Meet Paul Kalogritsas and Mike Sikellis, new owners of SanPresso Sandwich & Café

Fresh sandwiches & high quality coffee.

You might have heard, a new sandwich & coffee shop just opened up for business in the west-island. It’s called SanPresso Sandwich & Café.

Located on boulevard St-Jean just off highway 40 in DDO, SanPresso offers its clients quality sandwiches and premium coffee. The café is tucked away in a strip mall, so don’t let its location deceive you.

Behind the project, are two familiar faces in the Montreal nightlife scene; Paul Kalogritsas and Mike Sikellis. Together, they bring a combined 26 years of experience to the table.

I’ve stopped by for coffee and lunch a few times since they opened. I tried a few different things and was impressed each time.

The concept

The concept is really simple and straightforward. A small café with multiple TVs playing different sports, where regulars can enjoy fresh sandwiches and premium coffee, while spending quality time with friends and family.

SanPresso was inspired by Montreal’s east end café culture. “We really like what’s going on at Café Milanos and Ciociaro in the east end. We are trying to bring that kind of authenticity to the west-island.” says Paul Kalogritsas. 

By the end of January, Paul and Mike should have received the liquor permit they applied for. They are hoping the permit will help them attract a young customer base of sports fans eager to catch the game while having a drink.

The food

The menu is made up mostly of sandwiches, but is not limited to just that. You can find salads, wraps, chicken wings, sweet potato fries, nachos cheese sticks, and a few other light snacks and desserts. Everything is affordable ranging between $6.50 and $10.50. If you’re into desserts I would suggest trying their deep fried Oreos.

These are the sandwiches currently available on the menu:

• Capicollo & Mozzarella
• Steak
• Sausage
• Fried chicken cutlet
• Veal
• Steak & Capicollo
• Special SanPresso
• Tuna

I’ve been four times to SanPresso and each time the sandwiches we’re delicious. Lots of meat and packed with flavours. The bread was crispy yet very soft and fluffy on the inside. Your hands are not dripping in oil and sauce when you’re finished. A testament to a quality sandwich.

Nachos cheese sticks

Steak & Capicollo

Steak & Capicollo

The coffee

“The quality of our coffee is something we are really proud of” says Paul. “You don’t need to add caramel or whipped cream for it to taste good – like they do at those other places…” (making reference to Starbucks and Tim Hortons that are located just across the street).

They use illy coffee beans for those familiar with coffee. “We did our research before picking a bean. We probably tried a dozen different beans before settling for this one” says Mike.

The owners

Paul Kalogritsas, 32 years old, grew up in DDO.

He got his first job at a restaurant at the age of 15 years old. “I was a buss boy at Casa Grecque just down the street from here actually. I gradually made my way up from bus boy to manager. And that’s how it started for me in the restaurant business“.

Seventeen years later Paul is still at it, now at the helm of his own café. Since his first job at 15 years old, Paul has worked as a manager at multiple nightclubs including the likes of Beachclub, Roxbury, and Pub St-James.

“I decided I wanted to open a café most notably because I was fed up of driving all the way to the east end of Montreal to have a decent lunch and coffee with the boys. You have to understand, I’m grecque. We love our coffee shops. Everyone gets together and watches sports on the weekend with coffee. There was nowhere I enjoyed going to in the west-island, so we opened our own.” – Paul Kalogritsas

Mike Sikellis, 26 years old, grew up in Kirkland. 

His first job in the “food & beverage” business was at a nightclub on St-Laurent called Crush, back in 2007. He was 17 years old at the time. “I would promote for them on Friday and Saturday night as well as work behind the bar.” 

Recently he has been working as the manager for Rouge Bar on St-Laurent as well as being a veteran bartender at Beachclub during the summer. Mike was also part of the team behind Roxbury, however it has since closed and the team has moved on to bigger and better things.

“To me SanPresso is about good coffee, fresh sandwiches, and good times with friends and family. We’ve been getting so much support from the industry. It’s been great seeing all these familiar faces come down to spend time with us during their afternoons.” – Mike Sikellis

Paul Kalogritsas (left) and Mike Sikellis (right)

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