On Albert Cuypstraat, one of the city's busiest market streets, sits a little store that does exactly what it does best: make Japanese sandos. No extensive menu, no evening menu. Just lunch, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., every day. Ranchi focuses entirely on that one moment of the day, and it shows in everything they do.
The showpiece is the tonkatsu sando. Crispy breaded pork, thickly sliced, on shokupan: the soft, airy Japanese milk bread that has been the standard for this kind of street food in Japan for decades. The combination of that crispy crust with the sweet, springy bread is exactly what distinguishes a good sando from an ordinary meat sandwich. Everything is prepared fresh and handmade, and you can taste it. In addition to the tonkatsu sando, there are other sandos with various fresh fillings, complemented by drinks appropriate for a Japanese lunch.
The location is cleverly chosen. The Albert Cuyp market attracts thousands of people every day, from local residents who get something quickly to visitors walking down the market. A compact lunch store that focuses on takeaway fits right in. The space is small and functional: no unnecessary fuss, just a counter, fresh food and the ability to move on quickly. If you do want to sit down, the market atmosphere outside is actually the perfect place to eat your sando.
The tonkatsu sando on shokupan is proof that you don't need a big map to impress.
De Pijp already has many lunch spots, but a business that focuses so specifically on the Japanese lunch tradition is a different story. Ranchi deliberately chooses quality over quantity: a small menu, fixed opening hours, and a focus on the one product they can make really well. The tonkatsu sando at shokupan is proof that you don't need a big menu to impress. Get there early, because the day is short and the sandos run out sooner than you think.