The story
In 1976 Rashaad Pandy, who ran a food shop in Athlone on the Cape Flats of Cape Town, needed to feed the workers helping renovate his store. He filled a big round loaf with slap chips, polony sausage and achar and cut it into wedges. One of the workers, nicknamed Froggy, called it a 'Gatsby smash', after The Great Gatsby, then showing at an Athlone cinema, and the name stuck. Pandy put it on his menu, the round loaf became a long roll, and fillings grew to steak, chicken, fish and curry. The Gatsby, made to share four ways, is now a Western Cape icon.
Also known as Gatsby sandwich, Cape Town Gatsby.
On the Meridish menu
Gatsby was the street food course on menu No. 9 on October 9, 2026. Its clue in the game, which hints at the place without naming it:
A giant sub roll stuffed with chips, meat and sauces, cut into pieces to share. It got its name here in 1976, after a film playing at the local cinema.
In Meridish, every dish is pinned to the town or city most widely credited with creating it. A guess within 25 km scores all 100 points. How scoring works.
Sources
Food history is often disputed. Think we've pinned it in the wrong place? Tell us at hello@meridish.com, ideally with a source.
