Our Story

Sandwich Bar is the second restaurant from the team behind Lark. We were inspired by the incredible sandwiches of Turkey & the Wolf in New Orleans and also by their fun, in-your-face style.

We did a number of pop-ups in 2019 in preparation of opening in 2020 … and then a little thing called the coronavirus happened.

That gave us more time to think about the design and the full experience. In scouring Pinterest boards on the internet, we stumbled upon the Mars Bar in New York’s East Village. We loved its graffiti and nonchalant urban style. We also wanted to pay tribute to two of our inspirations, Julia Child and Anthony Bourdain. Luckily, we knew just the guy who could make it come to life.

Artist Jeff Henriquez had painted the Blackhawk mural in downtown Janesville the summer before. He was a regular at Lark while he was in town and became a friend. Lucky for us, he was game to design a restaurant with us. He was coming back to Janesville in September 2020 to paint a second mural, so he lengthened his trip to start Sandwich Bar. He returned in late March 2021 to finish the job and it’s so much more than we imagined. It’s like stepping into a graphic novel.

We’re using reclaimed tin ceilings, an old bowling alley lane, and other salvaged materials to capture that well-worn feeling of a neighborhood bar. A neighborhood bar like no other, with damn fine sandwiches, tasty nightly specials, fun cocktails, and okay beer.