Wanna get down on some of the best sandwiches around? Your Only Friend wants to hang out.

The nostalgic sandwich shop and bar in Shaw began as a pandemic pivot from hoagie maestro Paul Taylor and cocktail pro Sherra Kurtz, who were both working at the Columbia Room when the world shut down in March 2020.

“We had a ‘What can we do now?’ attitude,” says Kurtz. “We were really determined to do what we could to bring whatever comfort we could to people at a time when there was so much uncertainty. And it was a stress relief for me to not have to be in my very tiny apartment by myself. I probably would have started a scarf that I never finished.”

Partnering with Erik Bruner–Yang’s Power of 10 initiative, which worked to keep restaurant workers employed while feeding the community, he and Kurtz created the “Get a Hero Be a Hero” pop-up in spring of 2020, which donated a sandwich to local hospital workers and first responders every time they sold a sandwich. The work felt especially personal to Taylor, since his sister, a naval nurse, was stationed aboard the USNS Comfort in New York City.

As they built a following, Taylor and Kurtz renamed the project Your Only Friend, a riff on a phrase Taylor found himself saying when someone came through in a pinch with something he really needed, as in “Thanks for bringing that milk I needed to make eggnog for the Christmas pop-up bar. You’re my only friend.” It was a creative time for the hoagie maker, who began building a recipe repertoire. Not every experiment was successful. An effort to replicate Arby’s roast beef sandwich was a failure, though they hope to return to the idea in the future.

As 2021 unfolded, the Columbia Room team geared up to reopen for normal service, which intensified a dialogue between Taylor and Kurtz. “We loved it and wanted to see it come back,” Kurtz says. “But, for us, we had changed that space so many times, the thought of going all the way back was just one bridge too far.”

Plus, there was serious momentum and a devoted fan base for Your Only Friend. If there was ever a time to strike out on their own with the concept, this was it. The partners left Columbia Room in the late summer of 2021 to begin the hunt for a location, initially steering clear of Shaw because they didn’t want to be near their former workplace. But when Derek Brown decided to sell the legendary bar to New York’s Death & Co., they started looking in their old neighborhood, ultimately finding a spot on the Ninth Street NW drag just around the corner from their old digs.

The 1,600-square-foot building was a shell, but the partners appreciated its two distinct spaces, perfect for their dual sandwich shop-bar concept, as well as its pleasingly faded brick walls and historical facade. Taylor and Kurtz took over the space in late 2022, spent more than a year renovating it, and finally opened the 36-seat spot in mid-January.

On the sandwich side of the operation, there are eight options, all served on bread from Lyon Bakery. These are the kinds of sandos that make you want to get dirty. Take the Hot Nug, a big-ass Nashville hot chicken sandwich topped with bread and butter pickles that arrives on a sesame bun. I dare you to not hoover up this beast, regardless of how many napkins you burn through.

Or check out the Mort & Mootz—an OG from the pandemic pop-up days—their Italian sub plump with mortadella and mozzarella (thus the name), along with shredded lettuce, shaved onions, red pepper relish, and Duke’s Mayo. The latter is surely a point of contention for some hoagie purists, though it’s never bothered me that much.

Purists will also probably put up a fight about the Sub Club, which lacks the usual three slices of toast. Instead, there’s a tubular roll, allowing greater focus on the fillings, including smoked turkey, bacon, Swiss cheese, and “fancy pants” ranch (i.e., house-made dressing with lots of fresh herbs).

Don’t sleep on the Caul Me Maybe—also from the original lineup—essentially a vegan banh mi (though you can sub in Duke’s for the usual vegan mayo). Packed with roasted cauliflower, cucumber slices, jalapenos, and bursting with sprigs of fresh cilantro, this hefty hoagie is designed to satiate any diner regardless of their food philosophies.

Not to be overlooked is the spicy take on a Salvadoran icon, the Spicy Panes con Pavo (turkey on bread). Tender braised meat gets paired with curtido (pickled cabbage), salted cucumber, and a Crystal Hot Sauce-amped chili oil that needs to be bottled and sold. To anyone who never orders the turkey sandwich because they’re afraid it won’t be flavorful enough, this sandwich will change your mind.

I appreciate Your Only Friend’s dedication to the classics, which are deftly blended with their irreverence and inventiveness. This mindset extends to the snacky sides, too: house-made Miso Chex Mix taken to another level of umami thanks to the incorporation of miso; pimento cheese served with potato chips instead of the usual Ritz Crackers; Caramelized Shallot Dip that plays like fancy French onion dip; and cacio e pepe-inspired fries doused in a snowfall of butter powder, white cheddar powder, and Kraft-style grated Parmesan.

On the bar side of the equation, Kurtz wants to keep her offerings low-key, but highly enjoyable. “The idea is that cocktails can be fun and nuanced, but also approachable,” says Kurtz. “A cocktail should never make someone feel like they’re a dummy.”

Think a see-through rum and Coke, gimlet accented with celery, and carbonated margarita with Mountain Dew, mezcal, and Smirnoff Ice. Don’t forget to look up while you’re drinking to marvel at the epic stained-glass window, created by Devin Balara of Solid Space Glass, which stars a godly jar of Duke’s, ribbons of bacon, pickles, bread, Swiss cheese, and sheaves of lettuce. And before you leave, make sure to pop into the bathroom on the left to take a selfie surrounded by wallpaper decorated with—you guessed it—Duke’s-esque mayo jars.

Your Only Friend, 1114 9th St. NW. (202) 912-1999. youronlyfrienddc.com.