This Egyptian Founded Sandwich Shop is Taking Over London

Seif El-Sobky is the Egyptian founder behind London's new hit sandwich spot, Sarnie Social, and it's already got the city talking. Fuelled by rave reviews circulating on social media, including a viral video and 8.8 rating from UK food review duo Bite Twice, his deliberately stripped-back menu is proving less is more.

“I decided to do everything in threes because you’ll go to a restaurant and see a hundred things on the menu and you just get choice paralysis," El-Sobky tells SceneEats. "So, I’ve kept it to three sandwiches, three sides and then only one dessert, but that’s just because I couldn’t be arsed. No, but at the end of the day, all you really need is one really, really good dessert.”Seif grew up between the UK, Egypt and Germany, and food was always at the centre of family life:

“I grew up in a family of home chefs," Seif says. "Neither of my parents were in the industry, but you know, they’re the type of people to come home from a dinner party and be really judgy about the food they had, that kind of thing.”

After being laid off from a grocery delivery company alongside half the senior team, he decided it was time to move on from the corporate world:

“I took a gamble on myself," Seif recalls. "It’s always been a dream of mine to open a restaurant. I’d hosted so many supper clubs and dinners that I felt ready to give it a proper go and manifest my obsessive sandwich dream.”

El-Sobky initially started the company on Instagram before Deliveroo offered him access to a commercial kitchen. The launch, he tells SceneEats, was intense: “The first two days were carnage. We had stock for three days, but on the first day we had to shut online orders after 40 minutes because everything had gone.”

The menu more than justifies the hype. ‘The Comfort’ pairs six-hour, date-braised beef short rib with fresh herb chermoula, shoestring fries and pickled onions. ‘The Cosmo’ is a vibrant vegan option built around fava bean falafel, charred aubergine, preserved lemon and mint tahini. ‘The F*ck It’ meanwhile stacks double-fried marinated chicken thighs with sour pomegranate slaw and habanero molasses.

The menu also features three sides, golden shoestring fries, popcorn chicken bites and pomegranate slaw, alongside four house-made sauces: The Green, a chermoula; The Heat, a habanero molasses; The Smooth, a habanero mayo; and The Cool, a mint tahini.

So why those names?

“The Fck It' is that feeling when I order a fried chicken sandwich," Seif explains. "Like, fck the gym, f*ck the stress, I just want a fried chicken burger. The Cosmo is really about the colours, it’s very colourful, very cosmopolitan. And The Comfort is because when I eat that burger, I know I’m snoozing after. It’s just that proper comfort food feeling.”Sarnie Social is currently available exclusively on Deliveroo, while also making appearances through a series of pop-up residencies across London. Over the coming weeks, the sandwiches will also be available to eat in at a number of local pubs and cafés.

Until then, for those looking to get their hands on one of El-Sobky's sandwiches, orders are prepared from the kitchen at 149 Roman Way in Islington, open Monday to Saturday from 12 PM to 9 PM.