Back where I used to live, in Brooklyn NY, sandwiches and delis abounded. In my neighborhood of Bay Ridge, you only needed to walk a few blocks to find a place where you could pick up a hearty sandwich, usually overloaded with meats and/or condiments to the point where about 10 napkins per food item were a necessity. Here in Bennington, Vermont, there are definitely far fewer establishments of this nature, but the two sandwiches places the neighborhood offers do both happen to be affordable and delicious. These places are the Elm Street Market, located on (you guessed it) Elm Street, and Your Belly’s Deli, located on Pleasant Street in the downtown Bennington area.

The Elm Street Market

The first time I visited the Elm Street Market, it was completely spontaneous. It was late in the September of 2018, rather soon after my husband and I had moved to Vermont from New York City. We were taking a walk around the neighborhood to explore when we passed by its charming building, where a sign outside was advertising a deal on cups of cheesy soup. I could not resist the appeal of this soup on a brisk autumn day, so in we went. I ended up ordering a Mount Antonio sandwich – their vegetarian mozzarella sandwich – as cheesy soup would, of course, be best paired with more cheese. We ate at a small table in the market, though now that we’ve lived here a few years, we have been appreciating this establishment more for the great takeout it provides.

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I’ve enjoyed trying many more of the Elm Street Market’s sandwiches – I have never been disappointed (every time I’ve eaten lunch from here, I’ve been satisfied), but I have definitely found some sandwiches more remarkable than others. My two favorites are the “Maplelicious”, the perfect blend of turkey, ham, cheddar, and healthy additions like thinly sliced apples and spinach, and the “Wild Bill”, the market’s buffalo chicken sandwich. In both cases, the sauces really bring the sandwich to a standout level – the “Maplelicious” features Elm Street Market’s house-made maple sriracha mayo and the “Wild Bill” features a house made jalapeno sauce. I wish I had these condiments at home, as they are both top notch stuff. I also have a strong appreciation of the “Southshire Shrimp” sandwich, due to its uniqueness (it comes on a pretzel roll!) and the fact that it is literally overflowing with shrimp.

I have been fortunate to work near Elm Street Market, and the few days where I had the time, energy, and money to pick up one of their sandwiches in the middle of a school day were sweet. Speaking of money, the prices at Elm Street are reasonable. The price of sandwiches ranges from $6.95 to $10.49, depending on the ingredients used (vegetarian sandwiches are on the cheaper side). There are good selections of cold and hot options. If you want to beef up your lunch a bit you can make your sandwich order into a “lunchbox” for $14.50. If you choose this option, the sandwich will come with a cookie, chips, a pickle spear and a water bottle or can of soda. You can visit and/or order from 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM on weekdays, and from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM on Saturdays. The Elm Street Market is closed on Sundays.

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Another really cool aspect of Elm Street is its daily special. Every single day, there is a unique sandwich available, often with a season twist (for example, a “sandwich of the day” in the spring might involve strawberries) . You can see what the “sandwich of the day” is by following Elm Street Market on Facebook or signing up for an email list. However, you should only do this if you want to be tempted to buy sandwiches on a daily basis – they always sound ridiculously tasty.

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Finally, I must mention that the Elm Street Market has been a great model of safety during the coronavirus pandemic. They enforce capacity limits (last time we went it was 2 customers at a time), are strict about mask wearing, and bring your order to your car to encouraging distancing as much as possible. There is also an area now set up to enjoy your food with outdoor seating, if and when the weather allows. This is a business that I feel confident takes health and safety seriously. I appreciate this attitude and with that and the general delectability of all of the sandwiches, I consider myself a very big fan.

Freshly Vermont rating: five out of five stars. ★★★★★

Your Belly’s Deli

Your Belly’s Deli is another establishment my husband and I visited very soon after moving to Vermont, and continue to visit on a regular basis. In comparison to the Elm Street Market, this is more of a sit-down deli restaurant and there seems to be more of an emphasis on the hot sandwiches here.

While the sandwiches here are delicious, if you are going for a sit-down experience, I would recommend making sure you have a lot of room in your stomach – these sandwiches are very filling, and when you are eating on the premises, they come with chips.

Just as with the Elm Street Market, I have enjoyed trying different sandwiches with each visit. Here, since the sandwiches are so hefty and it’s hard to make a choice with so many tasty options, my husband and I will often do a half and half deal, where we order two sandwiches and we each have half.

My favorite sandwiches at Your Belly’s Deli (so far – there’s still plenty I’d like to try!) are the “Belly Up!” sandwich, which involves an excellent, savory combination of roast beef, roasted red peppers, cheddar, and horseradish aoili, as well as the “Turkey Rachel”, which is a turkey sandwich on marble rye that comes with coleslaw and Russian dressing on on it. I’m also a big fan of the “Green Mountain Cheese-State”, a grilled roast beef sandwich that is completely covered in melted jack cheese.

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Aside from sandwiches, you can also purchase snacks such as chips and cookies and even Vermont-made beer and wine. The food is a bit pricier than the Elm Street Market, but all items are similarly priced – here, every sandwich is between $9.00 and $9.50. Your Belly’s Deli is open from 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM Monday through Thursday, as well as on Saturdays. Its hours extend until 7:00 PM on Fridays and it is closed on Sundays.

During the pandemic, we have only ordered from here through takeout, though Your Belly’s Deli is open for indoor dining as of my writing this blog post in October 2020. Not having gone in during this time, I don’t feel I know enough about the establishment’s safety guidelines to form an opinion or comment on them.

In general, Your Belly’s Deli offers substantial and enticing meals. I would recommend a visit or, in times when one may want to be more careful, a takeout order.

Freshly Vermont rating: five out of five stars. ★★★★★