Vancouver's new sandwich shop brings a slice of Europe to the city

Every day around noon, hungry office workers venture out in search of a quick and affordable lunch. This is especially true around the Vancouver Public Library and the new-ish downtown hub, The Post.

Whether it’s the fan-favourite Ebi-Ten or Straight Outta Brooklyn Pizza on the corner, you’ll be hard pressed not to find a line at one of the many grab-and-go spots dotting Robson Street.

However, among those many options, one cuisine seems to reign supreme: the humble sandwich. Quick, portable, and often under $20, it’s a safe choice for a lot of office folks, and the restaurant industry has taken notice. Multiple sandwich spots have started to take over the area, offering their take on the meat and bread combo.

With so many options (including Chipotle if you count a burrito as a sandwich) and typically between 30 minutes to an hour to decide on what to eat during your lunch break, it can be hard to stand out amongst the crowd. Where should you spend your hard-earned time and money? One standout spot we’d recommend is Pressato.

This unassuming cafe-esque store is located in a lunch hot spot, but you most likely won’t see a line spilling out of the store. That’s not to say the spot isn’t bustling with hungry Vancouverites, but rather this was intentional when owner Stefan Ilic was designing the space, allowing plenty of space for customers to line up, order, and wait for their sandwich.

“I want people to feel welcomed,” said Ilic. “I feel like we’re in a place where so many people are ice cold, and it’s a very, very cold, dry world. So, I want everyone who comes in to have a nice, warm, and welcoming experience, to be welcomed every time they come in, and feel like they’re entering a home, not a business.”

This warmth is reflected not only in the friendly and welcoming staff but also in the warm colours of the store, from the lighting to the light wood accents to the mural design by Vancouver Island-based artist Valerie Strom, which takes up the majority of the righthand wall, it all feels welcoming and like an escape from the concrete jungle outside.

But the true warmth comes from the attention and care that Ilic and his staff put into the crafting of these delicious sandwiches, and that all starts with the focaccia that is baked fresh daily.

“I really wanted to bring in something fresh instead of just bringing in pre-made bread,” said Ilic.

“I started testing out focaccia in my apartment and was making probably one to three focaccias every single day for about three months before the whole concept of this began. When I finally felt confident with the recipe, and I was really, really proud of what we had, that’s when I decided to push through with Pressato and open this place up.”

Fast forward to today, and Ilic told us that they’re up at 5 a.m. preparing the focaccia for the day.

But the focaccia is only the start of these wonderfully handcrafted sandwiches. Pressato sources a majority of its meat and cheese from all over Europe.

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“The prosciutto that we use is a serrano that we bring in from Spain, the mortadella that we use is brought in from Italy, the soppressata is brought in from Italy, and the brie cheese is brought in from France,” Ilic explained. “The whole concept behind this place is to show how beautiful all of Europe is.” 

These ingredients all combine to form the many delicious sandwiches we had the chance to try. Highlights from our visit included the Torino (prosciutto serrano, straciatella, truffle oil, arugula, and salt) and the Calabrian Inferno (spicy soppressata, stracciatella, bomba spread, arugula, olive oil, chili crunch, and salt). Both were not only delicious but also came in a large portion. Pressato also serves a line of paninis that Ilic said he is particularly proud of.

Naturally, you’ll also find coffee and espresso beverages at this location as well. But a standout drink offering that Pressato is serving is freshly squeezed orange juice.

During a trip to Spain, Ilic encountered numerous self-serve fresh-squeezed orange juice machines and knew he wanted to bring the same idea to Pressato. 

“You get to see the oranges pressed right in front of you, and you know there’s no gimmicks,” he said. “There’s no water added in, there’s no sugar added in, it’s just oranges squeezed right in front of you.”

Pressato is currently open daily from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Pressato

Address: 386 Robson St., Vancouver

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