Our love – and I think it’s safe to say, our city’s love – for Fox in the Snow knows no bounds. So we were eeeeeeasily on board when the owners opened Icarus Sandwich Shop in Italian Village in October 2021, serving sandwiches, chips, dip, soft serve ice cream – and now breakfast sandwiches and donuts!
Icarus makes its home in the old Laughlin’s Bakery, a few steps off High Street in the Short North, technically landing in Italian Village. The space was given a makeover that included new windows to open up and brighten the single dining room.
You order at the counter and either take it to-go or find a seat at the half dozen tables or small window counters.
The menu focuses on 10 sandwiches, plus beverages, house-made chips and dip, and soft serve (which as of June 2022 is on hiatus). The summer 2022 updates include the addition of a breakfast sandwich and waffle donut.
Note: pictured here is the opening menu. See the latest one that includes the breakfast sandwich and waffle donuts.
Whether you dine-in or carryout, your sandwiches are delivered in these charming branded wraps and bags.
After our couple visits, we’ve ordered close to 75% of the menu and have generally enjoyed it all.
The house-made chips and onion dip make for a good start. Classic taste of the midwest, done very well.
I always go straight to the reuben. Icarus currently offers this only on weekends, but it’s worth the wait. My only complaint is that the bread got soggy pretty quickly and the sandwich fell apart a bit.
Lots of good veggie-centric options on the menu, too. The roasted mushroom mixes roasted shiitake, cremini, and oyster mushrooms with whipped goat cheese and arugula on a baguette.
The meatball marries a hefty portion of meatballs and marinara with parmesan and a generous layer of mozzarella on seeded Italian bread.
The turkey club combines thick-shaved turkey, avocado, pepper bacon, mayo, and mustard on ciabatta (it’s seen here minus the pickles and iceberg lettuce).
The spicy sopressata is a real winner: spicy sopressata with whipped goat cheese and hot honey (always a yes to that) on homemade sesame seed focaccia. The bread-to-filling ratio leans more toward the bread, but the spicy combo really works.
Our most recent visit followed on the announcement that Icarus Sandwich Shop had bolstered its menu by adding a couple breakfast items available 9-11 a.m. daily.
First is this gorgeous waffle donut, a dense but well-structured old fashioned donut pressed into waffle form with a vanilla glaze.
Honestly, it tastes exactly as you’d expect: like a glazed old fashioned donut in waffle form. I loved it. I like how the waffle structure helps hold the donut together while catching more of that glaze.
The other addition to menu is a breakfast sandwich with scrambled eggs, American cheese, a house-made egg sauce, and your choice of house sausage or pepper bacon. You can also add avocado, which we highly recommended.
To be clear: this is NOT the fabled Fox in the Snow egg sandwich. The scrambled eggs are fluffy, although denser than the Fox sandwich. Regardless, this sandwich stands on its own, all fit between slices of buttery brioche.
The soft serve is (I hope temporarily) on hiatus, but they rotate through colorful and well-executed flavors.
Icarus has a different charm than Fox in the Snow, but it’s clearly cut from the same cloth. The space is bright and welcoming, the menu focused and thoughtfully put together.
Icarus Sandwich Shop
15 E. Second Ave.
Columbus, OH 43201
Open daily 9a-3p (breakfast 9-11a, lunch starting at 10:30a)
Web: icarussandwichshop.com
IG: @icarussandwichshop
