Sammich's new location at 2137 East Burnside Street might be one of the fastest restaurant buildouts in Portland history. While most places are a few months (or years) late to open their doors, Sammich, the Ashland-born sandwich shop, was built in around a month and a half. After a yearlong test run with her Pastrami Zombie food cart, owner Melissa McMillan has officially opened her Chicago-style, Italian beef-centric brick-and-mortar as of Friday, December 1. 

The 24-seat shop hosts an expanded menu of sandwiches and salads, a smoker out front for that famous Montreal-style pastrami and smoked birds, and a mandatory Chicago Cubs dress code. Sammich will be open from 11 a.m.–4 p.m. the first week, expanding hours to 11 a..m.–8 p.m. starting Monday, December 11. Check the slideshow above for an exclusive first look.