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High-quality, interesting sandwiches for $6..yes please! I have a big crush on toast...or maybe it's a crunch, idk. This adorbs little restaurant makes paninis, crostini, soups, bruschetta & more with farm-fresh ingredients for a totally reasonable price. The combination of decent price and good food is sorely lacking in Durham and I'm so glad that Toast is here to fill the gap.
Last time I had the "local farm egg, tallegio, chives" panini..a high-class take on the egg & cheese sandwich. The bread is perfect and the filling deliciously wholesome..and I think I need another one right now.
As a bonus they have a pretty good juice & beer selection as well. Duck Rabbit and Highland for 3 bucks! Come on..try and beat that, and drinking in your living room doesn't count.
Fantastic sandwiches. I like the rapini and sweet Italian sausage panini. The bread is well toasted without having any burned flavor.
My only disappointment about the place is that it gets loud. There's a high tin ceiling so it can get a little loud at lunch time.
Bonus points for having Orangina.
edit: the soups are awesome too!
We LOVE Toast. Period. Maybe even an Exclamation Point (!)
The Food: little bread, big bread, hot bread, cold bread, All Things Bread. This is Gourmet, now, so if you want "just a ham and cheese" you better keep on truckin'. The sandwiches we've had are good if not superb. The crostini are fun because they are so cheap and you can gamble on them. The salads, as well, have been great. One of the best things we've had was some kind of marinated octopus salad.
The Location: awesome downtown location with outdoor seating option The decor, as I recall, is simple and functional. Nice windows.
The Service: I'm assuming the woman who has always served us from the counter is Kelli, one of the owners, and she has always been super friendly, helpful and enthusiastic. She exudes good vibes.
The Price: I think all the sandwiches are $6, the crostini are $2 (they're small) and cups of soup are an extra $2 as well. It is QUITE RARE when this guy (me) feels like he's getting a great deal and at Toast I feel like a King. The King can order whatever he wants, splurge, feast and come out about $10-15 bucks lighter. It's good to be the King.
Alright, Okay, what's wrong with Toast? Well....several times we've gotten super stoked to go eat there and they've been closed for family holiday or some other weak, what's-it-got-to-do-with-me-? excuse. The horror. Also- they are closed for dinner SATURDAY NIGHT (?!) and all day Sunday.
I am a giant fan of the sandwich. As a kid I remember experimenting with such crazy things as a peanut butter, lettuce and cheese sandwich. So I am always excited to see a place with a fun, fresh and big list of sandwiches! Once more for good measure -- sandwich!!
I've been both times for lunch -- right around 1pm -- and both times I've loved it! I plan on going back to keep sampling whatever they can throw at me.
Oh, and I really can't get over the fact that both times the bill has been $10. I just moved from LA and if that's the sort of pricing I can expect here then I think I am in love!
I first got to check out Toast during a Taste Carolina food tour. It's a cute, little sandwich spot that focuses on great ingredients in a funky little space. Toast delivers great food for not much bread! It's a simple place, order at the counter, grab your drink and number and wait patiently for your food. I had a bit of a challenge understanding what's in each sandwich, some of the ingredients were new to me. There's a lot of eenie's at Toast ranging from panini's (hot toasted sandwiches), tramezzini (cold sandwiches) and crostini! They also have a couple of soupini's that you can add as a side to your sandwich.
The food is all really fresh and mostly, locally sourced. I started off with a satisfying lentil soup with peppers, clean and tasty. My tramezzini was a full chicken salad sandwich cut diagonally with the crusts cut off, just like your mom would do it! Let's face it, sandwiches always taste better cut into triangles but the chicken salad was also great with fresh chicken and just the right amount of mayo.
Decor here is focused on a turquoise blue wall, you may have to wait for a table since the place is small and usually busy. Crowd here was pretty hip given the location in Durham. We're talking squared -off specs, scarves and wool overcoats. Busy and bustling is the best way to describe the atmosphere Toast. But it's all about the food here and while the menu may not be that big, I'm sure you'll find something tasty. Toast makes sandwiches one of the simple pleasures in life, stop by for a quick meal or snack!
Funky storefront space in downtown Durham. Specialty is gourmet Italian sandwiches (panini, bruschetta, etc.), many with interesting combinations of ingredients; soups and salads as well. These are not huge heavy meals, which was exactly what we were looking for. Can't beat this place for the price.
I'm moving downtown in a couple of months and this was the first neighborhood restaurant I decided to check out. I haven't tried anything else yet, but I think it's safe to say that this will probably be my go-to spot when I'm looking for something quick and tasty. It's a fairly small place, but there's plenty of seating indoors and out (we came around lunchtime on a Thursday and had no problem getting a table even though there were a lot of people), and the woman working at the counter was extremely friendly.
I got a panini with portobello, fontina, arugla and roasted tomato with a small salad for about $8, which seems a little steep for such a small portion, but it was reeeally good. We also got the crostini with goat cheese, honey, and black pepper, which I thought was a'ight. Everything else on the menu looked really great as well; they have a pretty wide variety of, ah, toast. This is one of the rare places where I could seriously have ordered anything off of the menu (I'm picky).
One thing: unsweetened tea. But I'm willing to overlook this because my food was so tasty. And because now I know what a tramezzini is!
This place is great. I went for the first time this past week and it was awesome! From the bottled cream soda to the side green salad with house dressing, everything was delicious.
For those who don't know, Toast is a small order-at-the-counter sandwich shop with about 10-15 tables inside and out. The food is pretty fast, the menu is kinda pricey, but food is out of this world. The service was also really nice although there is only a cashier and expediter. Now that I work in Downtown Durham, I can see this becoming a regular spot for lunch.
If you have no idea what a paninoteca is, it's fortunately spelled out for you on the wall in a helpful dictionary format. Put shortly, though, it's an Italian sandwich shop. If you don't know what anything else is in there, that's okay. It's all spelled out for you at Toast. This may be why a place with a small, yet challenging menu can have taken off as the worst-kept secret in Durham so fast.
Or maybe it's because the sandwiches are amazing. Due to a lack of proper exposure, I thought that paninis were a suitable alternative to a regular sandwich in a place like Panera Bread. Once I had the rapini, sweet Italian sausage, roasted garlic, and asiago fresca panini at Toast? I get it.
I've only been a few times, and have tried very hard to order something different each time. It's difficult, because everytime I get something it's my new favorite and I want it again. Remember that I called it the worst kept secret in Durham, because even in off hours, there's quite a line to the counter. This should say more about the quality of the food here than anything I can write about how much I adore those sandwiches.
Jam-packed for lunch-tme on Saturday. But there still seemed to be enough seating inside and out to contain everyone who wanted to stick around and eat. Punchy and posh minimal decor (the pics on here represent it well). I ordered the three-cheese sandwich -- which (as the name may suggest) was a bit :too: much cheese for me to handle; seriously, it was a little difficult to swallow, there was so much cheese. My crostini on the other hand was delicious (warm goat cheese, black pepper and honey). My date got the italian sausage sandwich which he shared with me -- again, just not uber-impressed. His crostini was a cheese-and-mushroom thing, which was alright. Overall, I just didn't think the food lived up to the outstanding reviews here. I get a much better "wow" out of the delicious sammies over in CH at Sandwhich. And I even prefer the yum-factor at Jack Sprat. Still, I love that this is a quirky local establishment, and the food is definitely fresh, so I'm a supporter.
Love it! This place has lots of amazing fresh food and I don't think the prices are all that high. Most meals will be around $10 which seems pretty good to me. The portions seem generous too considering the quality of the ingredients.
I had the 3 crostini (each one is 2 slices of baguette covered in toppings) and green salad for $8. It was actually a bit too much food for me (but I finished every bite). It would be nice if they had a 2 crostini and salad deal for $6 at lunch (maybe they would do this I did not ask).
My only complaint is that it is so far from work and home (so far on foot that is).
I had read great reviews of Toast and wanted to try it out. My mother was visiting from out of state and we went by, but they were closed on Saturday afternoons. Last week my boyfriend and his sister (visiting from New Jersey) and I went on a weekday afternoon when we were the only customers.
We're all vegetarians or vegans, and we tried different sandwiches but all basically came to the same conclusion: the paninis we had were tepid, not flavorful, ok if you're hungry and have no other option, but not worth the $10 it cost per person. When you compare this to Carrburritos or even Neal's Deli, which only has one vegetarian sandwich but one that's fabulous, it's pretty disappointing what you get for the same price at this place.
The reviews I've read about how great this place is must be based on the decor, because the food is simply lacking. I would maybe give it another try for the soups, but a sandwich shop should have good sandwiches.
Hey, these guys give you bread, usually grilled or toasted, with various toppings or fillings, and it's pretty good. We got crostini with goat cheese, local honey, and cracked black pepper, and I ate it and I liked it. My panini had proscuitto and other things in it. Maybe too salty? It's proscuitto. I'll try something else next time. I got my sandwich with a green salad, and that was my favorite part of the meal, it was an outstanding salad. What do you want from me? I'm writing a Yelp review here.
This is a great little spot to have something good to eat and it's cheap! I tried this spot out with a friend who had been here before. I had a little bit of wine, soup and mushroom crostini. The soup was slurppingly good, it was just enough of wine (a little more than a glass, but less than a carafe). Why would anyone go to one of the chain sandwich shops, when you could dine in Tuscany, is beyond me. I will definitely get back that way. I would have given it five stars, but they didn't have power for my laptop. I guess if they put more money into the decor, the prices would have to go up.
I can only speak for the paninis, but they're delicious. Service and atmosphere are amazing as well. This is the best option if you're looking for a sandwich in Durham.
SOOOO GOOD!!! I admit, although it came recommended, I had low expectations. But everything was amazing! I had the beet/mint/orange bruschetta with a bowl of their bean soup of the day for $8, both were delicious! Hubby and I shared 2 of the crostinis (you get 2 pieces per order), also delicious. I can still taste the garlic in the pesto one, but loving it! For $20 we had a quick, tasty, local dinner. What more can I ask? I'll be back!
Toast is the fun new lunch spot in downtown Durham - I was there recently for a weekday lunch, and there was a pretty decent crowd, with a few people waiting (but not too long) for tables.
The menu is simple enough - paninis, tramezzini (cold sandwiches on white bread), and bruschetta - each for $5 or $6. You can add a salad or one of the two soups of the day for $2. You can also order crostini - two for $1.50. The prices are a little high for a sandwich without a side item, but I think the six crostini and soup deal for $7 is pretty decent.
Enough with all the prices, though. The most important thing is that the food is good. I've tried three different soups there and enjoyed all of them, even the ones containing ingredients I usually don't dig, like sausage or fennel. The crostini are excellent as well, and a pretty unique lunch offering. If the phrase "garlicky mushrooms" is as heavenly to you as it is to me, check out the garlicky mushroom, thyme and gorgonzola ones. Yummy.
I love sandwiches, and it's that fact that makes me wish I got out to this part of Durham more often. For Toast (capital T).
The paninis here are amazing, and that's coming from a guy who normally like his sandwiches cold. They're filling and flavorful and actually have a good texture to them, an all-too-rare thing in the panini business.
The prices can be a bit steep, especially for the relatively smaller portions, but it's not really a big deal. You'll be best served by coming here for a quick - but not too quick - snack lunch.
as a new transplant to the durham area, i was excited to stumble upon toast in the gentrifying downtown. simple decor, friendly service (i suspect the lady at the counter and one of the hard working guys in the open kitchen are the owners) and killer food. first, i love how they use authentic and rare (at least by durham standards) ingredients AND they know how to spell/pronounce them.
as a somewhat flexible pescatarian, i was happy to see that they always have at least one vegetarian soup everyday (you'd be surprised how hard it is to find soup w/o chicken stock). and the butternut squash soup was hearty and savory. thick specks of black pepper and a sprinkling of parmaggiano kept it from being too dessert-y, as this falltime soup can sometimes be.
my panino of spicy tuna was complimented well with the lemon zest and thinly shaved fennel. it was pressed to perfection, without being too scratchy (what i call the capt'n crunch syndrome. once you're done eating, the roof of your mouth is completely annihilated.) and katy's special-of-the-day panino with roasted ham, roasted apples, some kind of cheese, and spicy mustard kept her quiet the whole meal.
we didn't have room for sweets, but they have a cute selection of italian candies and cookies.
even though we went at the height of lunch, the restaurant ran smoothly, with lots of smiles and yummy sandwiches. everyone there seemed happy.
it's the kind of spot where everything looks amazing and you keep going back to try different stuff, but you could easily find yourself getting addicted to just one thing, over and over. count me in!
Toast is a great, relatively-new place in Durham. They serve a variety of sandwiches, as you may have guessed, but with a little bit of flair. They have all different types of bruschetta that you can put your sandwich on, or panini bread, or just plain toast. Nothing is over $8, so you can leave here without breaking the bank. Beware at lunch time, this restaurant gets overly packed with the work crowd, so come after 3 if you can.
What else can be said about this place? High quality ingredients in the hands of a talented chef = great food! The fact that it's very casual and way underpriced only makes it the Durham restaurant any passionate food person cannot miss regardless of their budget. Really nice people run Toast, and be assured that they know their stuff.
Right now, Toast is my favorite restaurant in Durham. The menu offers a variety of hot panini and cold tremzzini, including several vegetarian options such as a kale panina with ricotta and hot/sweet peppers. A sandwich made completely of greens? Ick you say? Actually, it's about the tastiest I've ever consumed. The hot peppers give it just the right amount of kick and the cheese adds a salty contrast.
The sides are not your typical fries or salad either. There a variety of crostini available - I recommend the honey and goat cheese or the daliy special. The warm olives with hot pepper and orange peel are to die for, but caution, you'll find yourself licking you fingers in public.
The real treat at Toast, however, is the soup. I've yet to figure out how white bean soup can taste so incredibly good... so complex... so I'll go 15 minutes out of my way because the only thing that will satisfy my hunger is soup from Toast.
Plus the owners are some of the nicest I've met and they just got their alcohol permit so they have a tasty selection of beers to choose from.
If you haven't been to this spot, don't miss it, but just a heads up: they're only open for a bit in Saturday afternoon, are closed on Sunday and close at 8pm on weekdays.
Toast is a new Italian sandwich shop that has just opened in downtown durham in the Five Points area. I came in the day after their grand opening, apparently right after a rush.
The staff are, well, a husband and wife team: the owners! I spent a couple minutes talking with one of them, congratulating them on their new business, and browsing their menu. It is fairly simple in that their are pretty much just sandwiches at lunch; but a plethora of choices. I can't remember what I ordered - the soup and salad combo. It was amazing. High quality eating.
The prices are very reasonable, considering the quality of the food. I think I spent $6. I was told, and it appeared to be so, that they offer basically a dual menu: half of the sandwiches are vegetarian (and very likely vegan), and one of the two soups of the day are also vegetarian.
Tasty place - I'm definitely gonna revisit.
Good, but not great, food. Very friendly and helpful service. I think the paninis are better at Parker & Otis. Nice to have as a downtown option, though.
reasonable priced paninis $6 and quite tasty too. the decor is cute sandwich shop. they had some biscotti, bagged chips and some cookies. overall a great place to grab lunch. we would definitely go back.
i tried the proscuitto, mozzarella, tomato panini's and that was quite good but maybe could have used some basil or a basil pesto. the grilled chicken, roasted peppers, mozzarella, salsa verde was an excellent sandwich.great flavors. the only suggestion about these sandwich is that the bread could have been thicker.
the side salads looked quite fresh and good but we didnt get any this time.
try the warm goat cheese, local honey, cracked black pepper crostini for a sweet and satisifying snack. the garlicky mushrooms, thyme, gorgonzola crostini was also excellent.
Durham, NC
Category: Specialty Food
Durham, NC
Category: Asian Fusion
Durham, NC
Category: Desserts
Durham, NC
Category: Pubs
Durham, NC
Category: Irish
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