Baldwin Village’s latest sandwich shop, Alfie’s only opened last month, and yet, with its viral success, owner-chef Alex Rad already has big plans for expansion.
Though it may seem like an overnight success, Alfie’s Sandwiches & Market, which comes from the team behind Smoque N’ Bones, was years in the making. Born from a pandemic idea years ago, Alfie’s was intended for a spring 2024 oepning.
“This has been in my head for the longest time, so I had to make sure we could execute,” Rad says.
The delay allowed for Rad and the team to spend eight months perfecting the signature sourdough — named Alfie — which sets the base for all the curated, Tuscan-inspired handhelds that have been selling out almost daily within hours of opening.
“He dictates,” says Rad. “As much as we’re in control, we had to work around him. We had to learn the hard way and practice, practice, practice, so that’s what we did.”
That led to the creation of 40 sandwiches, which will rotate through the menu. The must-try item currently taking over your algorithm is the “Monalisa” — a sandwich made with 24-month Prosciutto di Parma and an entire burrata, flown in weekly from Italy. It’s layered with baby arugula, small-batch lemon basil pesto, house-made truffle cream and roasted pistachios. Despite being the priciest item on the menu at $27, the Monalisa’s viral rise speaks to Rad’s vision — that “the first and the last bite should taste the same.”
Other menu showstoppers include a chicken Caesar, the Salami Inferno which packs a mean punch with a crispy chili oil made (like everything else) in house, and Rad’s favourite, the Truffle Affair, complete with prosciutto cotto, artichoke in oil, truffle cream and arugula.
The current creations are just the beginning of what Alfie’s has in store. Soon, the shop will roll out more sandwich options, including turkey and roast beef smoked at Smoque N’ Bones, along with new vegetarian offerings. And if that’s not enough to get excited about, Rad also revealed plans to introduce four salads to the menu and begin producing chili oil and other products for wholesale.
“I wanted to do something that I’m not only proud of, but something that is a reflection of our team and when you have passion and love for something, it’ll always come out,” Rad says. “Seeing the reaction of people and going viral meets our goal of making sure people recognize that so much love goes into the food.”
Taking inspiration from Italian shops — and preserving elements of the legacy convenience store it replaced — Alfie’s is more than just a takeout sandwich spot. The market shelves are stocked with cheeses, creams, pestos, oils, pickled goods and a curated selection of non-alcoholic beers and wines.
“The marketplace is for the community,” Rad says. “People love it and it’s full of all the ingredients that we use from the truffle creams to the oils.”
Fueled by the newfound success—and an obvious passion for the job—Rad already has plans to bring Alfie to the rest of Toronto. By the end of summer, he says, he hopes to have a location open in midtown and another in a to-be-determined neighbourhood.
“We feel that people are really embracing it,” he says. “It excites me to come back and see people enjoying what we do — it gives me a reason, a purpose. I love seeing people eat and be happy. I really enjoy that.”
Alfie’s is located at 36 Baldwin St.
