Sanguiccio: From-Scratch Italian Sandwiches in Little Italy

Sanguiccio, in Ottawa‘s Little Italy, predates the current wave of vintage-inspired sandwich shops, and likely helped inspire it. Every sandwich is built to order, one at a time, with sausage made in house and bread baked on site. One man runs the whole show, so a little patience comes with every order. The regular menu stays short on purpose, since the real action happens in the specials. Regulars phone the owner directly to find out what is on that week, while his family keeps the specials posted on social media for anyone who knows to look. During our visit, it was a seriously good charcoal-grilled lamb sandwich, served with a few slices of tomato and olive oil on the side, just as it would be at an Italian family table.

Behind the counter stands Genio Ienzi, born in Cleto, a small town in Calabria. “I started cooking by fluke,” he says. Sausage and rapini on a crusty bun came first, and it remains the backbone of the menu. Then the Ottawa Citizen held a sandwich contest, and he called his mother for her beef spezzatino recipe, the slow-braised Italian stew, and turned it into a sandwich. Much of what comes out of the kitchen today traces back to her table, translated into something you can hold in two hands. “I’m a master eater,” Ienzi jokes.

For years, his panini buns came from a bakery down the street, made to his own recipe with roasted garlic and rosemary. When that bakery closed during the pandemic, Ienzi did not go looking for a new supplier; he started making the bread in house. Today the bread joins the sausage on the list of things he handles himself, start to finish, from the first grind to the last slice.

Inside, the space is dark and cluttered, with only a handful of seats, and that is part of the appeal. The busy setting adds to the madness of the sandwiches coming over the counter. Ienzi loves to talk, so a quick lunch can easily stretch into a long conversation about food and family. He also pulls a very good espresso, which, at an Italian deli, is a matter of principle.

Sanguiccio has never needed much publicity. It is an if-you-know-you-know spot, and word travels fastest through Ottawa’s kitchens, where the chefs who eat here pass the name along. During Ottawa’s Italian Festival, Ienzi takes the operation outdoors and fires up the barbecue on Preston Street, and the sausage that started it all ends up on the grill for the whole neighbourhood to taste. For anyone who has yet to discover Sanguiccio, the sandwiches are a taste worth seeking out, and a visit is an experience in its own right.

Written by Marie-Ève Godin
Photography by Alison Slattery

Updated on November 03, 2026

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