We have been fortunate enough to receive lots of praise for our sandwiches! Check it out!
Best Burgers in Seattle
SeattleMet - 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022
The smash burger—a newer arrival on Mean Sandwich’s menu—earned instant classic status.
Okay, You Were Right, Mean Sandwich Makes a Mean Sandwich
The Stranger - 2021
"The Fish" tastes like Spain on a bun. Delicious, brilliant, and weird as hell.
Seattle’s 100 Best Restaurants Right Now
Seattle Met - 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022
Amazing feeling to make this list again and again! Thanks Seattle Met!!!
The 38 Essential Seattle Restaurants
EATER - 2019, 2020, 2021
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...
Seattle Smash Burgers to Devour ASAP
SeattleMet - 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022
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.
EATER's 20 of the Best Burgers In Seattle
EATER - 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022
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.
Neither Popeyes nor Chick-fil-A: Here’s where you can find the best fried-chicken sandwich in Seattle
The Seattle Times - 2019
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.
Mean Sandwich’s New Owner Has an Oyster Pedigree
SeattleMet - 2019
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.
Two Seattle Hotspots Named Among America's 50 Best New Restaurants by Bon Appetit
Seattle Magazine - 2017
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.
20 Best Restaurants in Seattle
Condé Nast Traveler - 2018
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...
The Infatuation - Mean Sandwich
The Infatuation - 2018
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...
EATER's Top Sandwich shops in Seattle
EATER - 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022
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.
Macrina Blog - Mean Sandwich
Macrina Bakery - 2018
Mean Sandwich draws a great cross-section of people throughout the day. The generously-sized sandwiches are all served...
America's 50 Best New Restaurants 2017
Bon Appétit - 2017
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:
The 9 Best New Restaurants in Seattle
Seattle Magazine - 2017
This Ballard sandwich shop with a backyard patio may look simple, yet it’s anything but.
Seattle's Best Restaurants 2017: Mean Sandwich
SeattleMet - 2017
It isn’t fancy—just a few booths, a big walkup counter, and seating that wraps around the ample front windows. But…those sandwiches.
Don't Call It a Deli. Mean Sandwich is a Lunchtime Revelation.
Seattle Magazine - 2017
“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.
Seattle’s new Mean Sandwich achieves sandwich genius
The Seattle Times - 2017
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.
Mean Sandwich Is True to Its Name
Seattle Weekly - 2017
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.