England may have invented sandwiches, but America certainly mastered them. Some types of sandwiches we eat on the reg, like peanut butter and jelly, BLTs, and sloppy joes. Sandwiches that, quite frankly, you can probably make at home as well as—if not better than—those you can order.
Then there are the types of sandwiches best left to the professionals, the must-try sandwiches, ranging from city-focused favorites to international imports worth trying around the country. Here are 25 best types of sandwiches in America, along with spots doling out a beloved version.
25 Best Types of Sandwiches in America
1. Nashville Hot Chicken
You can’t help but want another addictive bite of this breaded, fried chicken doused in hot oil cayenne pepper paste that makes your lips tingle and body sweat, served on white bread with pickles. Invented at Prince’s Hot Chicken Shack as a tongue-torturing punishment for a cheating husband, the spice level at most joints runs from mild to three levels above hot.
Legend says this “Who Dat” city classic—often featuring fried oysters, shrimp, or roast beef served on French bread with shredded lettuce, tomato and mayo—was named when a local bakery gave them away for free to poor union workers during a railway strike.
Try it: In New Orleans, where Domilise’s serves up a classic fried shrimp Po’ Boy; Mother’s, whose bestseller has delectable roast beef “debris”; and Liuzza’s by the Track, which fills theirs with butter- and pepper gravy-soaked BBQ shrimp.
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