Otto Sandwiches is trading pop-ups for a brick and mortar sandwich shop of their own in downtown Victoria.
The business was launched as a pop-up almost a year ago by Maxime Durand, Paul van Trigt and Harry Morris and operated out of Eva on Fisgard Street.
Between the three of them, they have worked in some of Victoria’s most esteemed kitchens, such as Agrius, Ulla and Olo, Eva, Nourish and Tombo.
When Tombo shut down in 2024, Durand took van Trigt in and had him doing all the cured meats and charcuterie.
The chefs had been playing with the idea for a sandwich shop of their own for years, but when they were reunited at Eva, they put a plan into action to make that dream a reality.
“There probably was a long ongoing conversation over years about wanting to do sandwiches,” said van Trigt.
“Then we just kind of decided, with our love of sandwiches, to kind of go from there.”
The pop-ups first began as semi-bi-weekly events out of Eva, but quickly grew. Soon after they began the endeavour, they were delivering sandwiches to several other local businesses on Fridays, including Saint Cecelia, Empire Donuts, Routine Coffee & Supply and more.
While the pop-up ran, Durand was constantly looking at vacant restaurant spaces in Victoria to try to find one that would work for Otto.
“It was kind of always the hope from day one—its just a pop-up for now but we would like an actual space for Paul to work in specifically for this,” said Morris.
“It was just finding, and waiting for the right place.”
After months of looking, they found a space located at 1019 Fort Street—formerly Picnic Too.
They got the keys on May 1st and have been hard at work making the space their own ever since.
“One thing that’s come up in conversation a few times with the kind of vibe we’re going for is making it feel like a space that’s been here for a long time,” explained Morris.
“Even just with the feel of when you come in, it’s not just a surface-level pop-up, it has character and it feels lived in—a place where you can come in, have a beer and have a sandwich at the bar.”
Once open, Otto Sandwiches will offer plenty of indoor and outdoor seating, as well as bar seating. Sandwiches will be made to-order, but they will also have some premade sandwiches for those who are on-the-go.
Many of their fan-favourites from their pop-up days will be on their starting menu, including a mortadella sandwich, a muffuletta and a ham sandwich.
Additionally, they will offer a breakfast sandwich, a veggie sandwich and will have rotating features based on what van Trigt has in the works.
All meats, breads and accoutrements will be made in house, aside from the occasional specialty bread for a feature item.
(More below)
The restaurant will also be licensed for those looking to enjoy a pint or glass of wine with their sandwich.
In addition to offering sandwiches in house, Otto also plans on one day having a deli fridge stocked with cured meats and other offerings for people to take home—though their first priority right now is opening the restaurant.
Otto Sandwiches plans on opening as early as next week. Follow them on Instagram to find out when and stay up to date with everything they’ve got going on.
💬 Join the conversation
No comments yet — be the first to start the conversation
