The Vancouver Sandwich Challenge was a success featuring creations from restaurants around greater Vancouver. Each restaurant featured their sandwich creation from September 25 – October 20, 2025. Our media judging panel determined the ultimate winners of the challenge, and this was quite the task as each judge who tasted each creation with a rigorous process based on taste, originality/uniqueness and presentation/appearance.
The Winners are:
1st Place:
{103 points}
Maizal RMF
Caribe
Price: $17.50
Created by: Rodrigo Vela
Description: Pork belly marinated in achiote, with 3 cheeses, pineapple, avocado, refried beans and a jalapeno marmilade.
Offered: all the time for dine-in and take-out
Maizal RMF
2815 Main Street, Vancouver
Tel: (604) 709-0813
Web: https://www.maizalrestaurant.ca/
Instagram: @maizal_rmf
2nd Place:
{95 points}
Those Indian Guys
Chicken Naanwich
Price: $14 (optional: add salad for extra $1.50)
Created by: Vinnie
Description: Pulled chicken tikka with cucumber raita sauce, shredded lettuce, pickled onions, on a toasted naan.
Offered: Daily 11am – 2pm
Available: Takeout and delivery.
Delivery: uberEats, Doordash.
Those Indian Guys
120-1881 152 street. Surrey BC
Tel: 778-512-9556
Website: www.thoseindianguys.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/those_indian_guys/
3rd Place:
{87 points}
The Saigonville
Saigon Banh Mi
Price: $9.50
Created by: Chef Kevin
Description: Our banh mi features Vietnamese ham, curing pork, smoked ham, cucumber, pickled daikon and carrot, pate, egg, mayonnaise, soy sauce, and cilantro. We do it with our respect to show everyone the real Banh Mi in Saigon where one of the popular Banh Mi is in Vietnam.
Offered: All the time (closed on Wednesday’s).
Available: Dine-in
The Saigonville
2129 E Hastings St, Vancouver
Web:https://www.thesaigonville.ca/
Instagram @thesaigonville
In the People’s Choice Awards category, the public who tried the Sandwich creations were the ones who had the opportunity to cast their vote throughout the challenge.
The Winners are:
1st Place People’s Choice:
The Saigonville
Saigon Banh Mi
Price: $9.50
Created by: Chef Kevin
Description: Our banh mi features Vietnamese ham, curing pork, smoked ham, cucumber, pickled daikon and carrot, pate, egg, mayonnaise, soy sauce, and cilantro. We do it with our respect to show everyone the real Banh Mi in Saigon where one of the popular Banh Mi is in Vietnam.
Offered: All the time (closed on Wednesday’s).
Available: Dine-in
The Saigonville
2129 E Hastings St, Vancouver
Web:https://www.thesaigonville.ca/
Instagram @thesaigonville
2nd Place People’s Choice:
Those Indian Guys
Chicken Naanwich
Price: $14 (optional: add salad for extra $1.50)
Created by: Vinnie
Description: Pulled chicken tikka with cucumber raita sauce, shredded lettuce, pickled onions, on a toasted naan.
Offered: Daily 11am – 2pm
Available: Takeout and delivery.
Delivery: uberEats, Doordash.
Those Indian Guys
120-1881 152 street. Surrey BC
Tel: 778-512-9556
Website: www.thoseindianguys.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/those_indian_guys/
3rd Place People’s Choice:
Maizal RMF
Caribe
Price: $17.50
Created by: Rodrigo Vela
Description: Pork belly marinated in achiote, with 3 cheeses, pineapple, avocado, refried beans and a jalapeno marmilade.
Offered: all the time for dine-in and take-out
Maizal RMF
2815 Main Street, Vancouver
Tel: (604) 709-0813
Web: https://www.maizalrestaurant.ca/
Instagram: @maizal_rmf
Each media judge will have scored the creation with a maximum of 40 points as follows: Overall Taste 20 points, Originality and Uniqueness 10 points, Presentation and Appearance 10 points). The total number of points a sandwich creation could earn is 120 points.
Our Media judges for this challenge were: Rick Green, Tara Lee and Joyce Lam.
Thank you to the chefs and establishments that accepted my invitation and featured their sandwiches on the menu for the past few weeks during this challenge.
I encourage you to visit the winning places to try their sandwich creations!
By: Richard Wolak