A Summer of Notable Sandwiches
By David Swanson
Welcome back to Notable Sandwiches, the feature where Talia and I tiptoe through the tulips of Wikipedia’s List of Notable Sandwiches, in alphabetical order. Unfortunately, Talia’s is a bit under the weather, so this week I decided to take a look back on the summer in sandwiches. We’ll be back to our regularly scheduled programming next Friday.
As we close out National Sandwich Month, and the summer of 2024 along with it, it’s time to take stock of some recent development in the sandwich-verse. This has been a busy summer. The iconic Arby’s sign on Sunset Boulevard came down after 55 years enticing Angelenos with its neon 500-gallon hat. There’s Something About Her, the sandwich shop opened by cast members of “The Vanderpump Rules”, kept gossip writers occupied as it became entangled in web of litigation. And, on the other side of the country, New York hypebeast emporium Supreme got in on the sandwich game with an inedible, limited-edition chopped cheese.
Speaking of inedible, let’s get the odious out the way: at the moment, things are rotten in the state of deli meat. As the Times put it last week, “in late July, just as parents were starting to decide what to pack in school lunches, Boar’s Head recalled more than seven million pounds of ham, salami and other products after its liverwurst was linked to a deadly listeria outbreak.” Even worse were the results from a Department of Agriculture inspection of one of the company’s meatpacking plants, where authorities found 69 health violations, including “mold, insects, liquid dripping from ceilings, and meat and fat residue on walls, floors and equipment.”
For the time being, you should exercise caution in your sandwich life—luckily this summer offered a smörgåsbord of delicious alternatives that won’t send you to the emergency room. Included in the roundup of resources below are Eater’s guides to the best sandwiches in cities around the country, as well as various features, regional packages, and Yelp’s list of the favorite sandwiches in every state. Hopefully there’s enough here to keep you sated until Talia returns with Notable Sandwich # 108 next week.
Where to Find New York's Biggest Sandwich
By Robert Sietsema
Eater, June 11, 2024
We first started seeing overstuffed sandwiches, according to Joel Haber, writing in the Taste of Jewish Culture, when the children of impoverished immigrants, becoming financially successful themselves, could afford to eat humongous sandwiches as a sign of their success. This would have been after 1920, after a 40-year wave of immigration, and also the point at which delis became sit-down spots, and with tables they solidified as New York institutions. At one time there were 5,000 in New York City alone.
57 Sandwiches That Define New York City
New York Times, June 18, 2024
You can tell a lot about a city by the sandwiches it keeps. Not just its tastes or its vices — cured meats—but also its fascination with myriad cultures, its appreciation for stellar ingredients and its desire for delicious convenience. Over the last three months, the New York Times Food staff has crisscrossed all five boroughs in search of heroes, bodega icons, inspired crossovers, meatless wonders and more. This list isn’t a ranking—though every one of these sandwiches is marvelous to eat, with one hand or two—but a way of surveying New York as the culinary destination it is. Why sandwiches? Well, what other food item could be as dynamic, diverse and entertaining as New York City itself?
The 15 Best Sandwich Spots In Atlanta
The Infatuation, June 25, 2024
There’s a reason why sandwiches are the go-to lunch for everything from boardroom meetings to school field trips. They’re versatile, practical, and have universal appeal—they’re essentially the denim jeans of the food world. And because we’re not tied down to one city signature, ATL sandwich makers run wild in that playground of possibilities with cold subs, cubanos, cheesesteaks, bánh mìs, reubens, po’boys, and more. While there isn’t one sandwich to rule them all, these 15 spots give us the magic combo of bread and fillings that we love.
Miami and Tampa Battle for the Best Cuban Sandwiches in Florida
By Carrie Honaker
Food & Wine, July 12, 2024
The Cubano or Cuban sandwich, birthed in Cuba and known as a mixto (meat and cheese), landed in Ybor City, a historic neighborhood in Tampa, as a snack for cigar workers in the 1890s and then found purchase in Miami later, giving a point for primacy to the West Coast of Florida. Salami and bread texture differentiate the Miami and Tampa versions. In Tampa, Cuban bread is tender inside and crispy on the outside. Miami’s Cuban bread is softer and has a thinner crust that gets crispy when pressed.
Tampa even had the “Historic Cuban Sandwich” designated its signature sandwich in official documents in 2012. Miami mayor Tomas Regalado fired back in an interview with NPR, "If my abuela would have seen salami in a Cuban sandwich, she would do the sign of the cross and say that's a sacrilege."
The Best Sandwich Shops in New Jersey
By Molly Gregor
Best of NJ, July 18, 2024
Everyone has a favorite sandwich. And most people have a favorite sandwich shop that trumps all others. Best of NJ loves sandwiches, too, so we’re showcasing a list of The Best Sandwich Shops in New Jersey. These are the go-to spots for quick lunch breaks, road trip pit stops, and full blown belly busters. Be sure to try them all throughout the year!
Many of the sandwich shops on this list offer gourmet Italian subs and sandwiches, while some spotlight the Sloppy Joe. (Not the one most people think of, the unique New Jersey Sloppy Joe.) Others create delicious belly busters packed with chicken cutlets, corned beef, or other adventurous meats. But all of them serve incredible sandwiches that keep patrons coming back for more.
The 10 best breakfast sandwiches in the D.C. area
By Tim Carmen
Washington Post, July 25, 2024
If Herb Peterson was trying to reimagine eggs Benedict with the Egg McMuffin, some of the chefs here are now trying to redefine this portable meal for a new generation that wants to see itself reflected in the food it eats. These inventions don’t just cross cultures, expanding the flavors available for our morning repast. They confirm a fundamental truth about America: We’re far stronger when we come together, even with just a breakfast sandwich.
Carm’s and Fontano’s sell Italian beef in Chicago with a side of family history. But they haven’t seen ‘The Bear.’
By Ahmed Ali Akbar
Chicago Tribune, August 1, 2024
“Never heard of ‘The Bear,’” Mary Fontano said, the smell of giardiniera and salted meat in the air in Little Italy. She is a co-owner of the original Fontano’s Subs on Polk Street, alongside her brother, Neil Fontano. The family business has been a fixture of this otherwi residential block for nearly 100 years. She turned to the customers lined up to pay for their Italian beefs.
“You hear about ‘The Bear?’” she asked a man in a reflective construction vest holding a wrapped sandwich.
“‘The Bear?’” the customer asked. “What’s that?”
This Sandwich Is So Corporate Chain, but So Good
By Tejal Rao
New York Times, August 7, 2024
A roast beef sandwich is so simple that small, seemingly trivial alterations can completely transform it. How rare exactly is the meat? How thinly is it sliced? And—this is important!—what’s happening to those roasty browned bits that tend to fall and make a mess when the sandwich is assembled? At Houston’s, a cook is often sliding some of that wreckage back in, for the mildest of contrast. Oh, you didn’t notice? Well, you’re not really supposed to.
The sandwich is here to please you, not draw attention to itself!
In Chicago, Delis Are Destinations—Not Sandwich Shops
By John Kessler
Food & Wine, August 12, 2024
I’ve always found it curious and kind of charming when New Yorkers use the word “deli” as an indefinite noun as in, “We’re going out to get some deli.” For them, it’s a ubiquitous and comforting dining choice like Italian or Chinese. Not so in Chicago. Instead of neighborhood delis we’ve got endless sandwich shops—places like The Original Beef of Chicagoland in “The Bear” where you can order from a menu that includes some combination of Italian beef, hamburgers, hot dogs, and gyros.
Our delis, on the other hand, are destinations—places we visit for a treat, for the kind of meal that elicits a cardiologist joke. Here, delis come in three basic categories: Jewish, Italian, and Polish. While Chicagoans will argue endlessly about pizza, we seem to be in general agreement about which delis today are the best. Here they are.
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The Best Sandwiches in Seattle
By Eater Staff and Harry Cheadle
Eater, August 13, 2024
An expertly crafted sandwich can be a perfect meal on its own—and it’s tailor-made for takeout if you’re in a hurry. While lots of restaurants offer a great sandwich or two, this map covers some of the best sandwich shops dedicated to the form in its many incarnations, from Philly cheesesteaks to fried catfish sandwiches to a bulgogi short rib melt. Note that there’s also a whole separate guide for banh mi, since the city has so many excellent options, plus maps for burgers and hot dogs, if you consider those things sandwiches.
The 15 Best Sandwiches Around Boston
By Nathan Tavares and Eater Staff
Eater, August 13, 2024
Boston doesn’t exactly have an iconic type of sandwich, at least not in the same way some cities do—Philly has the cheesesteak, Chicago has the Italian beef, and New York has pastrami on rye, for example. Sure, there’s the lobster roll, but if hot dogs aren’t sandwiches, lobster rolls aren’t sandwiches either (and are thus excluded from this map, except for one that actually is a sandwich; find the best of the best here).
The dearth of a definitive sandwich type notwithstanding, an eater can absolutely find a lot of very good sandwiches of various types in and around Boston, from banh mi to fried chicken to roast beef to porchetta. (And if you’re eating an Italian sub, don’t forget the hots.)
Here are 15 must-try sandwiches all around Boston.
The Best Houston Sandwiches to Bite Into Right Now
By Brittany Britto Garley
Eater, August 13, 2024
Houston’s culinary variety is indisputable, and the city’s endless sandwich options are a microcosm of that diversity. Whether you’re looking for piled-high pastrami, a spicy banh mi, or a hearty Mexican torta, there’s something for everyone in H-Town. Unsure of where to start? Try out these 18 spots slinging some of the best sandwiches in the city that offer a little Bayou City flare. This list has been updated to feature newer sandwich shops like La Nonna, Bar Bludorn, and Vuji Cafe.
22 Must-Try Sandwiches to Seek Out in Metro Detroit
By Serena Maria Daniels
Eater, August 13, 2024
The sandwich is an incredibly versatile vessel for satisfying one’s hunger. It’s quite mobile, almost always filling, and affordable. Pretty much anyone can make a fine sandwich, but not all are destined to be great. Here in metro Detroit there are a lot of excellent sandwiches worth the stomach real estate—whether you’re planning the big sports gathering, taking a quick lunch break, or need a satisfying takeout spot. From the monstrous stacked subs at Gonella’s Original to the mighty tortas at Mi Pueblo, and the pickle-themed Whats the Dill, here are 23 certified excellent sandwiches to seek out in metro Detroit
The Best Vegas Sandwiches to Bite Into Right Now
By Janna Karel
Eater, August 13, 2024
Maybe one of the best things about Las Vegas is that the city has no cuisine to call its own. That means the mix of personalities from across the nation brings with them sandwiches from all over the country. While no guide can list them all, these sandwich shops across the city serve as a jumping-off point for some of the best that Vegas has to offer.
Where to Eat New Orleans's Best Sandwiches
By Beth D'Addono and Clair Lorell
Eater, August 13, 2024
Not for nothing, but not all sandwiches are po’ boys. Yes, that’s New Orleans’s official way to eat everything on a hunk of French bread, but sandwiches other than po’ boys have a rich and delicious history. Named for the 4th Earl of Sandwich in the late 1700s, seems this particular British aristocrat loved to gamble so much he wouldn’t stop to eat. So his valet packed him — you guessed it—a slab of meat between two pieces of bread, a portable meal called the sandwich. In New Orleans, we have plenty of good, even great renditions.
Try one, try them all, and as always, send a note if we left out one of your favorites. And, if it is po’ boys you’re after, check Eater’s guide to that New Orleans specialty here.
The Best Sandwiches in Chicago
By Ashok Selvam, Naomi Waxman, and Eater Staff
Eater, August 14, 2024
The Midwest excels at comfort foods, and Chicago is at the center of it all. Lately, the city’s embraced a growing contingent of bakeries, cafes, and other sandwich vendors who apply both creativity and gravity to their craft.
The sandwich may seem a simple construct that involves assorted meats, cheeses, vegetables, and condiments couched between two slices of bread, but Chicago's sandwich scene is a competitive place. Whether one is hankering for a classic crowd-pleaser or novel gourmet invention, the city’s sandwich makers offer plentiful options. Look through Eater Chicago’s picks for must-have versions in the map below.
The 17 Best San Francisco Sandwich Spots Right Now
By Lauren Saria, Justine Jones, and Eater Staff
Eater, August 14, 2024
How lucky we are to be alive during this golden age of sandwiches in San Francisco. Sure, there are a number of shops that have been piling meat and cheese on crackly Dutch bread for generations. But it also feels as if there are more top-notch sandwich options spread across these seven hills than ever before. This is a city with remarkably affordable sandwiches and celebrity chef-backed ones, but no matter which you’re craving this list will have you more than covered.
Philly's Best Sandwich Shops
By Ernest Owens
Eater, August 14, 2024
Philly is at its heart a sandwich town. Cheesesteaks are synonymous with the city, but locals know there’s so much more to try here: roast pork sandwiches, roast beef sandwiches, Jewish deli sandwiches, hoagies of every variety, and packed banh mi. Start with these 15 shops—they’ll never let a sandwich lover down.
The 19 Best Sandwich Shops to Try in Portland
By Alex Frane and Janey Wong
Eater, August 14, 2024
Even nationally, Portland’s status as a sandwich destination has become the stuff of legend. Food personalities like J. Kenji Lopez-Alt go out of their way to stop at Jojo for a fried chicken sandwich. Spots like Sammich have appeared on the Food Network and national pubs like the Huffington Post. Lardo is a tourist magnet, and has even expanded to Las Vegas. From hot pastrami to cold deli subs to fried chicken sandwiches, here are the city’s top sandwich shops.
Note that this list is reserved for the non-breakfast and non-hamburger variety of sandwiches. For egg and cheese sandwiches, visit this list; burgers can be found here, and banh mi can be found here. Those looking for hot dogs here will sorely disappointed to learn that a hot dog is definitively not a sandwich.
Where to Find the Greatest Sandwiches in Austin
By Justine Jones and Eater Staff
Eater, August 16, 2024
Austin is a really great sandwich city. Sandwiches combine some of the city’s favorite things: meat, vegetables, cheese, bread, and an assortment of condiments.
With that, here is Eater’s guide to the best sandwich shops in Austin. These carby options include classics from FoodHeads, po’ boys from Uptown Sports Club, cheesesteaks from R&B’s Steak and Fries, banh mi from Ng Cafe, barbecue sandwiches from Slab BBQ, Japanese sandwiches from Choo Sando, and much more.
15 Epic Twin Cities Sandwiches
By Justine Jones and Eater Staff
Eater, August 16, 2024
The Twin Cities may not have a single most iconic sandwich in the way that New Orleans has po’ boys, Philly has cheesesteaks, and Chicago has Italian beef, but we make up for this with impressive variety: tender roast beef sandwiches topped with grated horseradish, banh mi stuffed with pate and sweet grilled pork, heroes on sesame-seed loaves, etc. Here’s a trail of unshakeable sandwich classics around Minneapolis and St. Paul, listed geographically (not ranked) as always.
Best Sandwiches in Every State
Yelp, August 22, 2024
The humble sandwich has never tasted better than it does today. Whether it’s an overstuffed sub, classic Cubano, banh mi fusion, or grown-up grilled cheese, our favorite lunch staple is being elevated into something special by sandwich artisans in every state. Keep this Collection handy to find the best in each US state (plus Washington, DC).
Methodology: We identified businesses in the Sandwiches category with a large concentration of reviews mentioning “sandwiches,” then ranked those spots using a number of factors, including geographic location and the volume and ratings of reviews mentioning the keyword.
Alabama: Kool Korner Sandwiches, Vestavia Hills, AL
Alaska: Mike's Alaskan Eatery, Homer, AK
Arizona: Frank's New York Style Deli, Phoenix, AZ
Arkansas: American Artisans Eatery & Gallery, Mena, AR
California: Prunedale Market, Prunedale, CA
Colorado: European Market & Bistro, Lakewood, CO
Connecticut: The Dilly Duck Shop, Norwalk, CT
D.C.: Neopol Savory Smokery, Washington, D.C.
Delaware: Gaudiello's Italian Hoagies, Wilmington, DE
Florida: Franky's Deli Warehouse, Hialeah, FL
Georgia: Java Saga, Doraville, GA
Hawaii: No Name BBQ Sandwich, Honolulu, HI
Idaho: Midtown Deli, Post Falls, ID
Illinois: Firenze Italian Street Food, Chicago, IL
Indiana: Subito, Indianapolis, IN
Iowa: Charlotte's Kitchen, Johnston, IA
Kansas: Tanya's Soup Kitchen, Wichita, KS
Kentucky: Heavens To Betsy Bakery, Lawrenceburg, KY
Louisiana: Milk Bar, New Orleans, LA
Maine: CERA, Portland, ME
Maryland: Full On Craft Eats & Drinks, Annapolis, MD
Massachusetts: Mae's Sandwich Shop, Marshfield, MA
Michigan: Ernie's Market, Oak Park, MI
Minnesota: Zuppa Cucina, Shakopee, MN
Mississippi: The Grind Coffee and Nosh, Biloxi, MS
Missouri: Blues City Deli, St. Louis, MO
Montana: Tagliare Delicatessen, Missoula, MT
Nebraska: Banhwich Cafe, Lincoln, NE
Nevada: Panino, Las Vegas, NV
New Hampshire: Jon's Roast Beef & Deli, Laconia, NH
New Jersey: Saigon Subs & Café, Morristown, NJ
New Mexico: Coda Bakery, Albuquerque, NM
New York: Tony's Beechhurst Deli, Whitestone, NY
North Carolina: Waveriders Coffee, Deli & Market, Nags Head, NC
North Dakota: Magic City Hoagies, Minot, ND
Ohio: Newfangled Kitchen, Bexley, OH
Oklahoma: The Mule, Oklahoma City, OK
Oregon: Josie K's Deli and Kitchen, Sunriver, OR
Pennsylvania: Tredici Italian Market, Wayne, PA
Rhode Island: Shayna's Place, Wickford, RI
South Carolina: Cold Shoulder Gourmet, Charleston, SC
South Dakota: Bread & Circus Sandwich Kitchen, Sioux Falls, SD
Tennessee: Tennessee Jed's, Gatlinburg, TN
Texas: Tony's Italian Delicatessen, Montgomery, TX
Utah: Vito's, Bountiful, UT
Vermont: Sandwich Shoppe, Rutland, VT
Virginia: Guajiros Miami Eatery, Charlottesville, VA
Washington: Konvene Coffee, Seattle, WA
West Virginia: Battle Grounds Bakery & Coffee, Harpers Ferry, WV
Wisconsin: Casetta Kitchen and Counter, Madison, WI
Wyoming: The Bread Basket, Cheyenne, WY
The 29 best sandwiches in L.A.
Time Out, August 22 2024
Whether your tastes run classic or contemporary, there’s a delicious sandwich for you in Los Angeles. After all, it’s not hard to stumble across a decent sandwich at a burger stand, farmers’ market, food truck or grocery store—but what about the truly great between-bread experiences, from the crunchy-soft baguette of a budget-friendly banh mi to the wonders of sliced rye, our preferred vehicle for pastrami delivery?
13 Most Extravagant Sandwiches To Celebrate National Sandwich Month
By Kaila Yu
Forbes, August 29, 2024
The best way to celebrate August’s National Sandwich Month is tasting the world’s most extravagant creations between sliced bread. These pricey creations combine luxury ingredients and a touch of culinary madness. From entire lobster tails to gold leaf garnishes to truffle infusions, these 13 sandwiches elevate classic favorites and innovate new flavor combinations.
The Burger Is a Portrait of America
By Priya Krishna and Tejal Rao
New York Time, September 11, 2024
One hundred years ago, a teenager named Lionel Sternberger dropped a blanket of American cheese over a hamburger at his father’s sandwich shop in Pasadena, Calif., creating the first cheeseburger. The story may be as flimsy as a Kraft single, but it attests to the decades of tinkering and reinvention that have made the burger a lasting, ever-evolving American genre, like jazz or the Hollywood movie.
