The Most Delicious Sandwiches in America, According to the Experts
By Jen Vafidis
When you ask a chef what makes a truly excellent sandwich,you typically get some deep thoughts on the importance of bread.
“A sandwich is bread with stuff inside,” Eli Sussman of Mile End in Brooklyn says definitively. “The fresher the better, artisanal baked preferred,” says chef Michael Lomonaco from Porter House New York. Brian Mercury, the pastry chef at Harvest in Boston, agrees: “You need something that can handle all the components and tastes great on its own. It’s not just the way to hold everything, it’s the foundation.”
And what about the rest? What gets built on that foundation? For chef Michael Psilakis, “Condiments bring a sandwich to life.” Diversity of texture is important, as is the balance of flavors, and condiments can bring out the best in the protein or vegetables you’ve chosen for your filling. Spicy mustard, garlic aioli, relishes, slaws: they’re all just as important as the meat, the cheese, or the sprouts.
To choose the top sandwiches in America, we recruited a dozen chefs and food writers, and took all the parts into account: The bread, filling, toppings, and how it all comes together in that first bite. The only caveats: Burgers aren’t sandwiches (they’re burgers), and likewise wraps, burritos, and hot dogs are out. Otherwise, if it was between two pieces of bread, it was fair game. Here, a few hundred slices later, are the sandwiches that are worth making room for.
Local Foods, “The Crunchy Chicken,” Houston, Texas
Credit: Local Foods
The Crunchy Chicken sandwich at Local Foods in Houston does exactly what its name says it will: it is extremely crunchy. Served on a pretzel bun from Slow Dough bakery, with house-made potato chips as the top layer and ground nuts as the bottom layer, this sandwich is filled with vine-ripe tomato, pickled cucumber, buttermilk ranch dressing, lettuce, and, of course, tender white chicken. It’s filling and fatty, but would you want it any other way from a counter-service deli in Texas.
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Kroll’s, “Prime Rib Sandwich”, in Green Bay, Wisc.
Credit: Kroll’s
Regularly touted as one of the best sandwiches in America, the prime rib sandwich at Kroll’s in Green Bay overshadows the burgers on the rest of the menu. On top of the sliced beef, you get basically everything a burger comes with—lettuce, tomato, onion, mustard, ketchup, whatever you want—but the juice of the prime rib makes this something far more special than that. The bun comes toasted, the chefs don’t skimp on the butter, and it also comes with a side of cheese curds. This is better than the majority of lunch counter fare, by far.
Tony Luke’s, “The Cheesesteak,” Philadelphia, Penn.
Credit: Ricky Carioti
Everyone wants to be the place in Philadelphia with the number-one cheesesteak. Our vote goes to Tony Luke’s, a chain that doesn’t really hold back in its enthusiasm for its preparation. The rib-eye is always thin-cut, not chopped, and served on a hefty Italian roll with a choice of American cheese, provolone, or Kraft Cheez Whiz, for the truly authentic. Diners also have their choice of getting the sandwich “wit” or “wittout” fried onions. We recommend sticking with the simplicity of meat, cheese, and bread, but hoagie style isn’t a bad option, if you would like to add lettuce, tomato, pickles, and mayonnaise.
Phorage, “Pork Shoulder and Belly Banh Mi,” Los Angeles
Credit: Phorage
The West Coast is not running short on excellent banh mi, but if we had to choose one out of the many, we’d go for the pork shoulder and belly option at Phorage in Los Angeles. Berkshire pork shoulder and Kurobuta pork belly are marinated in lemongrass and slow-roasted, then put on a baguette with cucumbers, cilantro, craft pickles, and mayonnaise. It’s the perfect street food: crunchy, rich, and easy to pick up and put in your mouth.
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Las Olas Café, “Classic Cuban Sandwich,” Miami, Fla.
Credit: Las Olas Café
We have two Cubans on this list, but only because we can’t decide which is better. They’re both incredible. The Classic Cuban at Las Olas is definitely the better bargain, at less than five dollars and close to the beach. The chefs put the sandwich in open-face first, to get the cheese and the meat warmed and melded together, and then the rest goes in: fresh pork loin, yellow mustard, pickles, and cheese. And the bread is buttered, of course, heavily. Delicious, though not for those who want to keep their beach bodies.
Food Heads, “The Gypsy Grove,” Austin, Texas
Credit: Gideon Tsang
Food Heads is a cozy, small house near UT Austin that the owners converted into a casual restaurant. Thankfully they do takeout, because sometimes this place gets packed. Its popularity is based on its pork tenderloin and ham sandwich, a juicy treat called The Gypsy Grove. The Gypsy Grove is pork and ham, both grilled, with Swiss cheese, jalapeno relish, Tabasco-infused slaw, and a fried egg, all on a ciabatta roll. It’s spicy, rich, and smoky, exactly what you want from an Austin gem.
Big Bad Breakfast, “The Southern Belly,” Oxford, Miss.
Credit: Big Bad Breakfast
Everything about Big Bad Breakfast is mouthwatering, but the Southern Belly sandwich in particular inspires quite a bit of frenzy. Each ingredient is made in-house, from the bacon (smoked out back for 12 hours) to the pimento cheese (with roasted red peppers) to the slaw (simple but mustardy), and the sandwich itself is only cooked long enough to make the cheese slightly gooey while preserving the crunchiness of the carrots and the pickles. Chef John Currence claims this is the sandwich on the menu that fully represents the South, in all its flavors and glory, and we are inclined to agree.
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Al’s, “No. 1 Italian Beef,” Chicago
Credit: Tony / Flickr
Al’s claim to fame is its status as the first restaurant in Chicago to ever serve an Italian beef sandwich, back in 1938 before it was a regional staple, so it’s no wonder that they do this dish better than anyone else. Their beef is tender, thinly sliced, and very lean, and they only serve as much gravy on it as you want, although why you’d want it dry is beyond us. Order it with juicy sweet and hot peppers, provolone, and giardiniera.
Kelly’s, “The Roast Beef,” Revere, Mass.
Credit: Kelly’s
Kelly’s has five locations, has served four generations of New Englanders, and boasts an unchanged, classic approach to sandwiches and seafood that demands your admiration. Their roast beef sandwich is probably the best barebones sandwich we’ve ever tasted: it’s just excellent thin slices of beef with whatever toppings you desire, on a sesame roll. Perhaps it sounds like low praise to say that this sandwich is reliable, but we insist that it isn’t. One needs a constant in a changing world, and Kelly’s is it.
Meat Hook Sandwich, “Roast Pork,” Brooklyn, N.Y.
Credit: Meat Hook Sandwich
The Meat Hook Sandwich shop in Brooklyn is all about being sustainable and morally on point; they care about paying the farmers who provide them with meat, and they care about the relationships they have with the people who eat their food. Their sandwich shop, the cousin to their butcher shop, serves up excellent-quality subs and good beer to match. Their roast pork is our choice because of its rich, smoky flavor, but really one can’t go wrong with fresh, local bread and the array of toppings Meat Hook has.
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