Best Sandwiches in the U.S.

By Food & Wine
Updated September 20, 2018
© Skandia Shafer
Americans may never get over their obsession with amazing hamburgers, but they've certainly made room for an equally delicious meal between bread: the artisanal sandwich. "When you work with burgers, the flavors are a little limiting," says Tommy Habetz of Portland, Oregon's incredible Bunk Sandwiches. "Since sandwiches exist in almost every culture, it's possible to draw inspiration from a variety of different cooking styles when making them." Here, the most exciting sandwich upgrades in the country. —Jasmin Sun
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Arlington, VA; Washington, DC: Bayou Bakery

Photo © Scott Suchman

Sandwich: Muff-a-Lotta

Chef-partner and New Orleans native David Guas’s menu spells muffaletta phonetically according to the Yat pronunciation (an English dialect unique to NOLA). His recipe also stays true to his roots with a briny garlic-and-oregano-laced olive salad, salami, mortadella, smoked ham and aged provolone in a sesame-seed-studded toasted Italian roll. bayoubakeryva.com

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Portland, OR: Bunk Sandwiches

Photo © David Reamer

Sandwich: Pork Belly Reuben

At Bunk, co-chefs Tommy Habetz and Nick Wood reinvent iconic American foods. That means making a classic Reuben with pork belly in addition to Russian dressing, sauerkraut and Swiss cheese. bunksandwiches.com

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Dallas: Smoke

Photo © Jody Horton

Sandwich: Chopped Coffee-Cured Beef Brisket

Chef-owner and F&W People's Best New Chef 2012 Tim Byres slow-cooks the meat for this coffee-inflected brisket sandwich in the restaurant's backyard wood-burning smokehouse. smokerestaurant.com

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Miami: Bin No. 18

Photo © Alfredo Patiño

Sandwich: De-Constructed Cuban

Shredded pork and gooey triple-cream cheese fill a tomato-garlic-and-olive-oil-rubbed ciabatta roll in Bin No. 18's loose interpretation of the traditional Cuban sandwich. Although it's served with a fig-and-port-wine reduction, customers usually skip the accompaniment and reach for the hot sauce Sriracha. bin18miami.com

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Oakland, CA: Bakesale Betty

Sandwich: Fried Chicken Sandwich

These delicious sandwiches, filled with crispy buttermilk-soaked, cayenne pepper-spiced fried chicken, sell out fast. Bakesale Betty is only open for three hours a day—even less if there aren't enough sweet torpedo rolls to keep making sandwiches. bakesalebetty.com

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New York, NY; Brooklyn, NY: Mile End

Photo © Taylor Wallick

Sandwich: Smoked Meat

To create smoked meat—NYC pastrami's fattier, spicier Canadian cousin—for the sandwiches at his Montreal-style Jewish deli in Boerum Hill, chef-owner Noah Bernamoff cures Pat LaFrieda-sourced, prime-Angus-certified beef brisket in a dry rub of salt, black pepper, spices and garlic before oak-smoking and steaming the meat for several hours. mileendbrooklyn.com

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Ann Arbor, MI: Zingerman's

Photo © Ryan Stiner

Sandwich: Reuben

Oprah Winfrey is a noted fan of this grocery-store-turned-Jewish-deli's famed Reuben—and with good reason. The sandwiches are made with locally sourced corned beef, Emmentaler Swiss cheese, house-made Russian dressing and house-made rye bread. Zingerman's shop also offers mail-order sandwich kits for out-of-state Reuben cravings. zingermansdeli.com

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Boston: Neptune Oyster

Photo © Kimberly Lee

Sandwich: Hot Lobster Roll

This North End restaurant's famous Hot Lobster Roll features succulent pieces of lobster tail, claw and knuckle meat drizzled with clarified butter on a grilled and buttered brioche hot dog bun. A mayo-based cold roll is also available for purists. neptuneoyster.com

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Philadelphia: KOJA

Photo © Nicholas Chen

Sandwich: Korean Bulgogi Cheesesteak

This food truck's sweet-spicy take on the traditional Philadelphia cheesesteak features Korean marinated barbecue beef (bulgogi) and a generous smear of gochujang (fermented spicy red soy bean paste) paired with the usual melted provolone, onions and bell peppers. @kojafoodtruck

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Charleston, SC : Butcher & Bee

Photo © John D Smoak III

Sandwich: Pulled Squash Sandwich

Although the menu here changes daily depending on what's growing in the restaurant's backyard, this rave-worthy riff on a pulled pork sandwich makes frequent appearances. Thin slices of perfectly cooked squash get tossed in house-made barbecue sauce and piled with hickory-smoked cabbage cole slaw onto a freshly baked hoagie roll. butcherandbee.com

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Austin: Franklin BBQ

Photo © Brandon W. Bollom

Sandwich: The Tipsy Texan

Dauntingly long lines form for owner-pit master Aaron Franklin's famed fatty brisket, but don't overlook his towering smoked-sausage-and-brisket sandwich. It's piled high with purple cabbage cole slaw and sliced pickles on a thick, white, made-to-absorb-barbecue-sauce bun. franklinbbq.com

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Washington, DC : Zaytinya

Photo © Darko Zagar

Sandwich: Chicken Shawarma Sandwich

At superstar chef José Andrés’s casual Mediterranean restaurant Zaytinya, ultratender garlic-marinated chicken thighs are rolled, with local lettuce and tomatoes, into thin housemade lavash bread for an upmarket shwarma served with fluffy garlic sauce. zaytinya.com

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Los Angeles: Bäco Mercat

Photo © Adam Murray

Sandwich: El Pesco Crispy Shrimp with Sriracha

At this follow-up to his acclaimed downtown restaurant Lazy Ox, chef-owner Josef Centeno serves “bäcos,” his original hybrid taco-and-pizza-inspired flatbread sandwich. This version is filled with fried shrimp and creamy chive-laced cabbage slaw, then finished with a dab of Sriracha. bacomercat.com

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Seattle: Salumi

Photo © Aaron Mohrman

Sandwich: Porchetta Sandwich

Served dripping with savory juices from a filling of unctuous fennel seed, carrot and celery-seasoned slow-roasted pork, Armandino Batali's (Mario's dad) pilgrimage-worthy hot porchetta is certainly worth the extra napkins. Employees recommend getting it on crusty ciabatta with sautéed onions and green bell peppers. salumicuredmeats.com

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Atlanta: Star Provisions

Photo © courtesy of Our Labor of Love

Sandwich: Shrimp Po’Boy

These stellar po’boys are packed with six crispy, flash-fried jumbo shrimp, topped with house-made Cajun mayonnaise and served on soft, toasted hoagie rolls instead of the usual crusty French-style bread. starprovisions.com

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New York: Parm

Photo © Ryan Lee

Sandwich: Chicken Parm

At Parm, chefs Mario Carbone and Rich Torrisi serve idealized renditions of classic Italian-American subs like this chicken parm. Perfectly fried and breaded with traditional Progresso crumbs, the chicken is topped with house-made mozzarella, tomato sauce and fresh basil, then tucked into a hero (or a roll) from nearby Little Italy’s Parisi Bakery. parmnyc.com

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Chicago: XOCO

Photo © Jeff Maimon

Sandwich: Ahogada Torta

Silverware is required for this dine-in-only option at celebrity chef Rick Bayless' fast-casual spot. The sandwich arrives submerged in a zippy tomato broth, which is delicious with a filling of pork carnitas, black beans, pickled onions and spicy arbol chile sauce. rickbayless.com

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Phoenix: Pane Bianco

Photo © Omer Kamran

Sandwich: Caprese

Fresh as the ingredients may be, the bright Arizona tomato, perky basil and freshly pulled mozzarella in this simple sandwich aren't as attention-getting as the bread. Legendary pizzaiolo Chris Bianco flattens doughlike crust and bakes it in a wood-fired oven until it gets crisp and dotted with char but still maintains a springy, chewy interior. pizzeriabianco.com

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New York: The Loyal

Courtesy of The Loyal

Sandwich: Fried Chicken Sandwich

John Fraser designed the dream fried chicken sandwich, which boasts dill-pickle mayonnaise, smashed avocado, Hellman’s mustard, and Frisbee-sized portion of crispy fried chicken.

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Los Angeles: East Borough

© Skandia Shafer

Sandwich: Pho Baguette

Pho and banh mi come together in beautiful harmony at Chloe Tran’s East Borough, where she piles braised beef brisket on fluffy French baguette to meld the two Vietnamese dishes. (In 2017, the late critic Jonathan Gold even said that the sandwich “might well be the dish of the year.”) east-borough.com

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