Dallas isn’t historically a big sandwich town. There’s no Philly cheesesteak, no po’boy, no Chicago-style Italian beef.

A big part of the problem was bread: Until recently, the bread situation in Dallas wasn’t great, and you can’t have a good sandwich without good bread. Thankfully, the bread scene in Dallas, and with it the sandwich scene, has recovered in recent years.

With that in mind, we’ve compiled a list of Dallas’ best sandwiches. Places come and go, and so do sandwiches, so this is an up-to-date list as of fall 2024.

The list includes some old classics as well as newfangled additions that give sandwich fans something to chew on. (Note: These are basically all sandwich shops, not sandwiches served in “regular” restaurants.)

Here is our list of the must-have sandwiches in Dallas:

Banh Mi Sliders from Autonomous Society Brewpub
This Cedars District brewery’s main offering is European-inspired beers, but there’s also a snack menu, including five sandwiches. Their take on a banh mi is banh mi sliders, with pork belly, pickled carrots, daikon and sriracha mayo, served on—oh, horror—a toasted hamburger bun. Not authentic, but definitely tasty. Two sliders cost $12.

Banh mi Slides Autonomous PubInstagram

Grilled Jackfruit by Community Beer
This Dallas brewery is a sandwich paradise with a dozen options, including a Reuben and a brat sandwich. And here’s a rarity: At least three of the sandwiches are vegan, including their BBQ jackfruit sandwich, which uses shredded jackfruit as a substitute for pulled pork, topped with BBQ sauce and coleslaw, and stuffed into a golden potato bun. You’ll be intrigued whether you’re vegan or not.

Chicken Caesar from Bread Zeppelin
The Dallas-based chain has a unique approach to sandwiches: It takes a freshly baked baguette, hollows it out, and stuffs a salad inside. It’s a portable on-the-go salad—one you can eat in the car, no fork, no fuss. The highlight is the Chicken Caesar, with grilled chicken chunks, croutons, parmesan, and chopped romaine lettuce. The bread is really good—crispy but light, and soaks up the salad dressing really easily. For just $10.

Chicken Salad from Empire Baking Co.
If sandwiches involve bread (and they do), then Empire is a must-try on any list. Although the bakery is famous for its bread, half of its customers come for the prepared foods. Of their nine sandwiches, the best-seller is smoked turkey on wheat bread with Muenster cheese and Granny Smith apple slices. But the foodie’s choice is chicken salad on walnut-scallion bread – a simple chicken salad with slivered almonds and celery, but they marinate and roast the chicken every day. It’s the little things.

Chicken sandwich from Latin Deli
The Latin-themed East Dallas deli offers a dozen sandwiches. You might like the Cubano, but try the chicken sandwich instead. It features marinated chicken, onions, avocado and jalapeño slices and is served on ciabatta bread and costs $15.

Club Croissant from Great Outdoors
The DFW-area-wide sandwich chain has better-than-average breads that it bakes on-site, including croissant sandwich rolls, oblong like a sandwich roll — but buttery and soft. The most popular is the club croissant with turkey, ham, bacon and cheddar for $11. To get it with lettuce, tomato and mayo, you have to ask for “dressing,” that’s their silly code.

Cubano by Bella Flan
The Cuban Bakery and Cafe in Richardson offers an amazing version of this classic pressed sandwich with Cuban bread, Cuban mojo pork, ham, Swiss cheese, pickles and hot mustard. Most importantly, the chopped pickles and mustard give the sandwich a spicy, craveable twist. There’s also a vegetarian version with portobello mushroom and roasted pineapple — perhaps even better than the original. Both are $12.

Chicken Caesar Sandwich from Bread ZeppelinBread Zeppelin

Fruit Sando from Sandoitchi
A downtown Dallas sandwich shop offers a variety of Japanese-style sandwiches – served on fluffy, snow-white milk bread, neatly trimmed – but the big hit is the $10 fruit sando, a combination of sweet cream and precisely sliced ​​fruit like strawberries and kiwi. The packaging is a key part of the appeal.

Grilled pork balls at Banh Shop
A casual Asian concept with locations in Las Colinas and Fort Worth presents a stealth banh mi with this sandwich. It features two “meatballs” made from a spicy blend of minced pork with Vietnamese caramel glaze and scallions, served on grated cucumber, pickled carrot and daikon, with cucumber-cilantro aioli, for $11.50. It’s a banh mi by another name.

Happy Hippie from Mendocino Farms
A casual California chain has one of the best vegetarian sandwiches: the Happy Hippie, basically a salad in sandwich form: avocado, cucumber, sprouts, carrots, hummus, cheddar cheese, and pretty magenta “beet caviar” on white bread (of course!) for $14.

Italian at New York Sub
The SMU-adjacent store’s history dates back to 1974. You can’t go wrong with their Italian restaurant, which features imported meats and provolone cheese for $12. The store sources its ingredients from local ranchers and uses a creamy oil and vinegar dressing to round out the flavor.

Italian beef at Weinberger’s Deli
Italian beef sandwiches have become more popular since Chicago chain Portillo’s landed in Dallas. But this indie spot in Grapevine has been using the same recipe for decades, preparing the beef itself with oregano, thyme, red and black pepper, served on Italian bread. Order it how they recommend: “wet” (dipped in gravy), with spicy giardiniera peppers and melted cheese. Starting at $11.

Happy Hippie Sandwich from Mendocino FarmsMendocino Farms

Muffuletta from Jimmy’s Food Store
No Dallas sandwich list can exist without the muffaletta from this popular Italian market (though it’s odd that the sandwich isn’t actually Italian?). You know it by heart: Genoese ham, salami, provolone, olive salad on airy, crispy bread. It’s not cheap—6-inch for $10 or 9-inch for $19—but in this case, price isn’t an issue.

Panini from Eatzi’s
Eatzi’s is justifiably famous for its sandwich counter. At lunchtime, people line up to have a sandwich made to order. Particularly tempting is the panini with salami, ham and avocado, served on rosemary focaccia and with ancho chili mayonnaise for $14.

Power plant from the Cheba hut
The fun stoner chain used to get its bread from Empire Baking Co. but doesn’t anymore, so that’s a point off. They claim they now bake their own bread, with options of white, wheat, or garlic bread. They have a nice selection of sandwiches, including this vegetarian one with hummus, guacamole, mushrooms, and spring mix, and you can get it in the half size for $7 or the large for $15.

Turkey sandwich from Goodfriend
The sandwich everyone raves about at this East Dallas spot is the Reuben, and it’s definitely good. (The veggie Reuben used to be good, too, but now the mushroom slices are too thick and it’s a mess.) But have you tried the turkey sandwich? It’s got smoked turkey, sriracha, and smoked cheddar on a ciabatta bun for $12. Lots of flavor, and it’s a big sandwich, too.
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Teresa Gubbins contributed to this article.