Flour Bakery + Cafe might be best known for sweet treats like the coveted Sticky Buns and chocolate chip cookies, but the beloved bakery chain makes incredible sandwiches on its own breads. Veggie-forward offerings are fresh, seasonal, and often rival the ones with meat in heartiness, such as the Roasted Sweet Potato sandwich on multigrain sourdough with Great Hill blue cheese, walnut pesto, apple, and watercress. Homemade Hummus on focaccia showcases seasonal pickles, herbs, and vegan sriracha aioli, while the Grilled Mushroom Melt indulges our craving for gooey, greasy cheese with smoked gouda, gruyere, caramelized onions, and sherry. 

We all know a good sandwich begins with good bread. It’s a non-negotiable ingredient. So the bread experts at Hi-Rise Bread Company anchor a swoon-worthy lunch menu with toasted whole wheat, sesame-speckled buns, and more fresh bakes stacked to order. With one of the most extensive selections of vegetarian sandwiches around at more than a dozen options, this Porter Square bakery takes veggies just as seriously as the bread game. We love Johnathan’s Vegetable Garden with cooling goat cheese, radish, cucumber, red leaf lettuce, tomato, and basil pesto. Or, try Johnye’s Louisville Slugger for something a little more decadent: mushroom duxelles, monterey jack, roasted tomato, and smoked serrano mayo on grilled sourdough. 

It’s love at first sight at Cutty’s—not just for the husband-and-wife duo behind the Brookline Village sandwich shop, but for the embrace they’ve received from neighbors and visitors alike. Sammies like the Roast Beef 1000 and the monthly special Super Cluckin’ Sunday have a cult following, but the veggie handhelds are an equal delight. Try the Greens Shallot on toasted ciabatta with sauteed Swiss chard, crispy shallots, and saffron yogurt; or the Rabe T.J. pressed on an Iggy’s sesame seed roll with broccoli rabe (sauteed to bitter, nutty balance), melty mozzarella, aged sharp provolone, and house-made tomato jam. The sandwich masters at Cutty’s also nail it with a buttery havarti grilled cheese. Don’t forget to order a homemade limeade to go with.

Tatte has made a mark on Boston (and beyond) as locations of the Israeli-inspired bakery and cafe chain continue to multiply. Beloved for the overloaded pastry counter and some of the best Shakshuka in town, Tatte’s sandwiches boast just as much flavor. The Roasted Cauliflower pita is a vegetarian option that hits all the right notes with pine nuts, spicy labneh, golden raisins, chilies, cilantro, and capers. In addition to notable veggie-forward combinations, the menu clearly denotes common allergens for folks with other dietary restrictions.

Roxy’s Grilled Cheese started as one of Boston’s original food trucks, and now boasts brick-and-mortar locations in Allston and Central Square for the sandwiches that made it a household name. The grilled cheese options run the gamut from a Classic Three Cheese—Vermont cheddar, muenster, and Monterey Jack—to The Allston, a fancier entry with herbed goat cheese, fig jam, caramelized onions, and arugula. At its original location in Allston, Roxy’s even offers a fully vegan-friendly grilled cheese menu made with plant-based butter and cheeses.

In Turkish, “Sofra” is one and the same with hospitality and generosity—and that’s seen with all facets of this Middle Eastern bakery and cafe. Sofra proffers incredible sandwiches where vegetables are treated with as much care as any animal protein. It takes a less conventional route with sandwiches like in the Butternut Squash Gozleme, a Turkish-style flatbread stuffed with leeks, halloumi cheese, and tomato-brown butter; and Durum, a Turkish wrap filled with red-lentil kofte, cabbage, pickled peppers, and tomato-brown butter. The Cambridge cafe is also the home base for acclaimed chef Ana Sortun’s vibrant Spinach Falafel, a signature dish that has also graced the menus at Oleana and Sarma.