This new GTA restaurant is serving traditional Persian brain and tongue sandwiches

Over the past year, the city has been flooded with a staggering amount of new sandwich spots. We’ve seen everything from high-end downtown delis piling mortadella high on pillow-soft focaccia, to shops perfecting hot-honey fried chicken and artisanal banh mi. But when every street corner is serving a great turkey club, standing out takes a menu that steps way outside the comfort zone.

Enter Sandwich Therapy, a cozy new spot getting loads of attention in Richmond Hill. While their menu covers all the cozy essentials — think hot-honey chicken glazed to perfection, brisket, fresh juices and over-the-top milkshakes, their absolute star of the show is something you almost never see on a standard sub menu: brain and tongue.

Yep, you read that right. Their headlining menu item is the Brain, Tongue & Mushroom ($24.99), a massive creation packed with beef tongue, brain, sautéed mushrooms, signature sauce, crisp veggies and crunchy potato chips stuffed directly into the bun for maximum crunch. If you’re looking for just a taste of that melt-in-your-mouth goodness, the Tongue & Mushroom ($23.99) layers beef deli cuts with melted Havarti cheese.

While offal might sound wild to standard sandwich lovers, it’s a legendary delicacy in Persian street-food culture. Known traditionally as Maghz va Zaban, brain and beef tongue are prized across Iran for their delicate, rich textures and insanely savoury flavour profiles — think of it less as a fear-factor gimmick and more like the Persian equivalent of sought-after delicacies like bone marrow, foie gras, or sweetbreads.

While these ingredients might not be for everyone, if you’re tired of the same old ham-and-cheese and want to try something new, these sandwiches offer a taste of authentic Persian street food and a chance to broaden your palate.