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The smash burger—a newer arrival on Mean Sandwich’s menu—earned instant classic status.

"The Fish" tastes like Spain on a bun. Delicious, brilliant, and weird as hell.

Amazing feeling to make this list again and again! Thanks Seattle Met!!!

After buying the business this past spring, new owner Dan Crookston (star chef Renee Erickson’s husband) took a very good Ballard sandwich counter and, with a few minor changes, made it excellent...

Dan Crookston had dreams of opening a burger shop until he took over Ballard’s bare-bones house of original sandwiches. He recently added the smash burger that launched his restaurant ownership dreams.

A burger’s a sandwich, right? The meat (dry-aged) on this one must be good, as it comes from Bateau’s conscientiously raised cows.

This is the only variation with cheese that made our top 10 — that’s because other takes were just the lazy kitchen swapping in a poultry piece in what otherwise would have been called a bacon cheeseburger. This Ballard sandwich shop constructed a variation where all the parts complement the poultry better.

Since opening its doors on Leary Way in Dec 2016, Mean Sandwich has proved itself one of the most intriguing sandwich shops in the city... though he should also be familiar to anybody who follows chef Renee Erickson’s Instagram; Crookston is her husband.

National foodie mag Bon Appétit just released their list of the 50 best new restaurants in America, and guess what? Seattle made the cut. French showstopper Marmite and lunchtime game-changer Mean Sandwich, both spots we reviewed and loved in the last year, are representing our fair city on the list.

What’s the real-real on why we’re coming here? Seattle sandwiches tend towards lackluster. This place, however, can compete with almost any deli or sub shop in the 'wich-rich Northeast...

Plot twists catch you off-guard for a reason - Just ask M. Night Shyamalan. That’s exactly how we felt when we walked into a seemingly traditional sandwich shop, ordered the corned beef sandwich, and discovered a fistful of fresh mint and maple syrup in between the buns...

Mean Sandwich may be just a humble counter but its menu is inspired, with options like the steak tartare club or the shop’s eponymous option, featuring thick-cut corned beef, pickled red cabbage, yellow mustard, mint, and maple syrup...The Ballard space is small, but customers can also order from Peddler Brewing next door, which has more seating.

Mean Sandwich draws a great cross-section of people throughout the day. The generously-sized sandwiches are all served...

ORDER THE: Skins & Ins, for starters, basically fried baked potato chunks; they are the crispiest, crunchiest home fries we have ever tasted. Sandwiches are like The Beatles—everyone has a favorite. But at Mean, you can’t choose poorly:

This Ballard sandwich shop with a backyard patio may look simple, yet it’s anything but.

It isn’t fancy—just a few booths, a big walkup counter, and seating that wraps around the ample front windows. But…those sandwiches.

“Too few people understand a really good sandwich.” ...But stop by Mean Sandwich on an average weekday at noon and you’ll get a pretty good idea of just how many people here do understand a really good sandwich.

It’s beautiful: a glossy dome of a Macrina sesame-seed bun, promising pink corned beef, bright magenta cabbage, delicate green mint leaves, a smear of sunshiny mustard showing here and there.

On a Saturday, mid-afternoon, all seats were full, and a line at the counter to order was well on its way. It’s not easy to do something as basic as a handful of sandwiches really well, but the Pemoulies have figured out the calculus to downright mean ones.