@ Street Level

John Cleese inadvertently expressed the perfect reaction to @ Street Level in one of the Monty Python sketches. His wonderful surprised look, leap and stamp in frustration when someone would appear behind him without him knowing is almost the exact reaction I had to @ Street Level when I first noticed it. I had walked up Queen Street to go about the day’s business and noted the empty shopfront. Upon walking back down an hour or so later, I saw the shopfront had been replaced by a sign, a counter and a queue of customers and my subsequent reaction was that of Sir Cleese.
Sudden, shocking appearance aside, what we have here is a fairly standard sandwich bar of the type that seems to be springing up across the city. What it lacks in flavour (and it’s not actually that lacking), it more than makes up for in convenience. The queue is rarely more than three or four minutes long, so the lunch break workers can get their carb fix in ample time to claim a bench and spend the hour people watching.

This is a tiny little joint to grab a baguette or sandwich on the go, it’s certainly not built to accomodate those who want to sit down for their lunch. It can get pretty busy around lunch hours so a queue can head out the door (which only really requires a queue of about four people to happen). However, during other times it’s almost entirely empty, so it’s great to grab something freshly made that’s ready to go. They have a selection of premade things, but they also do made to order baguettes and the like, as well as serving the odd cake and pastry, too. It’s pretty reasonably priced as well (apart from bottles of drink, but where is?)

@ Street Level is a fairly new and compact deli counter offering both breakfast and lunch items to the bustling crowds of Queen Street.
If you fancy something sweet to start your day, @ Street Level offer Nutella on a ½ of a baguette for only £1. For lunch, try their baguettes or salads, from Tabouleh and Russian salads (potatoes, peas, sweet corn and carrot) to tuna baguettes or BLTs.
I felt sorry for the poor girl manning the counter –it wasn’t really her fault she didn’t have the help to accommodate the long queue stretching outside the shop (the man waiting in front of me left after a few minutes).
There’s not really any place to sit inside, either — with a narrow bar counter and two accompanying stools the only real options. It’s best to grab one of the four metal tables outside, where you have a prime location to sit and people watch.
The baguettes are pretty good, but nothing spectacular. Especially considering the amount of time I had to wait for it.