Upsala Grocery in Sanford crafts some mighty fine sandwiches

Upsala Grocery Credit: Matt Keller Lehman

When a friend asked if I wanted to go for sandwiches at Upsala Grocery in Sanford, I thought we’d be scarfing down Swedish meatball hoagies and, if we were lucky, some open-faced smörgås. Turns out Upsala Grocery isn’t a Scandi sammie shop named after the Swedish city but, rather, a convenience store on Upsala Road run by Nilesh Patel and his nephew Jay Patel. Since 2015, the pair have been luring in locals for, yes, vape essentials and lottery tickets, but also for their incredible selection of craft beers and, thanks to Jay’s cooking acumen, food.

Many outside Seminole County make the trek to this humble, out-of-the-way bodega for the Patels’ food, which might explain the perpetual clog in Upsala’s parking lot, though it’s pretty much a parking lot inside as well.

“I saw this place on TikTok so we drove down from Daytona,” said a burly chap who looked like he could devour the entire menu. “We came up from St. Cloud,” said his pal, jockeying for a little room among the diverse assemblage of patrons. “So we just met halfway.”

Jay shot me a knowing glance as we all stood at the lone stand-and-eat table. “We’ve had people drive here all the way from Jacksonville.”

Indeed, Upsala’s buzz started in 2018, when Jay transformed a corner of the store into a bona fide kitchen by installing a hood and expanding his menu of eats. The Philly cheesesteak served on Cuban bread that first won over Sanford still has its place alongside a roster of new handhelds like the tikka masala sandwich ($12), the sweetheart, or rather, spiceheart of Upsala’s bill of fare. Chicken is slathered in a seasoned batter of rice flour and cornstarch, fried to a superb crunch, and shoved into a Martin’s potato bun with tikka sauce, jalapeños, lettuce, tomatoes and onions. It’s Nashville by way of Mumbai. Jay, though, will tell you that the tikka masala quesadilla ($12) is his preference, and I can see why. Maybe it’s the grilled chicken and avocados. Could be the cheese, green peppers and cilantro. Whatever it is, it’s bloody magic.

Jay Patel of Upsala Grocery Credit: Matt Keller Lehman

When a follower slipped into my DMs and said not to leave without sampling the mango habañero sandwich ($12) with bacon and ranch, I duly ordered it on a return visit. Then devoured it. It was outstanding, and paired great with a can of Phase Three Brewing’s Seven! double IPA. But the reason for our initial visit was to dig our fangs into the black garlic katsu burger ($14), a creation that was making the rounds of local viral-dom. The panko-fried 75/25 patty is the undeniable star, and a supporting cast of melted cheddar, runny egg, cabbage slaw, black garlic mayo and barbecue sauce lent additional power to this stacked production. It’s well put together, no question, but I felt the barbecue sauce overshadowed the black garlic. It’s probably why I preferred — ravaged is more accurate — the garlic aioli smashburger ($14), with its 80/20 patty. No lie, it was one of the best smashburgers I’ve had the pleasure of meeting and eating. I enjoyed it with glistening red tandoori fries ($9), which are worth the upcharge from regular fries ($7), not that those standard versions weren’t worthy in their own right.

Jay also crafts a pretty mean chopped cheese ($15) sandwich, save for the strands of romaine replacing shreds of iceberg lettuce. “It gets too watery compared to romaine,” he says. Evidently, iceberg lettuce negatively impacted some to-go orders. Perhaps some strategic sandwich layering, or a fat barrier created by buttering the bread, would help undampen things —because romaine ain’t cutting it.

It’s a minor quibble, but for someone with aspirations of one day manning his own “Michelin star” kitchen — he points to Mexico City’s Taquería El Califa de León for inspiration — not only does Jay appreciate the feedback, he relishes experimentation. “I love being challenged when it comes to food,” he says. “People need a reason to walk in. And when they do, they want something different.”

So go ahead and throw him some oddball fusion requests. And don’t be shy. Inside his convenience store, he won’t feel inconvenienced.

Upsala Grocery, 300 Upsala Road, Sanford, 407-330-2000, upsala-grocery.squarespace.com.