Why our club sandwich has been a customer favourite for decades

In every homestyle kitchen worth its salt, one dish refuses to fade with the trends. At The Village Restaurant & Lounge in Marysville, Washington, that dish is the club sandwich. It has anchored our menu for decades.

For Australians who appreciate a proper comfort feed, the club sandwich feels familiar. From the brekkie-and-lunch culture of Melbourne's laneway cafes to the generous plates served at a sunny Brisbane pub, Aussies know that a great sandwich is a craft. Our version channels that dedication.

The Village sits on a quiet stretch of Marysville, just north of Seattle, where neighbours greet each other by name. Our lounge hums with conversation on game nights, and our catering team travels across Snohomish County for weddings and family functions. Through all of it, the club sandwich remains a constant.

Here is what makes this sandwich a quietly legendary part of our menu.

A recipe with deep American roots

The club sandwich has roots reaching back to the late 1800s, when it appeared in American clubhouses as a tidy three-layer stack served at afternoon tea. By the time diners and roadside cafes adopted it, it had earned a reputation as the sandwich for travellers and late-night poker players.

When our founders opened The Village, they wanted a menu that felt both familiar and generous, so they settled on toasted sourdough, slow-roasted turkey breast, crisp bacon, vine-ripened tomatoes, and a generous swipe of herbed mayonnaise. The recipe has barely changed in decades, and for Australians planning a trans-Pacific holiday, it is a taste of American comfort food the way it was meant to be served.

The anatomy of a proper club

Ask any sandwich maker about the foundation of a great club and they will tell you: it is the bread. We press thick-cut sourdough in butter until the surface is a deep, freckled gold. The crust shaves cleanly under the knife, and the crumb stays soft enough to soak up every drop of juice from the tomato.

Between the slices sit oven-roasted turkey, smoked bacon, crisp lettuce, and a thick slice of heirloom tomato. A smear of herbed mayonnaise ties the whole thing together. The sandwich is sliced into four triangles, held together with a frilled toothpick, and paired with crisp chips and a pickle.

Why regulars stay loyal

Regulars at The Village have been ordering the same club for twenty, sometimes thirty years. They bring their kids, then their grandkids, then their grandkids' weekend footy teams after a Saturday match. For them, the sandwich is a marker of time and family tradition.

Comfort food is its own currency, and nowhere is that more understood than in a country where a warm parma at the pub feels like a national treasure. Australians who travel understand the value of a meal that feels like a hug. That loyalty shows up in our catering bookings too, which is why our catering packages for events almost always list the club as a featured option.

Pairing the sandwich with a drink in the lounge

Our lounge is the natural companion to the club. Dim lighting, leather booths, and a long wooden bar set the scene for an unhurried afternoon or a casual arvo with mates. After a long week, sinking into a booth with a club in one hand and a cold drink in the other feels like a small holiday.

For something local and bright, we pour Washington hard ciders and pale ales that match the sandwich's smoky undertones. Game nights draw a regular crowd, and the club is often the centre of the table. Throwing a memorable game night at our lounge is easier than most people realise. Order a round of clubs, grab a few board games from the shelf, and let the evening unfold.

Bringing the club to your next event

Our catering team treats the club sandwich with the same care our line cooks bring to the in-house version. Each sandwich is assembled on-site where possible, with toasted bread and freshly sliced fillings. We can prepare individual sandwiches for sit-down dinners or arrange platters for cocktail-style receptions.

The sandwich travels beautifully to off-site venues, from backyard weddings to corporate luncheons in office boardrooms. Last-minute menu changes are part of catering life, and our team knows how to adapt. Managing last-minute menu changes is something we pride ourselves on, because the club can be reworked for head count shifts or dietary needs without losing the soul of the dish.

A comfort classic that travels well

There is a reason the club sandwich shows up on menus from New York to Tokyo. It is portable, satisfying, and forgiving enough to welcome local twists. In Australia, you might find it stacked with sliced beetroot and a fried egg. In the Pacific Northwest, we lean into smoked salmon and sharp cheddar.

Even the most dedicated foodie eventually returns to the classics. After a week of clean-eating fads and instagrammable bowls, the body craves something simple, salty, and grounding. The club answers that call without apology.

The future of a beloved classic

The honest answer is: not much. We have no plans to retire the club sandwich, swap in a trendy ingredient, or reinvent the wheel. Our regulars would riot, and frankly, so would we.

We do play with seasonal sides. In summer, the club is paired with a watermelon and feta salad. In winter, it sits beside a bowl of our daily soup. The sandwich stays put while the supporting cast shifts with the weather. That is a tradition we plan to keep alive for decades more.

Smart ways to order the club sandwich

Stop by The Village Restaurant & Lounge on State Avenue in Marysville any day of the week and order the club sandwich for yourself. Our doors open early for breakfast and stay open late for game nights, lounge drinks, and casual dinners with the family. If you have a wedding, corporate function, or community event on the horizon, our catering team is ready to help you build a menu around the sandwich that has anchored ours for decades. Book a table, gather your crew, and taste why this classic has earned its place at the heart of our kitchen.