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?

Billy Bob’s. I have had some really crap faux-American food in my time. often the better the theming, the worse the food. Not in this place. The food was delicious and the attention to detail was outstanding. The smoked barbecue stuff was amazing. There are different sections, but you can eat inside the bus if you want to. DS loved it. As well as the ice cream floats.

https://www.hamburgerheaven81.co.uk/
this is exactly what you’re looking for, even has a proper triple decker club sandwiches. Northampton, just off the M1

M&S stilll going strong with club sandwiches in 2024!!

Our local pub does club sandwiches. They're like the anti-vegan option: chicken, bacon and mayonnaise.

There's a diner outside of Oxford called Mollie's.

And balance the tomato on top of the mound 😁

That's just up the road from me! I haven't been yet

I was about to say this. I haven't had one for ages, now I'm hankering

Pretty much every five star hotel has them on their room service or lounge menu. Usually served with lots of crispy salty French fries 🤤

Love a club, only seen them poolside abroad.

It's something I have only seen in hotels since the 90s!

OK Diners on the A1...think we stop at one near Grantham. American diner vibe.

I had a club sandwich just yesterday, but I was beside a pool on holiday and washed it down with a Fanta Limon. Sorry; not sorry.

This is making me very nostalgic. We used to go to a place in Newcastle in the early 2000s that did a great club sandwich and Greek salad, maybe called something like Pacific or Atlantic.

Used to love stopping in at Starvin' Marvin's on the A40 on the way home from London. They did really nice milkshakes and club sandwiches.

The place was a bit run down but it had that proper American diner feel, with the juke box and chairs and tables. Would love to find somewhere similar but have never.

Ooh where was that @MaverickBoon ? I was living there at that time and you have got me wondering! I want to say Ocean Pacific but not sure if I am just thinking of the 80s sweatshirts!

Had one on first trip to London in early 90s, felt very sophisticated. Replicated them a few times at home. Don’t think I ever noticed them after that.
Quite fancy one now.

That does sound familiar! It was upstairs, I remember that, and there was definitely a sea of some kind involved 😁 but then there was also Coast, Baja and Sea Bar so there was a lot of body-of-water theming going on back then...

www.bigeasy.co.uk
Ticks most of your boxes. No club sandwich though unfortunately!

There is a tearoom in a park we go to a lot which does the best club sandwich also comes with little dishes of crisps coleslaw and salad and is only around £7 . Proper chicken too not that horrid cubed chicken so many places seem to fling into dishes now .

Love a club sandwich… still
make them sometimes. Got to be with toast tho… not bread.

As well as the infamous 'Boat' 🤦🏼‍♀️🤣💃🕺

Oh God of course!! Why was everything so watery on the early 90s?!

Although we also had Gotham Town and the Quilted Camel so there was a bit of variation. Also was it World Headquarters?

OMG lots of memories unlocked there! I went to all of these places 🤩 I am trying to remember where World HQ was, it played really decent music.

Really sorry OP - @MaverickBoon and I have somewhat derailed your thread

My local golf club does an excellent one! But that's the only place I can think of. Maybe it's due a comeback!

I think that's one of those convenient urban myths. Pretty sure it was called that as it was first on the menu at a posh club somewhere in America.