Any good sandwich starts with good bread, and so it is fantastic bread called schiacciata that makes the sandwiches great at the Uptown takeout joint Lunch.
Schiacciata is a first cousin to focaccia but thinner. In that wonderful way of literal Italian food term translations, schiacciata means “squashed,” as if compressed with your hands. The undulating top crust gleams with oil and crackles with a bit of salt, the interior has a soft, lacy chew and big air pockets ready to mold around fillings.
At Lunch, rectangular pans of the bread are baked in the morning, then cut for massive whole (or perfectly reasonable half) sandwiches from the Tuscan tradition.
These run across nine varieties on the regular menu, plus seasonal specials. Each is a different combination of the wonders of an Italian deli, all velvety salumi, bitter greens, oily peppers and dollops of fluffy mozzarella that resemble whipped cream tumbling out.
Lunch to late night
Lunch is not a lunchroom. It’s a takeout window with a couple sidewalk tables located next to the Boot, the bar that is practically a part of Tulane and Loyola universities’ Uptown campuses.
Since landing here in 2025, Lunch has become an adjunct of campus life too, feeding students who throng to it when the bar scene is rolling next door. It also gives neighbors, and those driven to cross town for a great sandwich, a compelling fix, served up at the speed of street food…