Squish Sandwich Cellar

I have never been disappointed here. If you’re not very hungry order one sandwich to share, but make sure you ask for an extra pickle — they’re fantastic!

Seriously disappointed would be an understatement. My boyfriend and I were visiting Banff and looking for a quick bite to eat for lunch and ran across squish. The girl working the counter didn’t even greet us and had terrible customer service. I ordered the turkey Swiss and my boyfriend ordered the Italiano.
Our sandwiches arrived after about twenty minutes, each with a really small boring bag of chips. My total was $ 50 with tip (I don’t believe in not tipping even if it’s only 10%) if I’m paying fifty dollars for lunch I’m expecting a fair quality. My sandwich appeared decent however my boyfriends was a total mess. The bread the Italiano was rough and dry and the meat was chewy the cheese wasn’t good at all. My sandwich was terribly dry with only a tiny bit of mayo and ZERO flavour. The bread and Turkey were so dry I couldn’t finish half of it.
Will never be returning save yourself the disappointment.

I love subway. I will love most subways. But this subway is the absolute best subway I’ve ever been to. Amber was a delight to order with, she was funny and nice, and she made THE best sub I’ve ever eaten. And I’ve eaten a lot of subs.
She personally made my visit to subway a reward but we went back purposefully cause she was such a gem!!!

Was skeptical walking down the stairs but now that I’ve eaten I will say DO IT!!! Best smoked meat sandwich in town!!! Huge
Portions, huge pickle and delicious meat! I even loved the slaw and I normally hate slaw.

Service is consistently slow and bad at Squish. I once waited over 20 minutes for my order (a plain tuna sandwich, no drink). The place is also pricey, although that might be expected given that this is downtown Banff.
The selection of sandwiches is ok, but it is the standard fare of sandwiches you would find at any given deli. Nothing outstanding. The potato chips that accompany the sandwich are also unremarkable, albeit quite salty. I find the overall portions are small, especially for the price.
If you’re craving sandwiches in Banff, you’re probably better off just going to Subway around the corner.

The Montréal Smoked Meat sandwich with hot mustard is a must-​eat. (For the uninitiated, think New York Pastrami, but more savory because it’s prepared with less sugar.)

Review from my post on Tripadvisor:
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Squish. Who would imagine that it’d be a name of a sandwich shop.
Like all else in Banff, this place is a little pricey. I ordered the Tuna Salad sandwich and switched out the coleslaw for extra chips. The server was super fine with that!
I’m not a food expert so I’m not sure what kind of bun they use for the sandwich but it’s not the typical square-​wonder-​bread-​like-​bread nor are they the baguette breads. But it’s definitely something different!
I had to eat the chips with the sandwich since the chips were way too salty. If you don’t like salty chips, combining the two is the way to go.
The sandwich is also topped with a pickle as well so there’s a kick to it if you like!
If you’re there looking for a washroom after/​before your meal, just note that the name of the place is as suggested. Sandwich cellar. You’ll have to walk through a small and short hallway to get there. The cemented walls does add to the feel. Unfortunately they’ve only got one washroom so you’ll have to take turns. Also, there is indeed a lock on the door so try it until it works if you want to prevent any accidents!

This might be one of the most frustrating dining experiences I’ve ever head. Located downstairs out of the madness of Downtown Banff, we walked down the stairs hoping to grab a quick sandwich and avoid the crowds massing above ground. The restaurant is a nice, modern, cozy place and the man working the counter took our order right away. We sat down and waited 10 minutes for our food. It didn’t arrive so we went up to the counter and asked for the Wi-​Fi password to keep us busy. Shortly after, 30 minutes went by. Still no meal. The group sitting next to us had been waiting 40 minutes.
At this point, I was becoming inpatient. I walked up to the counter and asked if everything was ok. They guy mentioned he was the only one working (at lunch time) and maybe it would be ready soon. I responded respectfully and asked how it could take so long for a simple sandwich and especially as a place that wasn’t crowded. He brought the sandwich out after 37 minutes. We know this because we checked the time on the receipt. When he brought the sandwich he threw in down on the table and walked away.
Sadly, I’m guessing this isn’t the normal experience here. Meanwhile, we can only report on what happens while we were there. I wasn’t the only one frustrated. Many other customers were furious and wondering why they wouldn’t simply tell us it was going to take longer than normal to make a simple sandwich.
As for the sandwich, I ordered the Smoked Meat. It was below average. In fact, if you’ve from Eastern Canada, you probably wouldn’t eat more than a bite. I ate half and threw the rest out. It was watery. Didn’t pack any flavor and was very rough. You couldn’t even bite through the fat. Eww.

On the main drag in Banff is a little basement-​type sandwich place. They have a sort of mixed up theme going on with a fireplace, and a mish-​mash of décor. Inside their place is a small sandwich counter that does basic sandwiches and milkshakes, as well as other cold beverages.
There are about 10 sandwich choices, but the menu hasn’t been updated, as when I tried to order a turkey sandwich they said they didn’t make it anymore. So I went with the Triple Decker, which is a sandwich with avocado, chicken, bacon, tomato, etc. It was a tasty sandwich, but on basic white bread, nothing exciting that I couldn’t have just made in my own kitchen.
One nice thing, is the sandwiches do come with a side of ripple chips and a pickle. The pickles are definitely tasty. I also thought it was nice that when I said I was splitting the sandwich with someone, that they gave us each our own little basket with the half sandwich and our own pickle and chips.
The service was generally friendly, however the food was just meh. Nothing I couldn’t make myself at home.

Such delicious sandwiches! We stopped by here to pick up sandwiches on our way out to explore Johnston Canyon and they were absolutely perfect. We enjoyed the views of the waterfall as we rewarded ourselves with a loaded sandwich. The sandwiches were so good in fact that we had to return the next day for another bite before leaving Banff. Until next time!

Great décor & set up, also has a license so you can also have a drink there too! Prices are a bit high but good food!

We stopped in for lunch after hiking. Reading the helpful reviews, we decided on the Reuben sandwich ($ 13.75) and the Italian pannini ($ 11.75). I LOVED the Reuben sandwich! Lots of tender, thickly sliced meat, a nice layer of yummy sauerkraut on thick, toasted bread. DH ordered the Italian pannini. We each had ½ of both sandwiches. The Italian pnnini did not disappoint either! Wonderful flavor. Both were warm sandwiches. After reading that the chocolate milkshake was so good here, I ordered one. It’s $ 6.50 and rather smallish, but it was delish! Also got a soda, grapefruit, and loved it! It was a wonderful dining experience. Friendly staff, clean tables. We’d definitely visit again!

We went here for lunch. The sandwich options are excellent, and the space was interesting. However the sandwiches are expensive and we waited nearly 40 minutes for 3 sandwiches. The bread was fresh and unique and the coleslaw was awesome, but it was not worth the long wait and steep price. I will likely not return.

Where do I even begin to describe the terrible experience we just had here… First of all — 26 bucks for two sandwiches? Maybe if we were sitting in a café across from the Eiffel Tower, but to pay that much from a basement takeout sandwich place? Come on.
Secondly, our 15 minute wait was 40 minutes, they got our order half wrong and then my sandwich came out of the bag looking like it had been sat on. There was even a poor family in from of us that just gave up waiting all together and left with two hungry crying kids.
Honestly from now on we will go back to getting sandwiches from the nearby Safeway.
The only good thing I can say was that the bread was awesome.

Great sandwich shop. It’s below ground level but has a warm and inviting atmosphere. Very comfortable for a relaxed lunch or light dinner. In fact, there is a bookshelf with books and cards for those planning on staying a while. I ordered the lox salmon sandwich. It was overflowing with lox and had all the desired accessories like cream cheese, onion, capers and peppers. The bread was tasty and perfectly toasted. It came with a very nice and fresh salad. At $ 14 CAN it was a bit on the pricy side however in line with food prices in Banff.

I ordered the Montréal Smoked Meat sandwich and I have to say… I was not happy with the quality or type of bread used. It was too squishy and sort of stale. The crust was rubbery and hard to chew… overall, it did not compliment the lovely smoked meat pile at all. Why not go with a ciabatta or something like a swirly rye bread instead? Less squishy, please. even though you are called Squish sandwich cellar. Also what is with the potato chips? Not a huge fan of that as a side-​dish. The huge pickle slice was tasty, though. Maybe I should have asked for a second one of those and gave the potato chips back. The prices were too steep for me so that knocks off another star.

Very good. Real Montréal smoked meat sandwich! My French Canadian boyfriend was pleased. A little expensive though. The owner came over and asked if we had enough and gave us more! That was nice. :)

This is a place where the amazing quality of the food trumps horribly slow service. As we were headed out of town, stopped here to get sandwiches for the road. It was 11:30 a.m., only two other people were in the place. We ordered a bagel with smoked salmon, the Italian combo and a Reuben.
The good news: these were some of the best sandwiches I have ever had. The Reuben was truly amazing.
The bad news: it took almost half an hour to get the food. It seems they may only have one sandwich press which must make for terribly long line-​ups. Also this is a bit pricey.
But do give them a try, the product they put out is worth the wait.

Yesterday, I came here after Banff sushi was too packed and the bar next to it was too un-​vegan. Squish Sandwich Seller is located on the strip in a basement (get it; «seller?» It’s a pun made in Wendytron™ heaven). They have a picture menu right up front to entice you, and as we were heading home with grumbly tummies, it wasn’t hard.
Squish isn’t cheap; $ 10-​$ 13 per sandwich, even, as we discovered, for a simple grilled cheese. Now, I would be on board with that, if it was on freshly baked bread and filled with artisan cheeses. Or even a well-​aged, local cheddar. Nope. We got what appeared to be run-​of-​the-​mill white bread, pre-​toasted before getting microwaved with a parsimonious slice of Kraft American Singles wedged betwixt. $ 13… for that? I know you’re in a premium location, so the prices need to be adjusted accordingly, but, Sad Panda. Well, Sad Panda if I had been the one eating it. The little girl eating it seemed to enjoy it, and I guess that’s the most important thing.
No complaints were made about the Smoked Salmon Bagel, even though it was served on Marbled Rye bread instead of the bagel advertised on the menuboard outside (Note: we were told that they will no longer serve it on a bagel).
Myself, I got the Veggie Pocket sans cheese. It couldn’t have been a more erratic ensemble of ingredients, if they had named it the «DUDE, I Just Smoked A Big Ass Fatty In The Kitchen Sandwich.» Salad greens, tomatoes, olives, banana pepper rings, onions… with some blackberries, chocolate chips (yes, chocolate chips) and a balsamic dressing. Which, when combined with the banana peppers and blackberries; made the sandwich just a little too far on the acidic side. If there had been some kind of fat to cut through the vinegar, like a slice of avocado, even if I had been charged extra for it; would have been welcome. I guess that would have been where that slice of cheese had come in.
The sides the sandwiches all came with: A pickle spear and two little cups; one with mayo-​free coleslaw, the other, barbecue flavored potato chips. Barbecue flavored chips are never my first choice for potato chips, but I didn’t mind them. The pickle was delicious, and actually, was something I kept taking bites of for relief from the acidity of my sandwich. That, and the coleslaw, which had the perfect amount of dressing on it.
The wait time was a little long, but that was okay, because we were too sleepy to really mind. Squish has free wi-​fi, so we bided our time on our phones, telling friends in YYC about our day. Service was über-​friendly, even though the guy at the front counter was clearly new, and the bathroom was sparkling (which, according to Fast Food Nation, is a good indicator that the kitchen is clean as well).
If they had had a veg-​friendly soup that day for their Soup of the Day, this would have easily been a four-​star review. I’m leaning more toward a 3.5.

Great smoked meat sandwich! Huge! Ordered one and split it between two and it was plenty. I agree with the reviewer re the potato chips — boring. But the atmosphere is sure bright and welcoming.
It is a bit pricey there but I’m sure the rent is a killer on main street like that.
I feel the food is worth the price, especially given the portion size. Banff is, after all, a tourist town. Most great places like Banff charge a little more because they probably have to.
Next time I’m there I’m going for that #2 on the menu reviewers have commented on. Sounds wonderful!