Helen S
Google
Originally from Dallas, Sandoitchi returns for another Denver pop-up. The craze for matcha, ube, shokupan, and Japanese goods in general shows no sign of abating, and locals showed up en masse during the first weekend. It was one of my first weekends seeing Reunion bakery without a line as it seemed to have been copy-pasted outside of Sandoitchi.
The feel is somewhat commercialized - clean lines and polished menus reminiscent of upscale fast food. Having also been to Eloise recently, we were pretty excited to compare these sandwiches. But! DON'T SLEEP ON THE DRINKS.
We ordered with one staffmember at the bar where the bev-master was also shaking up drinks nonstop. The kitchen itself is located on the opposite wall, adjacent to a giant screen which was playing some highlights of La Liga for the fútbol fans waiting there. Or maybe for the staff. There's a handful of tables for dining in, as well as a row of chairs against the wall for people just looking to takeout. It was pretty busy so we did wait a bit for both our drinks and food, but luckily it was a nice day so we were able to eat at one of the Source tables outside.
Remember how I said don't sleep on the drinks? These were the most memorable parts of the meal. Mango Ube Lassi was just a DECADENT flavor-bomb of nectary mango layered with even more creamy nuttiness from the ube. Surprisingly even for someone like me who's pretty sensitive to sweetness, the tartness of the yogurt was balancing and I finished in record-time while fending off my stealthy sips from the boyfriend. The Strawberry Matcha Latte was also tasty and densely flavored. Sandwich wise - we liked the Wagyu Katsu Sando but this tasted more like an elevated hamburger, and the Spicy Truffle Chicken Katsu tasted like bread around a buffalo chicken wing with the smallest whiff of truffle. For dessert lovers, the Strawberry Cream Sando tastes exactly like what you'd expect whipped cream, strawberries, and soft milkbread to taste like.
If we drop by again, it'll most likely be to slurp up some of their drinks rather than dine, but glad that Sandoitchi brought their team to us Denverites to try!