Better than 2nd Avenue Deli, or is that even still there?
Anyone else here a Primanti Brothers aficionado?
2nd Avenue Deli closed down. Anyway, they were a deli. Deli sandwiches are good, but the places I mentioned have more original and better stuff than basic deli.
In Chicago, my favorite sandwiches include:
The jabarito at Papa’s on Divisoin. (The jibarito is a Chicago-Puerto Rican cheesesteak that substitutes fried plantains for the bread)
The Italian beef at Chickie’s on Pulaski or Johnnie’s in Elmwood Park.
The bahn mi (a Vietnamese sandwich) from Ba Le on Broadway & Argyle.
For a classic Italian sub, nothing beats the sandwiches from Bari’s on Grand & May.
The best corned beef and pastrami sandwiches (which don’t compare to the greatness of the New York versions) around here can be found at Manny’s.
For Polish sausage or bone-in fried pork chop sandwiches, Maxwell Street Express (or its neighbor, Jim’s) on Union just south of Roosevelt is fantastic.
My favorite all-time beef sandwich is the beef-on-weck from a place called John the Butchers near the airport in Buffalo, New York.
Zingerman’s in Ann Arbor, Michigan, is probably the best all-around sandwich shop I’ve been to anywhere.
I don’t care if Philadelphians think it’s touristy, but I love Pat’s King of Steaks.
The corned beef sandwich at Schlotsky’s Deli is awesome. Luckily there is one more still opened nearby.
Anything from Jimmy John’s; as mentioned, the bread can’t be beat.
The Italian sandwiches at Quiznos are very good too, the pesto sauce they use is what sets them apart. And the Chicken Carbonara at Quiznos is excellent, and I’ve never seen that sandwich anyplace else.
On Market between 9th and 10th. If it’s Noon to 1pm and you see a line a half a block long or so, get in it, you’ve found Quincy’s. If you remember the Soup Nazi episode of Seinfeld, it’s kind of like that but with sandwiches. Best Corned Beef and Pastrami sandwiches in the Bay Area. Should be about $6 for a sandwich, chips and fruit.
Mmm, everything sounds so good!
I really want to try:
and
Yum!
Keep ‘em comin’!
I found a link for Sandwich Box – if you’re ever in Toronto, definitely check it out.
edit: thanks for the info about San Francisco, everyone – I’m so trying all of those places. Wish I could go right now! 
The best sandwich ever is the one Adam Sandler makes in the movie Spanglish.
My favorite, a long time ago, was the #34 - Mother’s Ruin, an Italian sausage, peppers, onions, provolone with garlic mayo, from a joint in Gaithersburg, MD called Roy’s Place.
Roy’s had some 200 different sandwiches on their menu. You could order any of them by number and the waitperson would know what sandwich it was and what options they were supposed to offer with it. I ate there for lunch a LOT during my brief time in the DC 'burbs.
Elliott Bay Pizza Co. on top of Queen Anne Hill in Seattle has subs so wonderful I’ve never even been tempted to try their pizzas. (Though I have had their salads, which are HUGE!) I love the bread they use. Baked fresh daily French bread at least four inches wide with a wonderful crispy crust. Meats, veggies and cheeses are in lavish proportions. And it’s all toasted hot in their pizza oven, except for the lettuce and such, of course. In fact, you usually have to pick at the edges for a few minutes until it’s cooled down.
There are many reasons I regret moving from the neighborhood three years ago. Elliott Bay is in the top five reasons why.
Oh, I forgot one from my list. Mother’s in New Orleans for their po’ boys. I probably would also add Central Grocery’s mufaletta to my list, but I did not get a chance to sample the legendary original the times I’ve been down there. However, from all accounts, a great sandwich. (I’ve had other local versions, and they were great).
Pulykamell, check out this thread on great Chicago sandwiches over at LTHForum.com. The pictures will have you jumping in your car to get a Bari’s Italian with marinated eggplant ( the BEST sandwich in the universe, btw:))
I know LTH forum very well.
I envy you. Greens with envy, my favorite… yum.
Jimmy John’s in Ann Arbor, MI. There is something about their subs, even though they are often compared to Subway in the sense that they are a chain restaurant.
I think it’s especially impressive that I used to work the late shift there for several months, and close the store at 4:30am… drunks would stream in for hours to get their subs… and even after working there, I still freaking LOVE their sandwiches.
Jimmy John’s is far and beyond the single cleanest restaurant I have ever worked in. They run the place with militant efficiency… I mean they hire guys to come in and do random “raids” to make sure everything is perfect… including the thickness of the cucumbers. We were also required to make the sandwiches in less than 30 seconds. You will get your sub within about 30 seconds, no exaggeration. You order it and it’s made by the time you walk over to the other counter.
Jeez, am I getting paid for this?
Get pretty much any of the salami made by Armandino Batali (Mario’s dad).
Get pretty much any of the bread made by Tall Grass Bakery.
Get some cultured butter. Assemble at home.
(The Salumi store does a thriving sandwich business, but I don’t like the bread they use.)
The Wooden Nickel is a small, kinda dumpy pub in the little town I live in here in central NC. The sandwiches are awesome. My husband says the Rubens there are the best he’s ever had anywhere. My personal favorite is the buffalo chicken wrap - buffalo chicken fingers with lettuce and tomato, all wrapped up with a blue cheese dressing.
Yum.
Heh. You must have worked in a very different Jimmy John’s than me. We were relatively clean, but there were employees selling pot on premises, smoking crack (I’m not making this up) in the bathroom, and the store manager himself was a half-crazy guy who had just recently gotten back from doing a stint in the joint for selling cocaine. I was a delivery driver, and at no point did they even ask me for my driver’s license, proof of insurance, or anything related to driving a car.
Still, I really did enjoy the job, and I do enjoy the subs. When it comes to cold subs from a chain sandwich shop, Jimmy John’s is by far the best, in my opinion. I can’t stand Subway, and Mr. Sub’s is a travesty. While Jimmy John’s bread may not be great, it’s much better than any of its competitors.
I’m a heathen. I like Quizno’s a lot - the chicken carbonara is especially good (ask for extra sauce).
Sammiches? You want sammiches? Fellow Dopers, I give you:
Much as I like the aforementioned Jimmy John’s and Quizno’s, this place has elevated the sub sandwich to the next level.
Someone mentioned turkey sandwiches earlier; nothing compares to the “Bobbie”. Fresh turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce and mayo on the best sub bread you’ve ever tasted. Ask them to go light on the cranberry sauce, though–otherwise it tends to overwhelm the sandwich.
Their signature item is the “Capastrami”. Now, being from NY, I’m kind of picky about pastrami and am not a big fan of what passes for pastrami here in the West; that being said, this almost makes up for it. Pastrami, Swiss, and cole slaw–get it with mustard instead of thousand island and be prepared to smack your lips from here to heaven and back.
Cheesesteaks are also excellent there.
It may seem a bit pricey, but trust me, a small (9-inch) sandwich can easily feed two people; a 12-inch sub will feed 2 very hungry people.
Oh, and a bonus for East Coasters like me: Wise potato chips! Anyone from the East knows that Lay’s pale in comparison to these gems, and they’re extremely hard to find in the West.
Their only drawback? They’re only open till 5 PM, so I can’t get one on my way home from work!