Silverside Deli Elevates the Salt Lake City Sandwich Game

Silverside Deli is a casual sandwich spot that excites, due to their not-so-casual approach to cooking. Executive Chef Zach Wojdula uses his fine dining experience at places like Current Fish & Oyster to give customers a taste of Michelin-level expertise packaged in a unique gourmet sandwich. 

Upon my introduction to Silverside, it took one bite of the Korean Fried Chicken ($15) to know it was special. The tenderness and tanginess of the kimchi was good enough to eat on its own, which worked harmoniously with the crispier texture of the fried chicken, and the cucumbers and onions, which were brushed in a fantastic ginger-garlic gochujang sauce that brought sweetness and spice. The quality of the ingredients and the fact that everything was made from scratch stood out immediately. 

I’m a sucker for buffalo chicken, whether in an elevated form or from the greasiest of chicken shacks, so naturally I needed to try the Honey Buffalo Chicken ($14). What wowed me first was the best buffalo sauce I’ve ever had. It was sweetly rich with a kick, made creamy by dill ranch, slathered over the perfectly tender panko and herb-crusted chicken. Pickles and lettuce added a nice crunch, constructing a sandwich that is not too heavy, not too light, but just right. Usually the cooperation of texture and flavor in a sandwich is an afterthought, but it couldn’t be ignored here.

Finally, I opted for a cold sandwich. I tried The Big Easy ($16), Silverside’s now-retired take on a muffuletta that stacked a half pound of ham, soppressata, finocchiona and mortadella. Among the four different quality meats, provolone is shuffled in on an herbed focaccia that is pillow soft, allowing easy access to sink your teeth among the impressive mountain of high quality ingredients. Each bite feels richer. The presence of the meat is undeniable and delicious, but it’s the added flavor coming from the sherry aioli, beer-pickled shallots, capers and house-made olive salad that elevates this sandwich from a regular, solid cold sandwich to something more. As Silverside describes this sandwich on their website, I can confirm it is “bold, briny and deeply satisfying.” 

Wojdula’s advanced cooking arsenal helps achieve balance, the philosophical key to the business. Each ingredient is deliberately chosen and prepared a certain way that serves a purpose evident in every bite. Silverside goes through painstaking lengths to ensure their sandwiches achieve a perfect balance not just in flavor but also texture. For monthly specials like The Big Easy, the staff will test different iterations of the sandwich ensuring that the one that finally gets the green light after typically three weeks of tinkering is the best sandwich they could possibly produce. 

Because of this balance in each sandwich, Silverside doesn’t recommend altering orders. Someone who may not like an individual ingredient will enjoy it in the sandwich because each ingredient is meant to compliment the others flavor profiles. No ingredients are added for fluff or without thought. For example, my girlfriend doesn’t like pickles, but when trying the Honey Buffalo, she noted that for whatever reason it worked on this sandwich. Each sandwich is designed for the whole to outperform the sum of its parts and is absolutely worth spending a little extra. The exception to this recommendation is Silverside’s recent menu addition of cauliflower filets as an optional substitute for their chicken sandwiches to provide more options for vegetarians.

I’ve previously scoffed at the term “sandwich artist,” but Wojdula and his staff may have earned that very moniker. I dare you to find a deli that will sous vide all their chicken or one that pumps out confit pork belly for a sandwich. The point is, you won’t. What makes this hidden gem so special is that they execute high-level cookery with fine dining techniques that other delis can’t match. Add that creativity to the three new specials that rotate monthly, and you have the best sandwich spot in Salt Lake. Each sandwich is fresh, deliberate and balanced beautifully with its own personality, so head over to Silverside Deli in Sugar House to experience a one-of-a-kind sandwich in concept and execution. 

Read other food reviews by Sean Rinn:
Blockbuster Bites at Nomad East
Cosmica: A Star-Studded Spin on Italian Cuisine