Chicago’s Essential Sandwiches (2024)

Clayton Hauck/Lardon

The city’s sandwich scene puts national chains to shame

by Ashok Selvam, Naomi Waxman, and Eater Staff Updated May 20, 2024, 1:03pm CDT

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| Clayton Hauck/Lardon

The Italian beef is perhaps the most iconic sandwich in all of Chicago. Although it’s hotly contested, a large chunk of people think the best one is found at Johnnie's Beef out in Elmwood Park. Order it the traditional way: Topped with spicy giardiniera or sweet peppers, and dipped in jus. Picnic tables are set up outside for dining. A second location is in suburban Arlington Heights.

• Open in Google Maps

Ethan Lim’s Pan-Asian sandwich shop charms diners by riffing on classics, such as a bulgogi cheesesteak. But the best of the bunch is the fried chicken sandwich that embraces Cambodian flavors with pickled papaya, long beans, Asian herbs, and garlic mayo. Order online here.

• Open in Google Maps

Irving Park shopJT’s pulls on Midwestern influences for much of its menu, which includes options like a breaded pork tenderloin sandwich and a Coney dog. Owner Christopher Cunningham’s finest creation, however, is a riff on a Philly favorite, the Italian roast pork sandwich. His version consists of thinly-shaved pork in a honey and garlic glaze, served on a sesame roll with provolone, grilled rapini, Calabrian chili aioli, and jus. Al fresco dining is available on the restaurant’s patio when the weather permits.

• Open in Google Maps
• Foursquare

The bread’s the difference at Loaf Lounge, a pandemic pivot for a husband-and-wife team who worked at acclaimed restaurants like Giant and Sepia. For their simple BLT, the jalapeño-cheddar bread elevates everything. Don’t forget to buy a loaf to bring home where you can treat yourself to midnight snacks.

• Open in Google Maps
• Foursquare

It’s not as nationally famous as other iconic Chicago dishes but the jibarito deserves recognition. Originally created at the late Borinquen by Juan Figueroa, the Chicagoan-Puerto Rican sandwich is defined by thinly sliced steak, lettuce, tomato, mayo, and cheese between fried plantains. Today, it’s available at many Latin American restaurants like La Bomba, where the recipe remains unchanged. Online orders can be placed here.

• Open in Google Maps

The fountain sodaand comfort food experts at this all-day retreat in Logan Square know a thing or two about solid sandwiches and have thus earned a loyal following among locals and fans around town. Even often-mundane chicken salad gets the star treatment at Same Day, which delivers a memorable almond- and date-studded curry chicken salad sandwich with arugula on toasted rosemary bread.

• Open in Google Maps
• Foursquare

A spinoff of Honey Butter Fried Chicken, TriBecca is rooted in Midwestern nostalgia. There are several winners here, but here’s one for vegetarians: the Crispy “Frosted” Cauliflower, a crunchy-cheesy melange of panko-crusted cauliflower, cheddar, and tarragon mustard aioli on a buttery bun.

• Open in Google Maps
• Foursquare

Logan Square’s all-day tribute to Old World butcher shops has rapidly carved out a reputation as a go-to sandwich spot across from the CTA Blue Line California stop. Chef and partner Christopher Thompson (Coda di Volpe)and his team make and cure their own charcuterie, which surely takes center stage in favorites like the Frenchie (cured ham, country pork pate, brie, dijon, cornichon mayo, baguette).

• Open in Google Maps
• Foursquare

Hungry lunch crowds have long swarmed this Lincoln Square treasure for its Vietnamese banh mi sandwiches. The house-baked baguettes give a pleasing crunch and are paired with meats, seafood, or tofu, plus sweet pickled daikon, fresh cucumber spears, and lots of cilantro. A second Nhu Lan outpost is open in Uptown.

• Open in Google Maps

Rochester, New York native Brian Ahern is the chef behind this neighborhood steakhouse the serves sandwiches during the day. The New York connection is important as Western New York is known for beef on weck. It’s thin-sliced roast beef served on a kummelweck roll. Bouefhaus’ version will scratch an Upstater’s cravings with beef sourced in the midwest.

• Open in Google Maps
• Foursquare

L&M Fine Foods has a stellar deli counter in the back of this gourmet store, and there are plenty of challenging decisions presented by the menu. The porchetta, made in the store, is a standout, served with garlic aioli and capers. Get this one hot and take a minute to savor it all.

• Open in Google Maps
• Foursquare

• Open in Google Maps
• Foursquare

Phodega attempts reverse psychology with signs reading “Don’t try it. You won’t like it.” Well, this Vietnamese American restaurant’s food stars in this fast-casual restaurant-cum-corner store. In 2023, co-owners Nate Hoops and Anthony Ngo closed their duo of locations in Pilsen and Wicker Park for a move to a larger space slated to open Friday, August 11. Check out the new digs and the Viet dip, a succulent spin on the French dip with a beef banh mi and a side of pho.

• Open in Google Maps

Kasama is the only Michelin-starred Filipino restaurant in the world. That honor is mostly due to its fancy dinner service. But that doesn’t mean lunch is an afterthought. Chef Tim Flores provides a tribute to Chicago with a sandwich made from sliced pork dunked on adobo jus and then torpedoed with a longaniza. It’s his version of the Italian beef combo, and it’s wonderful. Flores and spouse-slash-co-owner chef Genie Kwon won the James Beard Foundation’s 2023 award for best chefs: Great Lakes.

• Open in Google Maps
• Foursquare

Originally a side project in the basem*nt of Publican Quality Meats, this bakery upgraded to a home of its own in 2022, helmed by James Beard Award-winning head baker Greg Wade. In addition to loaves and pastries, If you are lucky to walk in after the first bake, get a slice of the aptly named Big Sandwich (pizza bianca, burrata, mortadella, apricot and summer squash salad, arugula, spiced apricot jam).

• Open in Google Maps

Father-and-son duo Agostino and Tony Fiasche’s cured meats market in West Town has earned rave reviews since opening at the end of 2017. Nduja, a spreadable cured sausage from the Calabrian region of Italy, is the favorite here and for good reason as the family is also behind Nduja Artisans salumeria. Diners should try the Dante, an Italian sandwich holding six layers of nduja, soppressata, mortadella, finnochinoa, coppa, and porchetta as well as giardiniera, nduja aioli, lettuce, and tomato. Order online here.

• Open in Google Maps

• Open in Google Maps

Italian beef gets all of the hype but sweet steak is Chicago’s true variant of the Philly cheesesteak. Popularized on the South Side, the sandwich sports coarsely chopped rib eye, sweet peppers, tomatoes, and a signature sweet sauce on a sub roll.

• Open in Google Maps
• Foursquare

This Lincoln Park restaurant offers lunch and dinner seven days a week. This is an upscale restaurant that utilizes a unique service model where diners order at once at the counter, with servers bringing food out directly to the table. One of the strongest items is available at lunch, a pulled pork sandwich in the tradition of Carolina-style vinegar barbecue, but blending it with Thai flavors and pickles. Though it’s served on a bun, the sandwich gives off banh mi vibes, and it might be the best sandwich in Chicago.

• Open in Google Maps

Barry Brecheisen/Eater Chicago

Hailed as "Chicago’s Finest Deli," Manny's Cafeteria & Delicatessen remodeled and expanded its space a few years ago but the food is still as good as when it opened in 1942. Taste a bit of that history with Manny’s famous corned beef, sliced thinly to perfection and served on bread or a roll along with a pickle spear. Outdoor seating is available. Online ordering is available here.

• Open in Google Maps

Chef James Martin has created a welcoming Spanish all-day restaurant in Lincoln Park. The space will remind customers of Europe and the food does its best to mix Spanish and American culture. For example, the smoked lamb short rib sandwich (it’s not a McRib; confused customers are likely why management just calls it a lamb sandwich now) is large enough so a hungry Chicagoan won’t complain. It’s delicate and the pickled green beans are a nice touch. It’s a great pick-me-up on the way to the beach or Lincoln Park Zoo.

• Open in Google Maps
• Foursquare

"Every visitor to Chicago should experience a pork chop sandwich," writes Mike Baruch in Street Food Chicago. Legend has it that Jim's Original was the first to serve the sandwich in 1941, but Maxwell Street Depot is also known for offering it to customers 24 hours a day. Unique for having a "bone on a bun," the sandwich features a tender, juicy, bone-in pork chop that's thrown between a bun and loaded with mustard, grilled onions, and hot peppers.

• Open in Google Maps

When USA Today called the breaded steak sandwich at this South Side pizzeria the best sandwich in the world, it unsurprisingly caused a bit of a stir. Whether folks agree or not, the article made the combination of breaded steak, tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, and hot giardiniera a must-try. Save time be ordering ahead here.

• Open in Google Maps

Chicago is the land of mild sauce, the only good use for ketchup in the city (the famous condiment is a mixture of the stuff with barbecue sauce and other flavorings). But Hot Chi Chicken proves that this city enjoys its heat with a wonderfully hot sandwich that mocks the fascination with a certain fast-food chain. “Popeyes Ain’t !@#%” brings heat thanks to a mixture of Kashmiri and other chiles with some harissa for a multi-culture party in your mouth. Please be careful about the spice levels and don’t wipe your eyes.

• Open in Google Maps

The owners of Virtue aimed to give Chicago a taste of New Orleans in Hyde Park. The bread for Daisy’s po-boys is imported and the fried catfish is easily adapted from Virtue’s delicious recipe.

• Open in Google Maps
• Foursquare

The origins of the “Gym Shoe” sandwich are unclear. Eaters, though, couldn’t care less because the delicious South Side creation at Stony Sub arrives packed with a heaping pile of roast beef, gyro meat, and corned beef and mixed with giardiniera, sweet peppers, onions, tzatziki sauce, tomatoes, Swiss cheese, and mayo. It’s quite the mouthful and certainly leagues better than the odd name implies.

• Open in Google Maps

The Italian beef is perhaps the most iconic sandwich in all of Chicago. Although it’s hotly contested, a large chunk of people think the best one is found at Johnnie's Beef out in Elmwood Park. Order it the traditional way: Topped with spicy giardiniera or sweet peppers, and dipped in jus. Picnic tables are set up outside for dining. A second location is in suburban Arlington Heights.

• Open in Google Maps

Ethan Lim’s Pan-Asian sandwich shop charms diners by riffing on classics, such as a bulgogi cheesesteak. But the best of the bunch is the fried chicken sandwich that embraces Cambodian flavors with pickled papaya, long beans, Asian herbs, and garlic mayo. Order online here.

• Open in Google Maps

Irving Park shopJT’s pulls on Midwestern influences for much of its menu, which includes options like a breaded pork tenderloin sandwich and a Coney dog. Owner Christopher Cunningham’s finest creation, however, is a riff on a Philly favorite, the Italian roast pork sandwich. His version consists of thinly-shaved pork in a honey and garlic glaze, served on a sesame roll with provolone, grilled rapini, Calabrian chili aioli, and jus. Al fresco dining is available on the restaurant’s patio when the weather permits.

• Open in Google Maps
• Foursquare

The bread’s the difference at Loaf Lounge, a pandemic pivot for a husband-and-wife team who worked at acclaimed restaurants like Giant and Sepia. For their simple BLT, the jalapeño-cheddar bread elevates everything. Don’t forget to buy a loaf to bring home where you can treat yourself to midnight snacks.

• Open in Google Maps
• Foursquare

It’s not as nationally famous as other iconic Chicago dishes but the jibarito deserves recognition. Originally created at the late Borinquen by Juan Figueroa, the Chicagoan-Puerto Rican sandwich is defined by thinly sliced steak, lettuce, tomato, mayo, and cheese between fried plantains. Today, it’s available at many Latin American restaurants like La Bomba, where the recipe remains unchanged. Online orders can be placed here.

• Open in Google Maps

The fountain sodaand comfort food experts at this all-day retreat in Logan Square know a thing or two about solid sandwiches and have thus earned a loyal following among locals and fans around town. Even often-mundane chicken salad gets the star treatment at Same Day, which delivers a memorable almond- and date-studded curry chicken salad sandwich with arugula on toasted rosemary bread.

• Open in Google Maps
• Foursquare

A spinoff of Honey Butter Fried Chicken, TriBecca is rooted in Midwestern nostalgia. There are several winners here, but here’s one for vegetarians: the Crispy “Frosted” Cauliflower, a crunchy-cheesy melange of panko-crusted cauliflower, cheddar, and tarragon mustard aioli on a buttery bun.

• Open in Google Maps
• Foursquare

Logan Square’s all-day tribute to Old World butcher shops has rapidly carved out a reputation as a go-to sandwich spot across from the CTA Blue Line California stop. Chef and partner Christopher Thompson (Coda di Volpe)and his team make and cure their own charcuterie, which surely takes center stage in favorites like the Frenchie (cured ham, country pork pate, brie, dijon, cornichon mayo, baguette).

• Open in Google Maps
• Foursquare

Hungry lunch crowds have long swarmed this Lincoln Square treasure for its Vietnamese banh mi sandwiches. The house-baked baguettes give a pleasing crunch and are paired with meats, seafood, or tofu, plus sweet pickled daikon, fresh cucumber spears, and lots of cilantro. A second Nhu Lan outpost is open in Uptown.

• Open in Google Maps

Rochester, New York native Brian Ahern is the chef behind this neighborhood steakhouse the serves sandwiches during the day. The New York connection is important as Western New York is known for beef on weck. It’s thin-sliced roast beef served on a kummelweck roll. Bouefhaus’ version will scratch an Upstater’s cravings with beef sourced in the midwest.

• Open in Google Maps
• Foursquare

L&M Fine Foods has a stellar deli counter in the back of this gourmet store, and there are plenty of challenging decisions presented by the menu. The porchetta, made in the store, is a standout, served with garlic aioli and capers. Get this one hot and take a minute to savor it all.

• Open in Google Maps
• Foursquare

• Open in Google Maps
• Foursquare

Phodega attempts reverse psychology with signs reading “Don’t try it. You won’t like it.” Well, this Vietnamese American restaurant’s food stars in this fast-casual restaurant-cum-corner store. In 2023, co-owners Nate Hoops and Anthony Ngo closed their duo of locations in Pilsen and Wicker Park for a move to a larger space slated to open Friday, August 11. Check out the new digs and the Viet dip, a succulent spin on the French dip with a beef banh mi and a side of pho.

• Open in Google Maps

Kasama is the only Michelin-starred Filipino restaurant in the world. That honor is mostly due to its fancy dinner service. But that doesn’t mean lunch is an afterthought. Chef Tim Flores provides a tribute to Chicago with a sandwich made from sliced pork dunked on adobo jus and then torpedoed with a longaniza. It’s his version of the Italian beef combo, and it’s wonderful. Flores and spouse-slash-co-owner chef Genie Kwon won the James Beard Foundation’s 2023 award for best chefs: Great Lakes.

• Open in Google Maps
• Foursquare

Originally a side project in the basem*nt of Publican Quality Meats, this bakery upgraded to a home of its own in 2022, helmed by James Beard Award-winning head baker Greg Wade. In addition to loaves and pastries, If you are lucky to walk in after the first bake, get a slice of the aptly named Big Sandwich (pizza bianca, burrata, mortadella, apricot and summer squash salad, arugula, spiced apricot jam).

• Open in Google Maps

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Father-and-son duo Agostino and Tony Fiasche’s cured meats market in West Town has earned rave reviews since opening at the end of 2017. Nduja, a spreadable cured sausage from the Calabrian region of Italy, is the favorite here and for good reason as the family is also behind Nduja Artisans salumeria. Diners should try the Dante, an Italian sandwich holding six layers of nduja, soppressata, mortadella, finnochinoa, coppa, and porchetta as well as giardiniera, nduja aioli, lettuce, and tomato. Order online here.

• Open in Google Maps

• Open in Google Maps

Italian beef gets all of the hype but sweet steak is Chicago’s true variant of the Philly cheesesteak. Popularized on the South Side, the sandwich sports coarsely chopped rib eye, sweet peppers, tomatoes, and a signature sweet sauce on a sub roll.

• Open in Google Maps
• Foursquare

This Lincoln Park restaurant offers lunch and dinner seven days a week. This is an upscale restaurant that utilizes a unique service model where diners order at once at the counter, with servers bringing food out directly to the table. One of the strongest items is available at lunch, a pulled pork sandwich in the tradition of Carolina-style vinegar barbecue, but blending it with Thai flavors and pickles. Though it’s served on a bun, the sandwich gives off banh mi vibes, and it might be the best sandwich in Chicago.

• Open in Google Maps

Barry Brecheisen/Eater Chicago

Hailed as "Chicago’s Finest Deli," Manny's Cafeteria & Delicatessen remodeled and expanded its space a few years ago but the food is still as good as when it opened in 1942. Taste a bit of that history with Manny’s famous corned beef, sliced thinly to perfection and served on bread or a roll along with a pickle spear. Outdoor seating is available. Online ordering is available here.

• Open in Google Maps

Chef James Martin has created a welcoming Spanish all-day restaurant in Lincoln Park. The space will remind customers of Europe and the food does its best to mix Spanish and American culture. For example, the smoked lamb short rib sandwich (it’s not a McRib; confused customers are likely why management just calls it a lamb sandwich now) is large enough so a hungry Chicagoan won’t complain. It’s delicate and the pickled green beans are a nice touch. It’s a great pick-me-up on the way to the beach or Lincoln Park Zoo.

• Open in Google Maps
• Foursquare

"Every visitor to Chicago should experience a pork chop sandwich," writes Mike Baruch in Street Food Chicago. Legend has it that Jim's Original was the first to serve the sandwich in 1941, but Maxwell Street Depot is also known for offering it to customers 24 hours a day. Unique for having a "bone on a bun," the sandwich features a tender, juicy, bone-in pork chop that's thrown between a bun and loaded with mustard, grilled onions, and hot peppers.

• Open in Google Maps

When USA Today called the breaded steak sandwich at this South Side pizzeria the best sandwich in the world, it unsurprisingly caused a bit of a stir. Whether folks agree or not, the article made the combination of breaded steak, tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, and hot giardiniera a must-try. Save time be ordering ahead here.

• Open in Google Maps

Chicago is the land of mild sauce, the only good use for ketchup in the city (the famous condiment is a mixture of the stuff with barbecue sauce and other flavorings). But Hot Chi Chicken proves that this city enjoys its heat with a wonderfully hot sandwich that mocks the fascination with a certain fast-food chain. “Popeyes Ain’t !@#%” brings heat thanks to a mixture of Kashmiri and other chiles with some harissa for a multi-culture party in your mouth. Please be careful about the spice levels and don’t wipe your eyes.

• Open in Google Maps

The owners of Virtue aimed to give Chicago a taste of New Orleans in Hyde Park. The bread for Daisy’s po-boys is imported and the fried catfish is easily adapted from Virtue’s delicious recipe.

• Open in Google Maps
• Foursquare

The origins of the “Gym Shoe” sandwich are unclear. Eaters, though, couldn’t care less because the delicious South Side creation at Stony Sub arrives packed with a heaping pile of roast beef, gyro meat, and corned beef and mixed with giardiniera, sweet peppers, onions, tzatziki sauce, tomatoes, Swiss cheese, and mayo. It’s quite the mouthful and certainly leagues better than the odd name implies.

• Open in Google Maps

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