New Darwin’s Opens On Cambridge St.

The Quincy: heavenly ham, appetizing apples, tantalizing tomatoes, with delicious Dijon mustard. The Broadway: succulent smoked salmon, commendable cream cheese, and copious capers.

Cantabrigian sandwich aficionados have reason to rejoice: with the opening of a second branch of Darwin’s Ltd. sandwich shop, they now have twice as many ways to get their hands on the coveted carbohydrates.

On April 27 proprietors Steve and Isabel Darwin opened the new shop at 1629 Cambridge St.—right across from the Cambridge Rindge and Latin School. According to veteran Darwin’s cook Russ Cowen, business has been good from the get-go.

“It was packed the first week,” Cowen says of the new site. “We were really, really surprised.”

Over the past 12 years, the original Darwin’s, at 148 Mt. Auburn St., has evolved into in a homey local mainstay, earning a reputation for excellent sandwiches that the new shop’s staff says it hopes to replicate.

A handful of managers and cooks from the original location made the switch to come run the new Darwin’s, which offers approximately a dozen sandwiches, ranging in price from $5.75 to $7.25.

Patrons customize their sandwiches—all named after nearby Cambridge streets—with one of 12 fresh breads delivered daily by Nashoba Brook Bakery in Concord. Options include ciabatta, sourdough and—only on weekends—Pepper Jack.

Although the eatery is best known for its hearty sandwiches, hungry diners can also find a selection of fresh fruits and vegetables, gourmet cheeses, desserts, and other goods, including a variety of coffees and teas.

Peter M. Bromka, a recent Tufts graduate who favors the Ellsworth—a concoction made with turkey, pesto, Swiss cheese, and sun-dried tomatoes—says that the quality of the food seems to justify Darwin’s relatively high prices.

Bromka, typing on his laptop at one of the shop’s tables, also says that the availability of free, high-speed wireless internet makes Darwin’s a great place to study.

Andrew Maltas, a Darwin’s manager, who used to work at the original Darwin’s on Mt. Auburn Street, says the WiFi was expected to be a draw.

“Grad students come in here and write their theses,” he says.

Maltas adds that, though the new location attracts similar clientele, the feeling on Cambridge Street is more “civilized.”

“The other place is pretty chaotic around lunchtime,” says Maltas. “There’s a lot of yelling and bumping. This one runs more smoothly.”

Cowen says that, while he misses the cozy feeling of Mt. Auburn St., his new workplace has clear advantages.

“This one has less of a homey feel—I think it comes from the high ceilings,” Cowen says. “But I like it. My kitchen here is magnificent.”

Mazie Harris, who works at Harvard’s Fogg Art Museum, says that although she has never been to the original store she has become a fan of the coffee at Darwin’s new site.

“Hopefully, they’ll put Starbucks out of business,” she says.

But, according to Maltas, coffee isn’t the key to Darwin’s success. He says people flock to the shop mainly for one reason.

“The sandwiches are just really good,” he says.

While sandwich shops abound in Cambridge, Darwin’s—be it the old site or the new—is, for many who seek good eats, the natural selection.

­—Staff writer Adam Goldenberg can be reached at goldenb@fas.harvard.edu.­

—Staff writer Andrew P. Schalkwyk can be reached at schalkwy@fas.harvard.edu.

—Staff writer Sam Teller can be reached at steller@fas.harvard.edu.