Christmas is a time for truly exceptional things that seem to take on even more glow with each passing year. Family traditions, twinkling lights and ribboned gifts, quality time with friends and family. The list goes on.
But almost all of them pale against that one special festive delight: the Christmas sambo.
Thankfully, cafes up and down the country have not only nailed the annual treat but managed to find ever more ways to reinvent a downright perfect classic. From varieties of bread and lashings of richly flavoured sauces, to surprising additions and even a Christmas dinner-inspired pastry, there are some true gems out there to try this year.
We've rounded up our favourites from Dublin nice and early, to give you plenty of time to sample them all.
tír deli, Hatch Street, Dublin 2
Named for the Irish word for 'land' or 'country', this exceptional deli has been banging out some of the best sandwiches in the city for a while now, all championing local produce, so it's unsurprising that their Christmas offering is a standout one with truly inventive flavours.
This hefty sambo is filled with roast Feigh Cullen Farm turkey breast, turkey sausage stuffing, smoked Salters ham, luscious master stock gravy, a 'Christmas tree mayo' made with pine foraged by the team from the Dublin Mountains, Cheddar cheese and cranberry sauce, all on toasted ciabatta bread.
Two Pups, Liberties and Fairview
Between their two locations in the Liberties and Fairview, the team at Two Pups are serving everything from sambos and brunch specials to impressive pastries from their Bold Boy Bakery, and they have a number of festive treats on the bar this year.
We're especially intrigued by their Christmas Dinner Danish, a veggie-friendly creation that combines creamy cauliflower cheese with homemade herby stuffing, cranberry sauce with roast carrot and peas. We're also big fans of their Trifle Danish, with layers of raspberry conserve, vanilla custard and whipped cream that is wonderfully retro and nails that specific level of decadence.
Alma, Portobello
You'll find queues outside this Argentine brunch spot every weekend and for good reason: their dishes are well worth the wait, as is their Christmas sambo for this year: slow-cooked pulled Turkey in cranberry jus, miso-glazed Brussels sprouts, sausage and sage stuffing, brie and mulled kraut on organic Tartine Ciabatta. Earthy, indulgent and loaded with umami goodness to offset all the mince pies you might have eaten already.
Carved, Grand Canal Dock and Ballsbridge
With 'sandwiches by chefs' as their USP, you can put your faith in Carved to serve up one hell of a Christmas sambo. Their offering this year is made with roast turkey, carved ham, sausage stuffing, Brie cheese, garlic aioli, pickled red cabbage and cranberry sauce, and comes with a pot of gravy for dipping.
Griolladh, various locations
If you're the kind of person who likes roast potatoes with your gravy and not the other way around, this is the sandwich for you. In a special collaboration with McDonnell's sauce, the Crambo has all the classics: turkey, ham, cranberry sauce and stuffing with some crisps for crunch and a pot of gravy on the side.
Baa Baa, Chapelizod
Their 'best one to date', or so they tell us, Baa Baa's Christmas sambo for 2025 is indeed a beauty. The team pride themselves on making everything from scratch in-house, which makes it taste 10 times as good. This year's sambo is filled with honey roast ham and turkey, sage and apple stuffing, homemade cranberry spiced jam, Brie, a sprinkle of Derg cheddar and fresh greens, all piled high on toasted organic sourdough.
Lotts & Co, various locations
Beloved for their fabulous range of Christmas goodies, Lotts & Co also know their way around a sandwich and have brought their own creation to the deli. Their festive sambo is filled with mustard and honey roast ham, roast turkey crown, Swiss cheese, sage and herb stuffing and topped with a luscious cranberry mayo.
Two Boys Brew, Phibsboro
One of the OG brunch spots, Two Boys Brew, go all out when it comes to a festive menu. As well as their classic Christmas sambo - filled with roasted turkey, honey mustard roasted ham, cranberry sauce and sage, onion and sautéed sprouts stuffing - you can also pick up mince pies from their pastry counter, or indulge in their festive French toast, served with in-house salted caramel, maple syrup, spiced apple and blackberry compote, chai spiced vanilla mousse, pecan brittle and white chocolate milk crumb.
Fairmental, Grand Canal St
A true Christmas sambo connoisseur understands that it's the subtle differences between sambos that keep the festive spirit alive, even when you're five sandwiches deep, and it's not anywhere near Christmas Day yet.
At Fairmental, the excellent cafe that specialises in fermentation and innovation in their dishes, they've opted for a poached turkey for even more juiciness, paired with kraut and pecan farofa, clove and mustard aioli, mulled cranberry juice gel, mornay sauce and brown butter gravy.
Urbanity, Smithfield
Who says you can't gamify a Christmas sandwich? Not us, and not Urbanity, who have been running their annual Christmas sambo slam for the last few years. Four chefs, four sandwiches over four weeks, with the customers voting with their tummies to decide who will be named champion.
This week's offering (pictured) is a mammoth creation, with roast turkey, sausage, sage and thyme stuffing, cranberry jam, brie cheese, rosemary aioli & crispy shallots on Tartine organic sourdough served with house bone marrow gravy.
Bread 41, various locations
You can guarantee that the team at Bread 41 will be serving up a veritable Willy Wonka-esque selection of Christmas treats over the next few weeks, but they've started strong with their Christmas sambo. Nestled between their expertly made white batch bread is horseshoe ham from F.X. Buckley, cranberry sauce, mustard mayo, red cabbage, onion and sage sourdough stuffing and slices of Brie.
