The old saying goes "nothing is certain except death, taxes... and Domini Sandwiches being voted Best Sandwiches in the Inlander." But after earning the title every year for eons, the downtown lunchtime staple and Best Of Hall of Famer underwent an ownership change and moved to a new location, and a new champion rises to take the throne.
And while it may be a relative newcomer to the sandwich scene, Zozo's Sandwich House has already proven it deserves the crown. Despite being in operation only since March 2023, the North Monroe eatery already feels like an essential staple of the Spokane food scene with an impressive array of handmade sandwiches that can fit almost any hunger mood.
"Our menu is a little different than what you find at most sandwich shops," owner Jenn Hesseltine says. "You can come here and get a cold sandwich, you can get a French dip, you can get a smashburger, you can get a chicken cutlet, you can get soup, you can get salad. So that keeps bringing people back. We have over 50 different items, so you could come here 50 times and not get the same thing."
While a large menu may sometimes indicate that a restaurant is compensating quantity for lack of quality, that's certainly not the case at Zozo's. The staff arrive early each morning to start the daily prep in order to satisfy the demand of the always-busy lunch rush.
"When people say, 'We make everything from scratch, blah, blah, blah....,' we really do," Hesseltine says. "All of our sauces are from scratch. Our chicken is hand breaded. Not all of our meats are, but our roast beef for the Monroe St. Dip, we roast it in house. Our pork for our pork sandwiches are roasted in house. We do get Boar's Head meats that we slice every single day. Our vegetables are [prepped] every single day. And that's really what keeps people coming back. You can see that everything's fresh, you can taste that things are scratch-made."
While Zozo's certainly has favored staples like the Monroe St. Dip for Hesseltine and the Zozo's cheesesteak — the most popular item on the menu, typically selling 40-plus per day — even frequent diners return to see which weekly specials Hesseltine and company are cooking up. There are also less-heralded options like the oft-overlooked breakfast menu that features 12 sandwiches.
The people have certainly helped Zozo's thrive, with the North Monroe Business District community building up word-of-mouth hype for the restaurant and its staff largely remaining unchanged since day one.
"One of the main compliments that we get as a restaurant is [about] the team that works here. How friendly everyone is. And it is true. The people that I hired two years ago when we opened, almost every single one of them are still here two years later," Hesseltine says.
As Zozo's looks to keep chugging along, Hesseltine is looking to get catering up and running and also coyly hints that she has another separate restaurant concept brewing. But for now, Zozo's is soaking in the bliss of being voted Spokane's Best Sandwiches.
"Last year, we got second place in our first year open, and we all cried. That was crazy," Hesseltine says. "So to get first this year is just over the top for us."
2nd PLACE: Shamus's Sandwich Shop
3rd PLACE: The High Nooner
NORTH IDAHO'S BEST: Back Pocket Bakery, Coeur d'Alene
