Starbucks Lunch Sandwiches Menu USA

Each sandwich is a single serving, wrapped and warmed to order. The fourth line in the table, the avocado spread, is a side you can add to any of them.

Availability is by store. Smaller kiosks and some licensed locations carry only one or two of these, so the app is the reliable way to see what is in the case today.

There is no lunch window. Starbucks stocks these sandwiches from the moment the store opens and sells them until they run out, which at busy stores can be early afternoon. You can order a Ham & Swiss on Baguette at 7 a.m. if you want one.

The practical side of that: if you want a specific sandwich for a late lunch, order it in the app when you think of it and pick it up later. The app shows a sold-out label the moment the store's count hits zero.

The Crispy Grilled Cheese on Sourdough is three cheeses, Cheddar, Parmesan and mozzarella, between slices of sourdough, with a Parmesan butter spread on the outside so the crust fries in the oven. It is 520 calories with 21 g of protein and 27 g of fat, priced at $8.25. Why choose the grilled cheese?

• Vegetarian: the only sandwich in the section without meat.
• Texture: the Parmesan butter on the crust is what people come back for.
• Sugar: 1 g, next to nothing.
• Comfort food: it is the one to order on a cold day with a tomato soup from home.

Nutrition tip: this is the highest-fat sandwich here. Skip the avocado spread on this one; it does not need it.

The Ham & Swiss on Baguette is sliced ham and Swiss cheese with a Dijon butter on a toasted baguette. It leads the section on protein at 25 g, lands at 510 calories, and costs $8.45, the highest price of the three. Why choose the Ham & Swiss?

• Most protein: 25 g in one sandwich, more than either protein box.
• Dijon butter: the mustard keeps it from tasting like a plain deli sandwich.
• Crust: the baguette holds up to heat better than the focaccia.
• Sugar: 1 g.

Best pairing: an iced black tea. Anything sweet fights the mustard.

The Tomato & Mozzarella on Focaccia layers roasted tomatoes, mozzarella, spinach and basil pesto on focaccia. It is the lightest sandwich at 360 calories and the cheapest at $8.05, with 15 g of protein. Why choose the Tomato & Mozzarella?

• Fewest calories: 360, about 150 under the other two.
• Vegetarian: the second meat-free option, with less cheese than the grilled cheese.
• Pesto: roasted tomato and basil give it more flavor than its size suggests.
• Lowest fat: 12 g.

Nutrition tip: add the avocado spread here. It brings the sandwich to a fuller lunch for 90 extra calories.

Protein separates the three more than calories do. The ham sandwich has the most, the grilled cheese is close behind on cheese alone, and the focaccia trails.

For a lunch that holds until dinner, the Ham & Swiss on Baguette is the right order. For a lunch that does not weigh the afternoon down, the Tomato & Mozzarella on Focaccia is.

Every lunch sandwich goes into a high-speed oven behind the counter for about a minute and comes out in a paper sleeve. The grilled cheese and the baguette crisp up; the focaccia softens and the mozzarella pulls. That is the default, and it is the best way to eat all three.

You can ask for one unheated. The app has no toggle for it, so say it at the counter. People do this when the sandwich is going into a bag for later, since a reheated sandwich at home is better than one warmed twice.

Starbucks has three lunch formats and they solve different problems. The sandwich is hot and full-size. The pocket is hot, smaller and cheaper. The protein box is cold and built for a desk or a car.

The pocket wins on price per gram of protein. The sandwich wins on being a full meal. The box wins when you cannot eat it right away.

The Avocado Spread is a sealed portion of mashed avocado with lime, sea salt, garlic and a little chile, and it can be added to any lunch sandwich. It brings 90 calories, 8 g of fat and no sugar. The reference store does not list a price for it as an add-on, so ask. It belongs on the focaccia or the baguette; the grilled cheese is already rich enough.

All three sandwiches declare Milk, Wheat. There is no gluten-free bread and no dairy-free sandwich here. The avocado spread declares nothing, which makes it the one thing in this section a dairy-free or vegan customer can order.

Order the Ham & Swiss on Baguette when you need a meal, the Tomato & Mozzarella on Focaccia when you want a lighter one, and the Crispy Grilled Cheese on Sourdough when the weather calls for it.

Buy early in the day if you have a favorite; the case empties in the afternoon and the app will tell you before you leave the house.