At Renzo in Mile End, a footlong comes with acres of style

Photography: © Mathieu Levesque

The more things change, the more the best sandwich shops stay the same. See, for example, Renzo. The Montreal deli popped up in the Mile End neighbourhood last month looking as if it had been there for 70 years. Designed by local practice Menard Dworkind, it has all the touchstones of 1950s diners, in a striking palette chosen to combat cold-weather malaise.

Call it ‘reimagined nostalgia’ — ‘a place that welcomes you back often, and with friends,’ according to MRDK partner Guillaume Ménard. Leading the charge is a series of two-seater chrome-rim booths by Keca, with mustard yellow-topped laminate tables to match the banquette seating. Dark-stained oak wall panelling and a soft blue tongue-and-groove ceiling pick up tones from the dynamic mosaic floors by Daltile.

A steel-topped wood-panelled bar wraps around the open kitchen and runs into custom oak grab-and-go shelving for showcasing merch. Propped up along the front window is a standing bar with retro stools in the same mustard yellow, lit by vintage-style utilitarian fluorescent tubes meant to recall traditional butcher shops. The hand-painted signage on the walls, like the menu, nods to period Italian sandwich bars, with Canadian flair. ‘Together,’ says Ménard, ‘these elements create a cohesive atmosphere that feels familiar without being overly referential.’