The Best Sandwiches in Philly

For this update: We’ve added La Jefa in Rittenhouse.

Here are 14 fabulous sandwiches around Philly. — Additional reporting by Ernest Owens, Tierney Plumb, and Annemarie Dooling.

Kale Caesar Cutlet at Liberty Kitchen

There’s a good reason this sandwich at the Fishtown restaurant (with locations in Chestnut Hill and West Philly) went viral. A thin chicken cutlet double-dipped in a mixture of buttermilk flour, parsley, dill, garlic, and basil, and topped with kale in a seeded bun seems as simple as you can get. But the tangy Caesar dressing takes this a step further than your classic cutlet sandwich, making it very worth the hype.

Classic Breakfast Sandwich at Middle Child Clubhouse

The ultimate breakfast sandwich in Philly can be enjoyed beyond sunrise at this Fishtown restaurant. For $10.50, diners can enjoy fluffy eggs, Cooper Sharp American cheese, and arugula between two thin slices of fresh potato bread. Upgrade an already incredible bite with hash browns, avocados, or meat for a few extra dollars. If you’re really hungry, try the version with corned beef.

Chicken Shish Tawook Maroosh Way at Saad’s Halal Restaurant

This West Philly hot spot is the home of a great halal cheesesteak, but also a remarkable grilled chicken sandwich. Made with tender grilled chicken, sauteed onions, creamy garlic sauce, tomato, parsley, and zesty pickles on a toasted long roll — it’s an entire meal in sandwich form.

Hershel’s Pastrami at Hershel’s East Side Deli

Arguably one of the best Jewish deli sandwiches outside of New York, Hershel’s pastrami is boldly stacked with succulent meat, sauerkraut, Russian dressing, and Swiss cheese grilled to perfection.

Grilled Swordfish Milk Bun Sandwich at Huda

Meet a dish that’s made with the most dynamic ingredients done effortlessly. A milk bun sandwich stuffed with sizzling grilled swordfish that’s topped with kimchi tartar sauce and Napa coleslaw is an automatic good time at lunch.

Fried Chicken Sandwich at Doro Bet

Doro Bet’s Ethiopian fried chicken is exceptional on its own, but they also serve it on a toasted brioche bun with awaze remoulade, plus LTO and pickles. We like how the brioche adds a little sweetness to the lightly spicy chicken.

Pastrami de Leguna at La Jefa

The team behind Tequilas added a promising all-day cafe that explores culinary connections between Philly and Guadalajara. That calls for big Mexican sandwiches known as lonches. The house-made pastrami de leguna at brunch is a must and comes with chile-Manzano relish, coleslaw, and chile mayo on sandwich bread.

The Ramen Thing at Cleo Bagels

Cleo Bagels started out as a pop-up, during which they became known for the Ramen Thing, a bagel sandwich inspired by the flavors of a bowl of ramen. It sounds weird, but the sandwich, which has marinated eggs, braised bamboo, pickled ginger, seaweed crisps, togarashi mayo, ground sesame, and scallions, really does work.

Banh Mi Op La at the Breakfast Den

The Breakfast Den does both American and Vietnamese breakfast classics like pancakes, scrambled eggs, and rice porridge. But they also combine their culinary influences in the Banh Mi Op La, which takes classic breakfast sandwich toppings and piles them on a banh mi for the ultimate crossover food. It’s delicious, filling, and really hits the spot when you’re hungover.

Porco’s Porchetteria

Porco’s serves very large porchetta sandwiches out of a window on Washington Avenue, a concept that might seem odd to outsiders but makes perfect sense to Philadelphians. Their Philly sandwich is a take on the classic roast pork, with crackling pork skin, juicy porchetta, sharp provolone and rapini pesto. It’s a modern take on a Philly classic that really captures the magic of the original.

Cutlet Damien at Farina Di Vita

Ask any local for their favorite, and they’ll say Farina Di Vita. Everything here on a roll is worth eating twice, which has given the place a cult following. The sandwich deserving of the best-of list is their legendary chicken cutlet, a fierce entrée served up in a variety of ways. Try the Cutlet Damien, prepared with crispy chicken cutlet, hot soppressata, fresh mozzarella, pepper shooters (cherry pepper stuffed with prosciutto and sharp provolone), pepper seeds, and cayenne pepper.

Bánh Mì at Ba Le Bakery

Ba Le Bakery presents Vietnam’s signature sandwich to Philly as a masterclass on taste and affordability (under $10). Here, diners can choose between pork belly, sardines, tofu, or meatballs as their protein of choice, along with fresh cilantro, pickled carrots, and mayo or pâté on their flakiest long rolls from Artisan Boulanger Patissier.

The Godfather at Cosmi’s Deli

It may look like a simple corner store, but don’t sleep on Cosmi’s. Their most loved sandwich, the Godfather, is a behemoth, with sliced prosciutto and soppressata, fresh mozzarella, roasted red peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, green olives, and topped with extra virgin olive oil and balsamic on a hoagie bun. There’s also a cheesesteak version for the very ambitious.

Cemita Clásica at El Chingon

There’s a reason this colorful and vibrant South Philly spot was a 2024 James Beard finalist and has been named on several best restaurant lists. But even with a full Mexican menu, the clasica is the star. To chicken Milanese, they add avocado, onions, chipotle, quesillo cheese and papalo aioli. Feeling adventurous? There are beef, portobello and swordfish versions, too.

Sausage Sandwich at Rocco’s Italian Sausage

Nothing compares to the slow-cooked, greasy awesomeness that’s the sausage sandwich at Rocco’s Italian Sausage. The juiciest links — whether sweet or hot — are stuffed in long rolls and topped with sautéed peppers and onions. Eating one of these on a picnic bench is a Philly ritual.