What Is a Gatsby? The Cape Town Sandwich Explained
A Gatsby is a huge Cape Town submarine sandwich packed with chips and a savoury filling, cut into portions and shared.
African Stores Editorial Team
The short answer
A Gatsby is a large submarine sandwich from Cape Town, South Africa: a long bread roll split and packed with hot chips and a savoury filling such as masala steak, polony or russian sausage, with achar and a sauce. Often over a foot long, it is cut into portions and shared. You can find the ingredients at African food shops near you on African Stores.
What to remember
- A Gatsby is a huge Cape Town submarine sandwich, a long bread roll filled and shared.
- It was born as Cape Malay street food in the working class neighbourhoods of Cape Town.
- The filling almost always includes hot chips inside the roll, plus achar and a sauce.
- Classic fillings are masala steak, polony, russian sausage, fish or chicken, often with chakalaka.
- You can buy the long rolls, chips, achar and spices from African food shops in the UK.
Ask anyone who grew up in Cape Town about a Gatsby and you will see a smile: it is the taste of a shared meal on a Friday night, the long roll cut into quarters and passed around, the takeaway shop on the corner, the hot chips and masala steak, the cheerful, generous food of home. For South Africans in Britain, a Gatsby is a warm, nostalgic taste of the Cape, of student days and family gatherings and hungry crowds fed on a budget.
Part of its magic is that it was always meant to be shared, a whole roll cut between friends, which makes it a small act of togetherness as much as a meal. Recreating one far from home, with real achar and a good spicy filling, brings back the Cape Flats and the corner cafe and the easy pleasure of a Gatsby among friends. That big, generous, shared taste of home is the gift of the Gatsby.
What a Gatsby Is the Cape Town Sandwich
A Gatsby is a large submarine sandwich from Cape Town, South Africa, built on a long bread roll that is split lengthways and packed with a generous savoury filling. It is not a delicate sandwich but a big, hearty, satisfying one, usually well over a foot long, and the defining feature is its size: a single Gatsby is meant to be cut into portions and shared between several people rather than eaten by one. It takes its name from the Cape Town street food scene, and it is worth being clear that this is the sandwich, not the classic novel or the film that share the name.
At its heart the Gatsby is comfort food and value for money, a whole meal in a roll. The bread is soft and long, the filling is hot and hearty, and hot chips are tucked right inside the roll alongside the main filling. It belongs to the wider world of South African food, and it is one of Cape Town's best loved everyday dishes. Because it usually contains gluten from the bread, and often meat or fish, it is worth checking the fillings if you have allergies or dietary needs.
The Cape Town Origins of the Gatsby
The Gatsby was born in Cape Town, and specifically in the Cape Malay and working class communities of the city, where it grew up as street food and takeaway food. The popular story traces it to a takeaway in the Athlone area of the Cape Flats in the 1970s, where a long filled roll was created to feed a group of hungry workers cheaply, then named after a film playing at the time, and the idea spread quickly across the city. Whatever the exact origin, the Gatsby is firmly a Cape Town creation.
Its heritage is Cape Malay, the community whose cooking blends spice, curry and bold flavour into everyday South African food, and that heritage shows in the masala and achar that fill a classic Gatsby. From takeaway shops and corner cafes across the Cape Flats, the Gatsby became a shared, sociable, affordable meal, ordered by the group and cut into pieces. It remains a proud symbol of Cape Town food culture.
Classic Gatsby Fillings
The filling is what makes a Gatsby, and it almost always starts with hot chips packed inside the long roll, which is one of the sandwich's signatures. On top of the chips goes the main filling, and the classic choices are masala steak, polony, russian sausage, fish or chicken, with masala steak being the most iconic. The filling is seasoned and spiced, and it is finished with achar, the tangy pickled relish, and a sauce, so the whole thing is rich, savoury and a little spicy.
Many Gatsbies also carry chakalaka, the spicy South African relish of tomato, onion, beans and spice, which adds heat and tang alongside the chips and meat. A peri peri or masala kick is common too. The result is a big, layered, flavour packed roll where the soft bread, hot chips, spiced filling, achar and sauce all come together. If you eat fish or chicken versions, note the usual fish and poultry allergens; the polony and russian sausage versions contain processed meat.
Where to Buy Gatsby Ingredients in the UK
Building a Gatsby at home in Britain is easy once you know what to gather: a long soft bread roll or baguette style loaf, potatoes or ready cut chips, your chosen filling of steak, polony, russian sausage, fish or chicken, plus achar and a peri peri or masala spice to season it. Most of these, especially the achar, the South African spices and the processed meats like polony and russian sausage, are stocked by African food shops, which is where the harder to find items live.
If you want the authentic achar, spice blends and South African store cupboard items, an African food shop is the place to look, and the long rolls and chips you can pick up alongside your everyday shopping. You can find African food stores near you to track down the achar, spices and fillings for a proper Gatsby. Big, hearty and made for sharing, the Gatsby brings a real taste of Cape Town to your table.
Frequently asked questions
What is a gatsby?
A Gatsby is a large submarine sandwich from Cape Town, South Africa: a long bread roll split lengthways and packed with hot chips and a savoury filling such as masala steak, polony, russian sausage, fish or chicken, finished with achar and a sauce. It is usually well over a foot long and is meant to be cut into portions and shared between several people rather than eaten by one.
Where does the gatsby come from?
The Gatsby comes from Cape Town, South Africa, and grew up as street food in the Cape Malay and working class communities of the city. The popular story traces it to a takeaway in the Athlone area of the Cape Flats in the 1970s, where a long filled roll was made to feed a group of workers cheaply and then named after a film. Its flavours, masala and achar, reflect Cape Malay cooking.
What is in a gatsby?
A Gatsby is built on a long bread roll packed with hot chips, which are a signature of the sandwich, topped with a main filling of masala steak, polony, russian sausage, fish or chicken, then finished with achar and a sauce. Many also include chakalaka, the spicy South African relish, and a peri peri or masala kick, making the whole roll rich, savoury and a little spicy.
How big is a gatsby and how many does it feed?
A Gatsby is big, usually well over a foot long, and it is designed to be shared rather than eaten by one person. A single Gatsby is typically cut into portions and can feed two to four people depending on its size and appetite, which is part of why it became such a popular, affordable group meal in Cape Town. Larger ones can feed more.
Where can I buy the ingredients for a gatsby in the UK?
The long rolls and chips are easy to find, while the achar, South African spice blends and processed meats like polony and russian sausage are stocked by African food shops. African Stores lists African and Caribbean food shops across the UK, so you can find one near you that stocks the achar, spices and fillings you need to build an authentic Cape Town Gatsby at home.