Discover 26 tasty American sandwiches that double as comfort food. See if your favorite sandwich made the cut.
1. Fried Chicken Sandwich
Simultaneously crispy and juicy, the fried chicken sandwich may be the best sandwich in America based on its satisfyingly savory flavor and crunchy texture. The popular sandwich even has a spinoff – the hot chicken sandwiches invented in Nashville almost a century ago.
Explore More: Nashville Food Favorites
2. Po Boy
The po boy reigns supreme in a city filled with great cheap eats. Typically prepared on a Leidenheimer baguette and topped with either crispy seafood or slow cooked roast beef, this New Orleans creation is a king among sandwiches. It’s also a NOLA cheap eats favorite.
Explore More: 5 Best Po Boys in New Orleans
3. Cheesesteak
Famous around the world, the cheesesteak originated in Philadelphia – hence the Philly cheesesteak name and the sandwich’s popularity in the City of Brotherly Love. The iconic sandwich is made with chopped steak, cheese (either Cheez Wiz or provolone) and fried onions. In Philadelphia, the bread is almost always a soft, long baguette-shaped hoagie roll.
Explore More: 11 Best Philly Cheesesteaks in Philadelphia
4. Italian Beef
Despite its name, the Italian beef sandwich is an all-American sandwich with deep Chicago roots. And, while it sort of looks like Philadelphia’s steak sandwich, this meaty mouthful is its own special thing. And that thing is a long roll filled with thinly sliced roast beef and topped with sweet peppers and/or spicy, pickled giardiniera.
Explore More: Where to Eat Tasty Italian Beef Sandwiches in Chicago
5. Cubano
Although it sounds like it comes from Cuba, the cubano is an American sandwich invented in Tampa, Florida and popularized by the many Cuban immigrants who live in the Sunshine State. A classic cubano piles roast pork, ham, swiss cheese, pickles and mustard on Cuban bread (a flatter, wider French baguette). The sandwich is then pressed to melty goodness.
6. Grilled Cheese
Ooey and gooey aren’t always good food adjectives except when it comes to describing a grilled cheese sandwich. This is a classic sandwich that tastes best when cheese and butter (and occasionally mayonnaise) are added without concern about calories or cholesterol. It’s the ideal sandwich to pair with a bowl of tomato soup.
Explore More: Best Soups in the World
7. Bagel and Lox
The bagel + lox is a classic American sandwich that’s super popular in urban cities like NYC. Ironically, two of its three main ingredients come from other countries. While Poland gets credit for inventing the bagel, the concept of smoking salmon started in Scandinavian countries like Norway. But, hey, Philadelphia cream cheese is an American product. There’s that.
Explore More: Best Bagel Shops in NYC
8. Reuben
Wherever you choose to bite into a reuben, expect to encounter a melange of corned beef, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese and Russian dressing stuffed between two slice of rye bread. Also expect to love it – the combination is sandwich gold – especially at iconic NYC restaurants like Katz’s Deli.
Explore More: Iconic NYC Restaurants
9. Lobster Roll
While the Canadian province of Nova Scotia serves a lot of lobster rolls, the lobster roll is an all-American sandwich invented in Connecticut that’s popular in the Constitution State as well as in nearby Boston and throughout New England. Essentially, it’s a ‘top split’ toasted, buttered, short hot dog-style roll filled with lobster chunks combined with a mixture of mayo, celery, lemon juice and a dash of hot sauce. Yum!
10. Baloney Sandwich
Although Italy’s Bologna gets credit for inventing mortadella, baloney sandwiches are as American as it gets. This sandwich puts sliced bologna sausage (similar to mortadella) between two slices of plain white bread with optional add-ons like mustard and mayonnaise. Some people grill their baloney sandwiches and others add cheese but these are optional steps.
11. Hamburger
The history of hamburger is as clear as mud with Hamburg in Germany and various American cities including New Haven staking a claim to its origin. Regardless of where the humble hamburger was invented, it’s fair to say that it was perfected in the USA where’s it’s since achieved ‘national dish’ status.
Explore More: Best Burgers in NYC and the World
12. Hot Dog
Although hot dogs are ‘as American as baseball and apple pie’, this sandwich’s history traces its roots back to sausages in Germany. History aside, the hot dog is firmly entrenched in the American food culture throughout the country. Families grill them during the summer and street vendors sell them in carts in cities like Chicago and New York. Other American cities broil them and top them wih chili and other tasty toppings.
Explore More: Best Hot Dogs in the World
13. Hot Brown
Most sandwiches are best eaten without utensils. The hot brown is an exception to this rule. However, using a fork and knife is worth the extra effort when it comes to this sandwich invented at Louisville’s Brown Hotel in 1926. It’s a great sandwich to eat when between bourbon tastings.
Explore More: Buffalo Trace Distillery Tour
14. Pastrami on Rye
The pastrami on rye is a classic New York sandwich introduced by Jewish immigrants from Lithuania and Romania more than a century ago. While much has changed in NYC since those halcyon days, the sandwich made with brined, smoked beef brisket remains a standard order at lower Manhattan spots like Katz’s Delicatessen.
Explore More: Iconic NYC Restaurants
15. Breakfast Biscuit
Thanks to fast food chains like McDonalds, breakfast biscuits are available across America. However, the best ones are served in the American Southeast. You can find excellent breakfast bisucits in cities like Nashville and New Orleans at restauraunts without flanked by golden arches.
Explore More: Top American Fast Food Chains
16. Primanti Classic
A blue collar sandwich created in a blue collar city, the Primanti Classic is a whopper of a sandwich thanks to the inclusion of french fries and coleslaw served inside the sandwich. Thanks to additional ingredients like grilled meat, provolone cheese and tomatoes, it’s a hearty meal hiding in plain sight between two thick slices of Italian bread.
Explore More: Best Places to Eat in Pittsburgh
17. Roast Pork Sandwich
Philadelphia is famous around the world for its cheesesteak but it’s not the city’s only great sandwich. The roast prok sandwich is great too. Popularized by Italian immigrants that once called Philly home, the roast pork sandwich fuses American and Italian cuisines in a recipe that starts with slow-roasted pork and spices and adds sharp provolone cheese, greens like broccoli rabe or spinach and an Italian roll.
Explore More: Philadelphia Food Favorites
18. French Dip
Typically served ‘au jus’ with a side of beef juice, the French dip sandwich is a carnivore’s delight with its preponderance of thinly sliced roast beef. Interestingly, despite its name and its baguette base, this hot sandwich hails from Los Angeles. Yes, the French dip is a California classic.
Explore More: Los Angeles Food Experiences
19. Beef on Weck
Beef on weck would likely be Buffalo’s signature food if the chicken wing didn’t claim that spot. But don’t count out this Buffalo sandwich that gets its name from caraway-seeded kummelweck bread and sliced roast beef. Local pubs starting adding roast beef to create the local belly buster after German immigrants brought the bread to Buffalo in the late 19th century. It was a match made in sandwich heaven.
Explore More: Top Buffalo Restaurants
20. Submarine | Hoagie | Hero | Grinder
You might eat a submarine, hoagie, hero or grinder when you’re extra hungry and choose to eat a sandwich. All of these sandwiches are long sandwiches topped with a generous combination of meat, cheese, vegetables and condiments. So what’s the difference in these four sandwiches? In one word, the answer is geography. While most Americans call these jumbo sandwiches submarines or subs, Philadelphians love their hoagies, New Yorkers consume heroes and Bostonians chow down on grinders. The ingredients may vary from city to city but, at end of the day, a submarine by any name is still a hungry man’s best friend.
21. Pulled Pork Sandwich
Although restaurants around the world serve pulled pork sandwiches, this saucy sandwich is indigenous to the American Southeast. Filled with shredded barbecued pork cooked low and slow, a pulled pork sandwich tastes best when it comes with coleslaw and pickles and is topped with a Carolina-style vinegar sauce. With the addition of french fries or chips, this sandwich becomes a meal.
22. Muffuletta
Although muffuletta bread comes from Sicily, the muffuletta sandwich is a New Orleans specialty created by some of the first Italians to immigrate to America. Those immigrants invented the muffuletta sandwich more than 100 years ago using the aforementioned Sicilian bread plus a whole lot of tasty toppings like cured meat, cheese and marinated olive salad.
Explore More: New Orleans Food Favorites
23. Tomato Sandwich
A staple in the American south every summer, traditional tomato sandwiches layer ripe tomatoes on white bread with generous slabs of mayonnaise. But just not any mayonnaise. Valid options include Hellmann’s and Duke’s.
Explore More: Tomato Sandwich Recipe with Chili Lime Mayo
24. Meatloaf Sandwich
Meatloaf wasn’t invented in America and yet it’s been a quintessential American comfort food since the 19th century. It’s also a popular filling inside sandwiches at American diners. The best diners serve meatloaf sandwiches with French fries and a pickle.
Explore More: Top American Fast Food Chains
25. Tuna Melt
While one could argue that the grilled cheese) is a fully realized sandwich, we’d counter that argument by saying that the addition of tuna fish takes the ooey-gooey sandwich makes it even better. But not just any tuna fish. We’re talking about canned tuna fish that’s been chopped and mixed with mayonnaise until it forms a flavorful paste. There’s nothing better than a classic diner tuna melt made with rye bread, creamy tuna salad and melty American cheese.
26. Chopped Cheese
The chopped cheese sandwich is unique to NYC but it’s not what you may expet. Ironically, cheese isn’t the chopped cheese sandwich’s main ingredient. That honor goes to ground beef that’s chopped and grilled with the cheese. Other key ingredients include onions, lettuce, sliced tomato, ketchup and mayonnaise. The combination is both messy and wonderful.
Explore More: New York Food Favorites
Read Next: Best Sandwiches in the World
America isn’t the only country that’s embraced the portable sandwich concept. Discover sandwiches around the world that you don’t want to miss.
The Best Sandwiches in the World
More Must-Eat American Food
