The Midwest excels at comfort foods, and Chicago is at the center of it all. Lately, the city has embraced a growing contingent of bakeries, cafes, and restaurants who bring both creativity and gravity to their craft.
The Best Sandwiches in Chicago
The city’s sandwich scene puts national chains to shame
Jeffy Mai is the Associate Editor for Eater’s Midwest region, and has been covering Chicago’s dining scene for over a decade.
The sandwich may seem a simple construct that consists of assorted meats, cheeses, vegetables, and condiments between two slices of bread, but Chicago’s scene is highly competitive. Whether you’re hankering for a classic Italian sub or a novel gourmet invention, the city’s sandwich makers offer plenty of options. Keep reading for Eater Chicago’s must-try picks, several of which are iconic dishes. The latest update adds Monti’s, J.P. Graziano, and Cafecito.
— Additional reporting by Ashok Selvam and Naomi Waxman
The Best Sandwiches in Chicago
The city’s sandwich scene puts national chains to shame
Jeffy Mai is the Associate Editor for Eater’s Midwest region, and has been covering Chicago’s dining scene for over a decade.
The Midwest excels at comfort foods, and Chicago is at the center of it all. Lately, the city has embraced a growing contingent of bakeries, cafes, and restaurants who bring both creativity and gravity to their craft.
The sandwich may seem a simple construct that consists of assorted meats, cheeses, vegetables, and condiments between two slices of bread, but Chicago’s scene is highly competitive. Whether you’re hankering for a classic Italian sub or a novel gourmet invention, the city’s sandwich makers offer plenty of options. Keep reading for Eater Chicago’s must-try picks, several of which are iconic dishes. The latest update adds Monti’s, J.P. Graziano, and Cafecito.
— Additional reporting by Ashok Selvam and Naomi Waxman
Johnnie's Beef
The Italian beef is 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.
Hermosa Restaurant
Ethan Lim’s pan-Asian restaurant is mostly known for its fine dining family meal at dinnertime. But during the day, it serves a fried chicken sandwich that embraces Cambodian flavors with pickled papaya, long beans, Asian herbs, and garlic mayo.
Jack X. Li/Eater Chicago
J.T.’s Genuine Sandwich Shop
Irving Park shop J.T.’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.
La Bomba
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 Puerto Rican-influenced sandwich is defined by thinly sliced steak, lettuce, tomato, mayo, and cheese between planks of fried plantains. Today, it’s available at many Latin American restaurants like La Bomba, where the recipe remains unchanged.
TriBecca’s Sandwich Shop
TriBecca’s is rooted in Midwestern nostalgia. There are several winners here, including a rendition of the Maid-Rite sandwich, 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.
Nhu Lan Bakery
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.
L&M Fine Foods
L&M Fine Foods has a stellar deli counter in the back of the store, and there are plenty of challenging decisions presented by the menu. The porchetta, made in-house, is a standout, served with garlic aioli and capers. Get this one hot and take a minute to savor it all.
Sando Street
Sando Street became an overnight sensation when the tiny shop opened on the corner of Ashland and North Avenues. Japanese milk bread powers these sandwiches. The double-fried chicken breast, the KFC, is noteworthy.
Sando Street
Steingold’s of Chicago
Steingold’s — which has locations in Lakeview, Humboldt Park, and across from Wrigley Field inside Hotel Zachary — reimagines Jewish traditions for a modern American audience. The bagels are top-notch, and one of the best sandwiches is the Sister-in-Law made with hot pastrami, anchovy mustard, kimchi, and dill. It’s stuffed between a challah roll. Steingold’s lox is also worth seeking out.
Kim Kovacik/Eater Chicago
Tempesta Market
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. Customers 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.
Home of the Hoagy
Italian beef gets all of the hype but sweet steak is Chicago’s true rival to the Philly cheesesteak. Popularized on the South Side, the sandwich features coarsely chopped rib-eye, sweet peppers, tomatoes, and a signature sweet sauce on a sub roll.
Manny's Cafeteria & Delicatessen
Hailed as “Chicago’s Finest Deli,” Manny’s Cafeteria & Delicatessen remodeled and expanded its space in 2016 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.
Doner 97
This casual counter-service restaurant in Lincoln Park produces a stellar doner with meat carved from a vertical rotating spit. The bread is custom-made from an offsite bakery. Doners vary in Europe and the restaurant doesn’t claim to be from a specific country or region, though it’s easy to see Turkish influences. Doner 97’s perfect textures and well-seasoned meat prove there are great versions in Chicago. Grab one to enjoy at nearby Lincoln Park or the beach.
Jack X. Li/Eater Chicago
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Bocadillo Market
Chef James Martin has created a welcoming all-day Spanish restaurant in Lincoln Park. The space will remind customers of Europe and the food does its best to mix Spanish and American cultures. The smoked lamb sandwich features shaved carrots, mojo rojo aioli, and pickled green beans, and is large enough that hungry Chicagoans won’t complain.
Maxwell Street Depot
“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 dressed with mustard, grilled onions, and hot peppers.
Ricobene's
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 story made the combination of breaded steak, tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, and hot giardiniera a must-try.
Stony Sub
The origins of the “Gym Shoe” sandwich are unclear. Eaters, though, couldn’t care less because the South Side creation at Stony Sub arrives packed with a heaping pile of roast beef, gyro meat, and corned beef, mixed with giardiniera, sweet peppers, onions, tzatziki sauce, tomatoes, Swiss cheese, and mayo. It’s quite the mouthful and much better than the curious name suggests.
J.P. Graziano Grocery
For almost nine decades, this Italian market and sandwich shop has anchored Randolph’s Restaurant Row, standing in sharp contrast to the neighborhood’s buzzy restaurants. A popular lunch spot, J.P. Graziano is known for crowd-pleasers like the Mr. G Italian sub, stacked with sharp provolone, hot soppressata, prosciutto di Parma, and Genoa salami on a crusty D’Amato’s Bakery roll, finished with Roman-style artichokes, basil, lettuce, and a tangy truffle mustard vinaigrette.
Cafecito
With four locations across the city, Cafecito is a convenient spot for a great lunch — especially if you’re downtown. Its classic Cubano sandwich is a crisp, pressed masterpiece: roast pork, smoky ham, Swiss cheese, pickles, and mustard layered on soft Cuban bread, toasted until golden and melty. Wash it down with a cafecito (Cuban espresso) to fight off the food coma.
Monti’s
A cousin to Chicago’s beloved Italian beef, the cheesesteak doesn’t quite get the same level of attention here. But Lincoln Square’s Monti’s deserves recognition for its rendition of the Philly specialty. Thinly-sliced rib-eye is served on Amoroso rolls imported from Philadelphia, topped with grilled onions and choice of American, provolone, or cheddar sauce. For those who like heat, the Rocky adds scotch bonnets, charred serrano peppers, and spicy mayo for an extra kick.
