A Sandwich a Day: Pollo Diablo at Panes Bread Cafe

[Photograph: Molly Durham]

It's easy to miss Panes Bread Cafe, since the cafe is on the same corner as Fish Bar and DMK Burger. It doesn't even have a website. With places like these I always figure that what's hidden must be worth finding. I was right with this one. The sandwiches are a serious deal, all being under $6, and their pollo diablo ($5.75) gave me the spicy kick I've been yearning for in my sandwiches lately.

All of the bread here is made in-house, and it tastes like it. Soft and fresh, it's the first thing you think about since large loaves line the wall behind the counter. This is the kind of sandwich that you don't think is spicy at first, but then your nose starts running. Considering that both spicy mayo and pepper jack cheese top these thin chicken slices, I would have been disappointed if it wasn't this way.

It's a simple but well done sandwich. Despite not being the most interesting thing I've eaten, I've oddly found myself craving it ever since.

Panes Bread Cafe

3002 N Sheffield Ave, Chicago IL 60657 (map)
773-665-0972

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