Edinburgh sandwich shop 'institution' Alby's is named best in UK outside of London

The much revered sandwich institution Alby’s, which has branches in Leith and Edinburgh’s Southside, has become a must-visit spot in the city since it brought its signature “big hot sandwiches” to town in 2019.

The popular haunt has now been named the top sandwich shop outside of the UK capital in a new study by Betway Insider, which ranked 80 sandwich spots across the UK using a combination of Google review ratings, Instagram hashtag volume, and annual search data.

Alby’s boasts a near-perfect 4.8 star Google rating and an Instagram following of almost 28k, with its mouth-watering sandwiches having long been dubbed the best in the city.

Fan favourite Alby’s is one of five incredible Scot sandwich shops to rank in the top ten list - with four others named in the top ten spots outside of London, beating competitors in Cardiff, Manchester, Leeds and Newcastle.

In second place stormed newcomer Mootz General Store, which began serving up its Italian-inspired sandwiches in Stockbridge last year.

It’s known for its freshly baked schiacciata sandwiches stuffed to the brim with an array of delicious fillings including prosciutto, mortadella and fresh pesto.

It scored an impeccable 4.9 stars on Google and a whopping 64,800 annual Google searches.

In third place, the first Glasgow destination on the list, is Bite Me Sandwich Bar on Paisley Road West in Cessnock.

This spot, beloved by Glasgow foodies, was named sandwich shop of the year at this year’s Scottish Takeaway Awards and is famed for its epic toasties, sandwiches and paninis.

It scored a 4.7 star Google rating and an impressive 2,436 Instagram posts under its hashtag.

Continuing the Scottish domination of the list, another well-established Edinburgh favourite, Banh Mi Brothers, came in at fourth place.

This independent shop is loved for its epic Vietnamese sandwich menu, their arm-length baguettes boasting fillings including pork with lime and edamame mayo, or Vietnamese ginger caramel chicken with crispy shallots.

Its impressive 4.9 star Google rating was sure to secure it a place on the list.

Glasgow’s Grumpy Pedro's ranks sixth, again boasting a superb 4.9 Google rating which will come as no surprise to those who regularly seek out its made to order sandwiches, coffee and home baking.

Top of the UK list when London was included was the iconic East London institution Beigel Bake, worth a stop for any Scot visiting the capital, which has been serving its famous beigels on Brick Lane since the 1970s.

Open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, Beigel Bake has racked up over one million annual Google searches and nearly 12,000 Instagram posts under its hashtag.

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