix.

I was just about to suggest this!

Club sandwiches remain a staple of hotel room service menus. Usually priced at around £20 plus service charge.

We stopped off at this place on a journey from London to Scotland, it’s in Myerscough, Lancashire. The food is absolutely amazing. The “Saratoga Club” is what you are looking for. The theming is very well done and it also has a brilliant playground and hay barn thing that was unlike nothing I had ever seen before. It’s probably not right for you OP but it deserves a shout out in case anyone else is passing: Billy Bob’s Parlour

I was going to say Ok Diner, I see someone else has already mentioned it. There are a few locations around the country.