The gourmet sandwich place – State 88

Sandwiches! Who doesn’t love them? In fact, some of us live by them. Which is why I found this saying quite apt – In Sandwiches We Trust. State 88, the house of fresh gourmet sandwiches located in CityWalk, do their sandwiches so well, you won’t feel like having one from anywhere else again.

This American style diner offers a mix of everything delicious, some of which are quite healthy too.
From roasted chicken, pulled beef and their signature smoked brisket to salads, sides and shakes – it’s all in here.

And don’t miss their Nitro speciality – iced tea and cold brew – which is poured from a house tap and features little nitrogen bubbles that up the flavor of your drink. Read on for more on the sandwiches, sides and shakes.

Fresh Juices

When it’s time to beat the heat, what could do more justice than a glass full of fresh fruit juice.
This time around, we took the juicing to a different level and combined fresh with healthy at State 88.

The left one is a sweet creamy blend of orange and carrot, while the one on the right offers a slightly tart taste with the combination of orange and beetroot. Both are made fresh to order and come in huge portions. On normal days, I would have just called it a night after one glass full of this juice, but their gourmet sandwiches were yet to come.

Chickita

From the Chicken Inn section on State 88’s menu, we chose to try their bestseller Chickita. Thin slices of spiced roasted chicken were put together in a six inch soft bun along with sweetcorn, soya, mozzarella, lettuce, mayo and pickles.

This one was my favorite of the lot. The chicken was definitely tender and perfectly cooked, thanks to their slow cooking process, but what really impressed is the freshness of the bread.

Other items on the chicken lot, all with funky names, include Social, Rebel and Liberal.
Head off to State 88 and try one or try all. Don’t forget to tell me which one’s your favorite!

Brisket 88

From the Smoke House section came this Brisket 88 sandwich which was another wow-worthy piece from State 88’s menu. If you have read my previous post, you know how much I am in love with their fresh breads. Really, these breads deserve a post of their own!
But coming back to the sandwich, the smoked brisket got itself a moment of true fame the minute it arrived at the table. Like most of their meats, the brisket is smoked and slow cooked which adds tons of flavor and allows the juices to seep in every corner of the meat making it absolutely tender. If it was up to me, I would have eaten the brisket on its own. It was that good.

This one though, came with two of my favorites: dried tomato aioli and roasted peppers. All that yellow you see in the picture – it’s not cheese, its yellow bell peppers. Which means this sandwich is quite healthy, than you would have otherwise thought.
You could also try the brisket based Check Point 88 which does come with cheese and jalapenos, or go chicky with Chicken 88.
Brisket lover or not? Tell me in the comments below!

Slaw You First

This one at State 88 came From the Meat District, which means there was tons of meat goodness sandwiched between those fresh bread pieces.
Plus did you notice how creative these guys are with their names. Like this one, which is called Slaw You First or the others from this section with quirky names like Meat Oh Meat, Tender Me, Patron, and more.

As the name suggests, this sandwich came with pulled beef and red cabbage slaw along with smoked mozzarella. And like all the other sandwiches we had tried so far, this one top was just wow.

Too many sandwiches? I say otherwise.
While we tried only 3, you can choose from a wide variety of gourmet sandwiches at State 88. And trust me, once you try one, you will be compelled to make return visits to try them all. I know I am going back soon.

Sweet Potato Fries

This is love. Trust me, if you haven’t tried sweet potato fries, then you are missing out on a lot in life. If you are a fries person like I am, then these are just perfect for whenever you get those cravings. Yes, they are a little different in flavor compared to regular potato fries, but they are also super healthy.

We opted for the oven baked version of sweet potato fries at State 88, and loved every piece of these, to the very last bite.
And now since the craving has kicked in, let me buy some sweet potatoes so I can make these at home tonight.
I’m going to have these with Nando’s peri sauce and some mustard. What dips would you pair these with?

Nitro Cold Brew

Nitrogen. This one thing has got so much excitement in the lives of Dubai foodies, it’s hard to keep it out of the game.

This one at State 88 was something really unique. Who would expect coffee from a tap, and that too with nitrogen?!
Try the Classic Nitro Cold Brew for a colorfully layered coffee kick. It’s got little bursts of nitrogen that bubble up to the top adding tons of activity to an otherwise regular coffee.

If you’re a tea lover, you can even try out the Nitro Iced Tea for a tea teaser.
Tea or Coffee, which one would you choose?

Nut About You

You cannot go to State 88 and not indulge in their shakes. They are crazy, they are yummy and they are really really good.
I’m not a big fan of milkshakes, but the very style in which these were prepared, gave them an interesting twist.

We tried the Nut About You shake which started with creamy vanilla ice cream blended into a shake and topped with their hazelnut ‘crazy’ paste.
I love hazelnut, which was one of the main reasons I tried this milkshake and trust me, I don’t regret it one bit.

Would you try this or have one with lotus or wafers instead?

State 88

Location: CITY WALK 1, Al Safa & Al Wasl Road Intersection, Al Safa, Dubai
Contact: 04 3888444