News Best New Sandwich Recipes Innovative chefs are channeling their creativity into the humble sandwich—as much a symbol of the new seriousness of casual cuisine as it is an endless opportunity to reinvent everything from the bread to the spread. By Kate Krader Kate Krader Kate Krader was Food & Wine's restaurant editor for over two decades. She oversaw news, restaurant, and chef coverage. Kate also headed Food & Wine's annual iconic Best New Chefs series. She is currently a food editor at Bloomberg. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on June 6, 2017 Share Tweet Pin Email New Ideas for Sandwiches Updating Fillings Going Meatless Reinventing Sandwich Spreads Rethinking Sandwich Breads Sandwich Environmentalism Video: Great Sandwiches For the past decade, we've lived in an era of pumped-up burger cooks, who have done impossibly good—and not so good—things with ground beef and a bun. Now, finally, there's news for everyone who has had more than enough burgers. It's time to make way for the sandwich chefs and their incredible creations. It's not as if elite cooks haven't made a sandwich before: Superchef Thomas Keller has launched some amazing ones at his nine-year-old Bouchon bakeries. But now, well-trained chefs are opening up dedicated sandwich places, where they make almost everything from scratch and redefine classic concepts. "I see a lot of chefs going to sandwiches," says Roy Choi, an F&W Best New Chef 2010. He knows more than a little about culinary trends, having helped launch the food-truck craze a few years back with his Los Angeles-based Kogi BBQ Korean tacos. "The new sandwiches are extremely well-composed," he says. "It's the 2.0 of casual food becoming more complex." After all, chefs have been curing their own meat for years; they just needed a place to put it besides a charcuterie plate. Likewise, many of these chefs have been experimenting with bread. At Bäco Mercat in L.A., for instance, Josef Centeno bakes a special flatbread he's dubbed the "bäco," using it as a base for sandwiches like his crispy panko-crusted fried shrimp with spicy cardamom. As a rule, chefs also like to play around with sauces, and sandwich experts are no exception. At the New York City-based No. 7 Sub shops, Tyler Kord makes an updated smoky French dressing that wouldn't be out of place at an elegant restaurant; instead, it tops his grilled-asparagus hero. And that sandwich is cheaper than anything you'd find at a fancy place: just $9. Updating Fillings Potato Chips Son of a Gun in Los Angeles tucks potato chips into its lobster roll for crunch. sonofagunrestaurant.com. Nori The new Asian-accented 903 in San Francisco wraps a layer of nori around its baked tofu sandwich. 903 Cortland Ave.; 415-678-5759. Chickpea Fritters Pane Panelle in Manhattan makes crispy Sicilian panelle (chickpea fritters), a key part of sandwiches like the Panelle Parm. panepanelle.com. Fritos As an ode to the Texan specialty Frito Pie, The Monterey in San Antonio tops barbecued pork po' boys with corn chips. themontereysa.com. Going Meatless Chefs are putting an intense focus on vegetarian fillings, layering on multiple cheeses, adding fried fillings like plantains and otherwise going all-out for deliciousness. Saltie; New York City Most of the sandwiches here are vegetarian; the Spanish Armada is stuffed with an egg tortilla and pimentón aioli. saltieny.com. Noble Pig Sandwiches; Austin This Texas deli starts serving its pressed cauliflower-and-three-cheese sandwich right at 10:30 a.m. noblepigaustin.com. Little Water Cantina; Seattle Meatless choices include the PLT: fried plantain strips and habanero tartar sauce (plus lettuce and tomato). littlewatercantina.com. Victory Sandwich Bar; Atlanta Victory's Beeter sandwich combines smoked-beet "pastrami" with white kimchi and Thai chiles. vicsandwich.com. Reinventing Sandwich Spreads No. 7 Sub's grilled-asparagus sandwich recipe includes a smoky French dressing.© Johnny Valiant Aioli Chef Bryan Voltaggio tops his pressed lamb sandwich with a honey-spiked aioli and eggplant relish at Lunchbox in Frederick, MD. voltlunchbox.com. Vinaigrette At Red Star Deli in Denver, F&W Best New Chef 1999 James Mazzio garnishes his cubano with a super-sour orange vinaigrette. redstardeli.com. French Dressing Tyler Kord of NYC's No. 7 Sub puts his spin on traditional sauces: Smoky flavors infuse the French dressing on the grilled-asparagus sandwich. no7sub.com. Chile Sauce Jose Garces uses harissa mascarpone to flavor his chickpea-fritter-and-squash sandwich at Philadelphia's Garces Trading Co. garcestradingcompany.com. Rethinking Sandwich Breads Bäco Mercat's fried shrimp sandwich on chewy flatbread.© Johnny Valiant Gluten-Free Philadelphia's venerable Italian sandwich spot Paesano's now offers the option of gluten-free bread for choices like suckling pig with broccoli rabe. paesanosphillystyle.com. Savory Waffles In Orange County, CA, Bruxië created Belgian-style, yeast-risen, savory waffles for sandwiches like prosciutto and Gruyère with whole-grain mustard. bruxie.com. Flatbread What's a bäco? It's the supple, chewy flatbread created by Josef Centeno as an alternative to standard pita for the sandwiches at L.A.'s Bäco Mercat. bacomercat.com. Biscuits At breakfast and lunch at Napa Valley Biscuits in Napa, fried chicken breasts spread with apple butter become towering biscuit sandwiches. 1502 Main St.; 707-265-8209. Sandwich Environmentalism Sloco sandwich shop in Nashville, TN.Courtesy of Sloco The Picnic Basket; Santa Cruz, CA Choices like sweet potato-chèvre are sustainable. thepicnicbasketsc.com. Homegrown; Seattle The squash with snap pea pesto is a locavore favorite. eathomegrown.com. Sloco; Nashville The loafless meat loaf clocks in at 190 food miles. slocolocal.com. Video: More Great Sandwiches Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit