The Best Sandwich in NYC for Every Budget

Address and phone: 118 A Eldridge St (212-625-8008)
Website: vanessas.com
Price: $2.75

Back in the day—and by back in the day, we mean like seven years ago—Vanessa's $1 dumpling plates were the de facto diet of many downtown residents whose paychecks afforded little more than rent money and few extra bucks to throw at cheap eats and all-you-can-drink specials. But when you really needed to be filled up, the move was always to complement the potstickers with a sesame pancake. While prices have climbed a bit over the years (and at locations in higher-rent neighborhoods), the O.G. sesame pancake with beef still delivers on its promise: soft, doughy triangles of bread packed with toasty sesame seeds and the greasy terroir of the cooking pan; thin slices of meat; and a crunchy medley of pickled carrots and cucumber to brighten the package. One will hold you over; two is a feast.—Chris Schonberger

Address and phone: 252 E 167th St, Bronx (718-681-4015)
Website: N/A
Price: $3.50

While the idea of Jamaican patties nestled between coco bread is appealing, the reality of the carb-on-carb construction sometimes leaves something to be desired. Not so at Concourse Bakery, a no-frills patty joint in the South Bronx. Here, the combo delivers textural contrast between the flaky pastry crust and soft, chewy coco bread, as well as a beef filling that's robust enough to stand up to the double padding. Real chunks of meat and an intense blast of fruity habanero make this carb-swaddled package the ultimate on-the-go snack.—Chris Schonberger

Address and phone: 2135 First Ave (646-682-7488)
Website: N/A
Price: $4.25 (.25 cents per topping)

You hear the chopped cheese before you taste it—the repetitious clank of the spatula on the flattop, dicing away at a hamburger patty until finely ground, browned, and covered with cheese. That metallic ring resonates in bodegas across the Bronx, Queens, and Brooklyn, but to understand the true roots of this hyper-regional specialty, you’ll head to the chopped-cheese ground zero: Hajji’s deli in Spanish Harlem. There, the 12-year veteran behind the counter, Big Frankie Frank, sets the standard by toasting a seeded hero on a sandwich press until it’s flattened—the perfect vessel for holding in the griddled onions and melted cheese. It’s not a cheeseburger, and it’s not a Philly cheesesteak; it’s just one of New York’s very own.—Justin Bolois

Address and phone: 4222 8th Ave, Brooklyn (718-633-6601)​
Website: N/A
Price: $5

Generally, the charm of a bánh mì lies in its spare parts: some roast pork, a sprinkling of cilantro, and a handful of chopped daikon and carrots thrown on a Vietnamese-style baguette. And though Ba Xuyen in Sunset Park is modest in its appearance—a small, all-white room with four tables pushed up against the right wall—the restaurant’s special, the banh mi pâté thit nguoi, is a kitchen sink of Southeast Asian flavors. Boasting sliced ham, pork roll, barbecue pork, and head cheese (a terrine made of the flesh from the head of the pig), the sandwich is punctuated by an especially crisp slaw of pickled vegetables, as well as the rare mixture of pâté butter and spicy teriyaki glaze spread onto the crunchy baguette. In 2016, there is no dearth of bánh mì's in New York, but at an even $5, one would be hard pressed to find a sandwich with more complexity and character.—Jackson Connor

Address and phone: NYC various locations
Website: shakeshack.com
Price: $6.29

In the aftermath of New York’s poultry war in 2015, the burger almost felt passé. Blame it on chefs and media, who gave their undivided attention to a former underdog: the chicken sandwich. While Chick-fil-A’s lines never slowed, and David Chang raised the bar at Fuku, it was the Midas touch of bun-and-patty specialist Danny Meyer that stole the show. Unlike its competitors, the Chick'n Shack perfectly straddles the middle ground: in place of packets of Polynesian sauce, a mild buttermilk herb mayo drips down its craggy exterior. Instead of a monstrous thigh that upsets the chicken-to-bun ratio (see: Fuku), a juicy white breast fits snugly into a Martin's potato roll. There are no bells and whistles here; just perfect execution.—Ryan Joseph   

Address and phone: 3432 Nostrand Ave, Brooklyn (718-769-1254)
Website: N/A
Price: $7.30 (includes .80 cents for cheese)

In Sheepshead Bay, situated on what feels like a concrete Bermuda triangle, few things speak to the timeless quality of Brooklyn like the 90-year old tavern, Brennan & Carr. Inside, you’ll find attentive waiters in starchy white butcher frocks filling up frosty mugs of Bud before delivering the restaurant’s culinary heirloom: a thinly sliced, dipped roast-beef sandwich. Served on a Kaiser roll that’s drenched in beef broth, the sandwich's unflagging consistency comes courtesy of a nearly 60-year relationship with the same Iowa beef supplier. Supremely salty and beefy, the roast beef is all about essence, not added frills. Even so, the infallible formula is given an extra dose of love with a squirt of yellow “pump cheese"—reminding you that Arby's truly did the world a terrible injustice.—Justin Bolois

Address and phone: 369 Lexington Ave (212-922-3576)
Website: sophiescuban.com
Price: $8.49

Sophie’s specializes in Cuban-inflected grub—oxtail stew, Cubanos, fried pork chops—that inspires under-the-desk naps in office towers throughout Midtown. Chief among its indulgent pleasures is the gloriously named "pernil with a twist": juicy roasted pork shoulder, soft sweet plantains, grilled onions, and mayo, all tied together with an aji-like green sauce (commonly referred to as “crack” by regulars) that seeps through the whole package. Be sure to ask for extra sauce on the side, as the jalapeño punch helps cut through the savory-sweet combo of pernil and plaintains. Also, pull some lunch-hour arbitrage by skipping the 44th Street location in favor of the one on Lexington Avenue location, where the price is bizarrely cheaper.—Chris Schonberger

Address and phone: 46-02 104th St, Queens  (718-898-6069)
Website: N/A
Price: $9.75

Picture a classic Italian hero: sesame-seeded bread, ombré​ rainbow of cured meats, olive oil-dripping peppers. You can see it clearly, even if all you've ever had are pale imitations of the icon—and if you haven't had the Super Italian, imitations are all you've had. On its face, the sandwich is remarkably simple: prosciutto, capicola, sopressata, marinated mushrooms and peppers, and fresh mozzarella. But that cheese is where Mama's (the sign may say Leo's, but only fools call it anything but Mama's) has all the rest beat—it's pillow-soft and sweetly milky to balance the other salty, spicy toppings handmade daily by the sisters who run the 80-year-old Corona deli. Caveat emptor: Leave your Yankees gear at home. There's a reason the only other Mama's branch is in Citi Field.—Regan Hofmann 

Address and phone: Multiple locations
Website: parmnyc.com
Price: $10

Long before the Torrisi boys were slinging $55 veal parm at Carbone and $20 crudité at Santina, they ran a humble deli in Nolita that turned into an ambitious tasting-menu restaurant by night. The days of those thrilling prix-fixe meals are long gone, but the sandwiches—now chain-ified at three locations and a Yankee Stadium kiosk—still preserves the original D.N.A. of the Torrisi formula: upgrading Italian-American staples with top-notch ingredients. With its crispy layers and punchy marinara sauce topping, the eggplant parm on a seeded semolina roll has earned its spot in the pantheon of all-time great NYC sandwiches.—Chris Schonberger

Address and phone: 84 Chambers St (646-828-8996)
Website: hanksjuicybeef.com
Price: $11.75 (includes .92 cents for cheese)

While it's likely New Yorkers will always remain deep-dish skeptics, they'd be wise to open their eyes to the messy glory of a Chicago-style Italian Beef from newcomer Hank’s Juicy Beef. Sourced from a family farm in Pennsylvania, beef is slow-roasted for five hours, sliced thin, and finally given the reverential soak in its own juices. From there it is loaded into an Italian-style roll shipped from Chicago, whose sponginess can withstand all the splattering. Important decisions are still to be made: do you want the bread dipped (two ends), soaked (a quick dunk), or baptized (prolonged dunk) in gravy? Add provolone cheese? (Yes.) Hot or mild giardinera? (Definitely hot; the pickled serrano peppers cut through the richness.) Ordering their housemade flaky Italian lemon ice, however, is ultimately a choice that is unavoidable.—Justin Bolois

Address and phone: 200 5th Ave (212-229-2560)
Website: eataly.com
Price: $12

Tucked away in a forgotten rear nook of Eataly, the rosticceria is where Flatiron office workers beeline to beat the tourist crowds and score a rotating cast of daily sandwiches. Thursday’s porchetta captures the glories of the unadorned sandwich, where meat and bread are the only stars of the show. The latter, a baguette-like mini loaf, is supple and chewy, with a fresh coating of olive oil right after its split. And the former—a trifecta of fatty belly, herb-crusted loin, and shards of crackling—needs only a sprinkling of salt to crank its porcine powers to 11. Walk it out to a bench in Madison Square Park and do your worst.—Chris Schonberger

Address and phone: 214 E 10th St (212-777-7018)
Website: hi-collar.com
Price: $13

Grab one of the stools at Hi-Collar’s brass-plated bar and your attention is immediately drawn to the glass gadgetry behind the counter: a row of third-wave coffee presses signals you’re in a kissaten, or Japanese coffee house. Once the caffeine kicks in, be sure to devote your attention to the tiny kitchen churning out crustless sandwich revelations. Limited to approximately 10 servings a day, the pork katsu is a case study in textural interplay: spongy white bread is the natural pairing for panko-fried, heritage-breed Berkshire pork chop; the tiny saucer of creamy egg salad is minced into a paste, best slathered on to balance the sweetness of the tonkatsu sauce. Hi-Collar's fine-tuned rendition of a lunch-time standby channels a type of cutlet sorcery rarely found outside of Japan.—Justin Bolois       

Address and phone: 293 Grand Ave, Brooklyn (718-399-2337)
Website: mekelburgs.com
Price: $14

To already have one of your sandwiches land on the New York Times top dishes of 2015 is a blessing. But to have a second one declared America’s best new sandwich only nine months later by Bon Appétit means you’re channeling some dark arts. So it goes for newcomer Mekelburg’s, run by two veterans from NYC's underground dining scene who have turned the market-cum-beer-bar into a harem for sandwich aficionados. Even in the sweltering heat, customers demand Nana’s Meatloaf, a combination of restrained components that’s just as curated as the shop's retail items: a proprietary blend from famed butcher Paisano’s is baked into a consistency that’s delicate and meatball-like, then wedged between a ciabatta roll from Mazzola bakery. The bread is light and chewy, but structurally sound enough to trap the sweetness of the housemade “red gravy” and carry the weight from the schmear of ricotta shipped from Lioni Latticini's. Prepared in a basement dwelling, without a full kitchen, the sandwich still shines.—Justin Bolois

Address and phone: 96-15 Roosevelt Ave, Corona, Queens (347-666-1517)
Website: N/A
Price: $15

The undisputed king of tortas is Galdino "Tortas" Molinero, who operates Queens' Tortas Neza out of a small window in front of Juan Bar. An avid soccer fan, the Mexico City native's 19 sandwiches are named for Mexican teams. The colossal stack known as Tortas Pumas clearly indicates where his loyalties lie. The Tortas Puma (named after Los Pumas) is as laborious to make as it is to eat. First, a breaded milaneza chicken cutlet goes into the fryer, along with some hot dogs. By this time, there’s a chorizo omelet working. Finally, Molinero assembles the layers: first the cutlet, then the omelet, hot dogs, head cheese, ham, and a fistful of shredded quesillo cheese—along with avocado, pickled jalapeños, lettuce, and tomatoes. The technicolor sandwich is griddled on the plancha, crisping up the telera roll. You could tackle this alone, but as in a soccer match, it's best to have a partner for the assist.—Joe DiStefano

Address and phone: 47 E Houston St (212-219-7693)
Website: estelanyc.com
Price: $16

Ignacio Mattos’ genius lies in toeing the line between the familiar and the offbeat, and his take on a breakfast sandwich is a prime example. Rather than trying to recreate a classic B.E.C. (his favorite comes from East Village institution Sunny & Annie's), the chef builds his brunch-only riff around a unique vessel: Bien Cuit’s tebirke, a poppy seed–studded Danish pastry that’s sort of like a flaky croissant with sweet almond cream baked into its buttery folds. Stuffed with pancetta, a fried egg, mashed avocado, and a dousing of chile sauce, it charts its own path while still nailing the essential, yolk-splattered high points of a prototypical breakfast sammie. (Note: When the tebirkes run out, the sandwich goes off the menu.)—Chris Schonberger

Address and phone: 189 Avenue A (646-864-0967)
Website: harryandidas.com
Price: $17.50

Harry and Ida’s co-owner Will Horowitz is a natural-born tinkerer—if he’s not dehydrating shiitake stems to turn into salt, he’s smoking butters, or butchering caskets of eels in his kitchen. It’s only logical, then, that at his provisions counter he serves a pastrami sandwich for those who tire of institutional nostalgia. Even so, there's purpose behind each rule being broken. You can catch a subtle note of his love for brined fish in the anchovy-accented Meyer lemon mustard; a soft baguette pays tribute to Louisiana po’ boys, a fine pairing for the fatty deckle; cucumbers are fermented in buttermilk for a smoother finish; generous sprigs of dill and toasted rye berries are reminiscent of a bánh mì. Who knew the comforting taste of Jewish ancestry could pull from so many places?—Justin Bolois   

Address and phone: 541 Amsterdam Ave (212-724-4707)
Website: barneygreengrass.com
Price: $18.75

At Barney Greengrass—the century-old appetizing store on the Upper West Side of Manhattan—the white fish and Nova Scotia salmon is not just a sandwich: it's a crash-course in NYC culture. While any deli can throw a sliver of lox on a bagel and call it a "classic," Gary Greengrass, the store’s third-generation owner, applies layer upon layer of fresh, brined fish and a heavy schmear of vegetable cream cheese to each bialy, musing about famed customers like Jerry Seinfeld while he works. And though for generations Barney Greengrass has been known as the undisputed “Sturgeon King” of America, the store’s salmon and whitefish are just as flavorful, practically dissolving on the tongue as they blend with the smooth cream cheese. Customers can opt for a standard bagel, as well as slices of rye and pumpernickel, but the chewiness of the bialy is what allows the fish to truly shine.—Jackson Connor

Address and phone: 377 Greenwich St (212-925-3797)
Website: locandaverdenyc.com
Price: $19.50

Some refer to it as a sub. Others know it as a hero. At Locanda Verde, Andrew Carmellini calls his sausage sandwich a grinder, a nod to Italian-Americans rooted in New England. Vernacular aside, the chef's adaptation taps into something universal. The magic starts with the pork sausage, which has the snap of a Texas link, but is given extra flair from its interior components: chopped, bitter broccoli rabe, smoked paprika, Calabrian chiles, and a smooth texture that's reminiscent of a hot dog. It rests on a "long hamburger bun"—made specifically for Locanda by Pain D'Avignon—that's split lengthwise to hold the weight of the sweet, stewed peppers and onions, while also providing a blank canvas for housemade ricotta. As the sausage develops character in the wood-burning oven, regional rivalry ultimately seems inconsequential.—Justin Bolois

Address and phone: 820 Washington St (212-254-3000​)
Website: santinanyc.com
Price: $20

From chicken parm to bagels, chefs Rich Torrisi and Mario Carbone have built their rep on masterful remixes of vernacular foods, often elevating everyday items into dishes worthy of obsession (with price tags to match). Case in point: The fried-bass sandwich at their latest venture, Santina, which transforms the sandwich from a Kanye West punchline ("What she order? Fish filet") to a masterclass in sammie scaffolding. The toasted, poppy seed-flecked bun, the onion and jalapeño slaw, and the olive-caper tartar sauce—is all good and well. But it's the fish that stands as the main attraction. Coated in rice flour and delicately dunked in the deep-fryer, the snow-white flesh of the bass breaks apart in large, firm chunks. And though one can also order a lean swordfish at Santina for the same price, when the bass comes dripping in just a touch of grease, why would you?—Jackson Connor