Vagabond Sandwich Company — Restaurant in Bel Air

With so many great local eateries in our area we try to spread the love around but Vagabond will always have our heart (and tummy). Stopped in here this past weekend before venturing out to check out all the awesome Christmas lights in the area and the place was hopping. When we pulled up I initially thought the place was closed because apparently they have had the restaurant windows tinted since our last visit so don't make the same mistake we almost did. They often have coupons on Living Social but you can also go on their new app and usually score 20% off and on Wednesdays Kids eat free and they usually have some sort of event going on for them (very crazy in there on Wednesdays that's for sure). We must have walked in at the perfect time because not long after we placed our order and grabbed a table people non-stop poured into the place and there was still a line when we left but service was fast and friendly and I have to give props to the lady taking the orders - she happily did triple duty, taking orders, delivering them to the tables all the while running the register and efficiently handling the shelves filled with take out orders). They've added a few new sandwiches and menu items since our last visit so I finally tried something besides my all-time favorite which is the Southern James. I ordered the Jimmy Hamdrix which is pit ham, spinach, brie, bacon and raspberry sauce - grilled and hubby got the rockfish tender basket with fries. Everything was delicious as always and I love that now you can get greens in place of the house chips; we also got an order of onion rings and a turkey wrap to go (huge). They now serve craft beers and still have their cold case that has ice creams from a local creamery and fresh sausages. I was a little disappointed to see that they no longer had the nice selection of hand crafted bottled sodas (I only saw ginger ale and oddly enough Pumpkin Pie flavor) although the case did seem to now hold a large selection of flavored kombuchas. Hoping they'll continue to add new sandwiches to the menu but only if they keep my all time favorites, this place is always on point and I'm looking forward for spring so we can sit outside on their patio...

I’ve spent my entire life growing up in Bel Air and to know this place has been tucked away since 2013 and I never stopped - I dropped the ball!

Local businesses will always deliver better quality foods and services than chain restaurants and Vagabond Sandwich Company is a prime example. Delivered the best sandwiches I’ve ever tasted.

We ordered the Dr. Pepper BBQ Beef, Raspberry Beret, and half-and-half soup (tomato basil/cream of crab).

Let’s highlight the portion sizes, these are big sandwiches! You will absolutely get your moneys worth in both size and flavor. Beef was tender and soaked in a delightful sweet BBQ sauce. The sweetness of the sauce is perfectly in balance with the top round and smokiness from the bacon. The Raspberry Beret has a delightfully sweet raspberry-chipotle sauce - the chipotle tamed some of the sweetness without adding to much spice. The adobo pork added a kick of heat to help balance the sweetness of the sauce. The grilled chicken breast was the best grilled breast I’ve ever had - cooked to absolute perfection. It was juicy and succulent, flaked apart like a perfectly cooked chicken should.

Now, the soup. Skip it. Okay flavor, but incredibly loose; nothing creamy about it. Also, not packed with crab meat. For 6 dollar price point I can understand why it lacked crab meat, but I was hoping for a rich creamy base instead it was oily and watery. It’s a sandwich shop...I mean come on, no one is perfect!

I am dreaming about the next time I stop in and hopefully they will be open for full service. It has an awesome cool vibe and a boat load of mouthwatering sandwiches to try on the menu!

Update: all of the sandos are worth your time. The tots & fries, the best sides. Oh and do not count them out a breakfast spot- my favorite Old Town...

August 2021 Excellent food, good service, and interesting decorations. The most interesting ones are probably the ones by/in the bathrooms. There are also a few art pieces by local artists for sale on the far wall to the left as you enter. Very good art and worth checking out.

If you choose to dine in, there are two ways to order. You can order at the counter, or you can sit at a table, scan the QR code at the table, and order online. The wait times are the same and the staff delivers your order to your table. Note the tables are not 6ft apart and it can get crowded during lunch. They do have outside seating with table umbrellas. I sadly cannot remember if the staff were wearing masks or not.

We ordered the Southern James Melt, McHenry Burger, Tater Tots, and Chicken Tenders. I highly recommend the tater tots; they are scrumptious 😋! They also give you a lot for a good price. The chips were also really good. The chicken tenders were decent and would have been good except they were too salty, which I found very surprising. Both the melt and the burger were delicious and had generous amounts of meat. The orange marmalade in the melt was an interesting addition. The burger was a little bit salty, most likely because of the crab meat.

If you have leftovers you want to take with you, they have takeout containers by the drinks and utensils.

Would...