New North Side Ottimo Sandwiches and More opens under same owners as Uncle Rusty’s Diner

Workers and residents in northeast Spokane in search of a good sandwich shop can now stop in and visit Ottimo Sandwiches and More at 912 E. Francis Ave., owned by the same family that runs Uncle Rusty’s Diner in downtown Spokane.

Fans of the breads and baked goods sold at Rusty’s Diner will recognize the sandwich bread and pastries sold at Ottimo’s, made by Cheryl Anyan. Her brothers, Brian Northcraft and Rusty Northcraft, own both restaurants.

“Cheryl has been baking her whole life,” Brian Northcraft said.

It was Anyan’s skill at breadmaking and requests from customers to buy it by the loaf that led to the sandwich shop, Northcraft said.

“It was kind of a natural expansion,” he said. “It made sense.”

The Northcrafts launched Rusty’s Diner in 2019 and Ottimo’s had a soft opening June 11, just celebrating its grand opening July 8 and 9. But their experience in the restaurant industry goes back decades. Their uncle owned an Italian restaurant, and Northcraft later worked for Pizza Pipeline for a decade.

“I grew up around it,” he said.

For now, the sandwich shop is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, targeting the lunchtime crowd.

“As we get busier, we will be expanding our hours,” Northcraft said. “We eventually want to open earlier so we can do breakfast sandwiches. We’re just starting out small.

“We want to grow at a comfortable pace.”

The shop sells small pies, cookies and cinnamon rolls. Occasionally there will be items including danishes and cake pops. That selection, too, will expand in the future, he said. There are also plans to sell bread by the loaf.

“We’re not a full-on bakery, but we will have a lot of baked goods,” Northcraft said.

Anyan said her grandmother taught her how to bake cookies, and every Sunday she would make bread for lunch after church. That ignited her passion with baking.

“I just love to bake,” she said. “I’m obsessed with it. I watch videos and shows on it.”

She arrives at work at 6 a.m. most days to make bread and baked goods for Rusty’s Diner and Ottimo’s. She’s been working for years to perfect her breads and knew she had found the secret when customers at Rusty’s began asking to buy it by the loaf. She’s working to perfect her baguette bread.

All sandwiches at Ottimo’s are served on a sub roll more than a foot long that are baked fresh each morning. In addition to the classic turkey, ham, roast beef and club sandwiches, the shop also serves a meatball sandwich and an Italian sandwich with pepperoni, salami and prosciutto.

One of the most popular sandwiches is the Ottimo Classic, a bread-busting sandwich that has all the toppings of the Italian, plus turkey, ham and roast beef. The sandwich is so large that each half must be wrapped separately.

“It won’t fit in our wax paper to wrap it,” Northcraft said.

Prices for sandwiches range from $9.25 for a half to $16.99 for a full Ottimo Classic, the most expensive sandwich on the menu. Several whole sandwiches ring in at $12.99. Diners can pair the sandwiches with chips and canned soda.

The shop also offers catering and special orders.

Northcraft said he prefers to focus on comfort foods done simply but well, and people shouldn’t expect anything fancy.

“That’s just not who we are,” he said. “We want to stick to our wheelhouse. I like to keep it with simpler food.”

The sandwich shop, located in a strip mall tucked next to a cell phone store, didn’t even have a sign for the first several weeks it was open. It has earned several rave reviews on Facebook, which helped boost foot traffic.

“It’s been going actually pretty well, especially since it’s just word of mouth and social media,” Northcraft said.

Northcraft said he’s grateful that he and his siblings can work successfully in the restaurant industry.

“It’s a tough business,” he said. “I like being able to create something for people that they enjoy.”