Hamvich only recently opened on downtown Pest’s Hercegprímás Street, but it already claims to proffer “the city’s best sandwiches”. Well, everybody should decide for themselves whether that’s true or not, but we can certainly concur on the fact that a sandwich place where we can instruct the staff about how to make our sandwiches to suit our specific preferences is utterly unique. And then we haven’t even mentioned the melt-in-the-mouth Spanish hams that we can enhance the sandwiches with. It is definitely worthwhile to pop in and savor a self-designed sandwich at Hamvich.

The possibility to put your own sandwich together at Hamvich, which kicked off as a breakfast place, is utterly unique in Budapest. Of course you don’t have to use your hands and make a sandwich like at home, but you can give some guidelines to the staff, who will make your savory sandwich out of crispy crusted bread, Spanish ham, and various cheeses, vegetables, and sauces. The price obviously depends on how much stuff you cram into your sandwich, but there is not such a big gap between the prices listed on the menu and your own creations.

A specialty of Hamvich is the rare ham and cheese selection imported from Spain, as here, they hide premium Iberico ham and chorizo between the breads, which are extremely hard to find in Budapest. Iberico, together with jamon Serrano, are the Rolls Royce of hams, which also makes it slightly more expensive than regular hams at shops or at the local butcher’s. The not-so-well-known chorizo is the characteristic sausage product of the Principality of Asturias in Spain, and it is pretty similar to a Hungarian smoked sausage.

“We try to be outstanding in the local sandwich scene, so here, the meals are freshly made every time, and it never happens that we make some sandwiches in the morning and keep them in the counter all day while the filling soaks into the bread. The sandwiches in the counter are only on display as teasers, but we never sell those,” said Hamvich manager Dániel Randé, who has been working in the hospitality industry for a long time, and has always dreamt about having his own delicatessen with sandwiches and hams.

So this is Hamvich, enhanced with an eclectic interior design that aims to leave a trace in guests’ memory; this mission was probably accomplished with the pig, chicken, and other animal constellations painted amid stars on the ceiling, and the huge hams hanging down, which can also be purchased.

Among the current sandwich selection, the namesake Hamvich (950 HUF) is the most popular, which, in addition to the aforementioned premium ham, also contains tomato sauce and cream cheese. In the deluxe option (1,350 HUF), various toppings help guests fill their bellies, while the chorizo sandwich is recommended for gourmet guests who like more piquant flavors. We have to highlight that even despite their array of different fillings, these sandwiches don’t fall apart, even after several bites. The special experience comes from the melt-in-the-mouth Spanish hams that can also be bought separately, and can also be ordered as part of a so-called Spanish plate, with bread, blue cheese, rosemary cheese, and olives.

The basic sandwiches (ham,chorizo, serrano, tuna) start somewhere around 450-600 forints, and these can be further enhanced with numerous toppings, from different cheeses through sauces to veggies. It is worthwhile to pop in here in the near future (November-December), when they prepare for the colder days with warm soups.

UPDATE: Closed