Kate Krader (@kkrader on Twitter) is Food & Wine's restaurant editor. When she tells us where to find our culinary heart's desire, we listen up.

It doesn’t seem fair to wait until November 3 to celebrate National Sandwich Day. (I’ll tell you why we celebrate sandwiches on November 3 - it’s the birthday of John Montagu, Earl of Sandwich. He’d be 294 this year.) Maybe it’s because the new school year always signals sandwiches in my head, but I say we celebrate Sandwich Day early. Like right now.

Here, some phenomenal new sandwich spots across the country, each with something cool that, while we’re on the subject of school, earns them Extra Credit from me.  

Deli Board - San Francisco, Calfornia
What started as a catering business is now a place for some of the best sandwiches in the Bay Area. Chef-owner Adam Mesnick offers about four sandwiches daily, invariably filled with meat. Jam-packed options include the Wazbinski  (turkey, salami, cream cheese, Muenster cheese, cherry peppers, pickled onion and board sauce on Dutch crunch bread) and the Mezman (pastrami, deviled egg salad, Muenster cheese, jalapeños, pickles and board sauce on garlic Dutch crunch bread).

If it’s impossible to decide, go for something with corned beef, the specialty of the house. Next, Mesnick is opening up a permanent version of his pop-up 1058 Hoagie, where he’ll serve, appropriately enough, East Coast–style hoagies.


Extra Credit: You can buy whole cooked briskets for the holidays, sold by the pound.

Hillside Farmacy - Austin, Texas 
This adorable new neighborhood spot in a historical pharmacy specializes in simple and appealing sandwiches, running the gamut from Dough Well Done (grilled cheese with tomato relish) to the meatball-packed grinder with peppers and onions.


Extra Credit: After winning the Austin American-Statesman's fan favorite Best Sandwich in Austin title, Hillside Farmacy served the Thank You sandwich for $6.50 (down from $8) for the month of August. The sandwich of roasted chicken, smoked mozzarella, strawberry jam and sprouts is named because it's their version of a Thanksgiving feast.

Frasca Caffe - Boulder, Colorado
The all-star team behind Frasca Food & Wine is now serving freddi (cold) and caldi (hot) panini. The bread couldn’t be better: It’s made with the same yeast starter as the dough for the killer pies at neighboring Pizzeria Locale. And it’s the base for selections like P.I.P. (pancetta, lettuce and tomato); the Uovo (egg salad and speck); and Porchetto (filled with hot roasted pork loin and truffle butter).

Extra Credit: At Frasca Caffe, you can also stock up on hard-to-find Italian groceries, like imported sodas and black licorice, plus house-made pepper jelly.

Oven and Shaker - Portland, Oregon
At her new pizza spot, chef Cathy Whims specially makes Puglian-styled pocket breads called puccias that she stuffs with a selection of alluring fillings. At lunch for $10: Pork Meatballs (made small so they fit in the pocket) with Parmigiano, tomato butter and arugula salad; and Roasted Eggplant, topped with mozzarella, arugula and basil.

Extra Credit: Besides being a destination pizza and sandwich place, Oven and Shaker is known for Ryan Magarian’s outstanding cocktail program. Super Extra Credit: You can also make their drinks at home because the menu gives you the exact recipe for coctails like the Pepper Smash.

Num Pang - New York City
This Cambodian sandwich shop isn’t brand brand new (it opened in 2009—sort of old in the NYC restaurant world). But cofounders Ratha Chaupoly and Ben Daitz are constantly changing up their excellent banh mi–styled sandwiches and using local ingredients. Their current menu boasts Grilled Summer Peach Sandwiches with Hand-Cut Bacon (there’s Guinness maple glaze in there, too).

Extra Credit: Num Pang recently launched a Guest Chefs Give Back Charity Sandwich. The current selection is from Top Chef Masters winner Floyd Cardoz. The Cardoz Pang features black pepper lamb on a toasted semolina baguette with chile-lime mayo and pickled carrots. Proceeds go toward Tuesday’s Children, a 9/11 charity.

Butcher & Bee - Charleston, South Carolina
Chef Stuart Tracy changes up B&B’s phenomenal menu daily. Some days there might be a po'boy attack, with a choice of shrimp or buffalo chicken or eggplant or the little-known classic bologna po'boy, plus cabbage slaw, tomato and remoulade sauce. Guess what the B.E.L.F.G.T. is: bacon, egg, lettuce and fried green tomatoes.

Extra Credit: B&B’s hours are 11 am–3 p.m. and 11 p.m.–3 a.m. Genius! The late night menu focuses on stuff that might be “a little more greasy,” including a riff on the Arby’s beef and cheddar, made with pasture-raised roast beef and cheddar mornay sauce.  

Note: sandwich shown above is a horse bologna and foie gras grilled cheese served at The Great Googa Mooga by the fine folks at M. Wells.

Got a sandwich you think stacks up? Shout it out in the comments below!

More from Food & Wine:

America’s Best Bars

Best Sandwiches in the U.S.

Best Burgers in the U.S.

America’s Best Sandwich Shops

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