Boston’s ‘Best Sandwich’ draws long lines in NYC as lines double in the North End

Table Mercato opened its New York City location on Sept. 26 and has already sold out both of its first two weekends. Back in Boston, meanwhile, in true rivalry spirit, Boston showed up with a line stretching down the block to remind New York where these sandwiches came from. 

“I wasn’t sure how our opening week would go, and I certainly didn’t expect our sandwiches to go viral so quickly,” owner Jen Royle told Boston.com. 

The North End business, which won Boston magazine’s Best Sandwich in 2025, is located along Hanover Street offering a cafe, specialty market and counter service, and sit-down service, and has become wildly popular since opening in 2020, with viewers online gawking at the sheer size of each sandwich.

“The lines in Boston have doubled, and they sold out both days this weekend—something that had never happened before,” said Royle. 

An expansion to New York City is quite a feat for a sandwich shop. But Royle is already seeing lines out the door in NYC for the hot and crispy chicken cutlet sandwiches served on a warm bed of focaccia from Seven Stars Bakery in Rhode Island. 

Royle believes the intense demand in Boston has prepared her to run a well-oiled machine in NYC. They’ve already hit a few bumps, facing a “major bread issue” the second weekend, but still managed to serve the customers waiting in line. Royle hopes to find half the success in NYC she’s found in her hometown.   

“I miss my team in Boston so much, and I’m incredibly grateful and proud of how they’ve run my three stores while I’ve been in New York,” Royle said. “I kept them fueled all weekend with pizza from our fellow North End neighbors at Regina.”