“I believe that all anyone really wants in this life is to sit in peace and eat a sandwich.” - Liz Lemon

Whether this is indeed what you want or you are just really craving a fantastic sandwich, Stella’s Cafe is a MUST visit. While Stella’s has been around since 2012, her new home is in Saranac Commons. This cute little cafe has the potential to become your favorite lunch spot. From sandwiches, soups and delicious sides to breakfast sandwiches, sweet pastries and tasty basked goods Stella’s has all your lunch needs and wants covered. Whether you have some time to pull up a chair and linger to enjoy your sandwich or need to grab your sandwich and be on your merry way you are guaranteed to enjoy whatever you order. Pro tip, get the tomato basil soup, oh my good heavens is it ever delicious. It’s everything you want it a creamy tomato soup and I love that it has a slight spicy zest to it, just a little sneaky kick.

Last week I met my dear friend Sara (@sweet_home_spokane) at Stella’s for lunch. We enjoyed visiting and catching up while…. She ordered their chicken salad sandwich on gluten free bread and loved it (I’ve also had that sandwich, it’s SO good) and I had my favorite sandwich at Stella’s which is their Banh Mi. I devoured it within minutes and happily so. I probably should have been embarrassed by how quickly I ate it but I really wasn’t, I was wrapped up in the moment of my sandwich, haha. They have definitely mastered the art of the sandwich at Stella’s, so anything you get is going to be great.

Owner, Chef Tony Brown, first opened Stella's (named after his daughter) in 2012 on West Broadway. After 5 years they closed up shop at that location and moved in with their sister restaurant just up the street at Ruins for a couple years and had their famous Stella’s sandwiches available for lunch. After about two years of sharing space with Ruins, the the iconic little blue building on Monroe, Stella’s cafe opened in their new home in the Saranac Commons. It’s been fun to see the journey that Stella’s has been on even from when I tried my first Banh mi from their shop several years ago.

One of Chef Tony's life philosophies is "dedicate yourself to a craft, put your head down and do your thing." It's very apparent that he indeed lives by this philosophy and it has sure done well for him. I’ve said this before but it’s worth saying again, Chef Tony is one fascinating person and we're very fortunate to have him as a talented chef in our city but also a member of our local community.

Curious about their other sandwiches? Here is a sampling of their sandwich menu:

Meatloaf - lettuce, pickled onion, spicy ketchup

Banh Mi- braised pork or ginger-marinated tofu, pickled vegetables, sriracha aioli, cilantro

Chicken salad - bacon, tarragon, arugula

Portabello - roasted portobello, arugula, Kalamata olive, sriracha aioli, tomato

BLT - bacon, lettuce, tomato, mayonnaise

Reuben - Corned beef, Swiss, sauerkraut, thousand island

BBQ Tofu - ginger-marinated tofu, barbeque sauce, coleslaw, salsa verde

Stella’s cafe is located at 19 W Main Ave. Spokane, WA 99201 and you can find them on Instagram HERE