Ten Favorite Metro Phoenix Sandwiches

See Also: Behind the Scenes at Chris Bianco's Restaurants See Also: The Sandwich Nazi (NSFW, Not Even a Little) See Also: Seven Hate-Free Chicken Sandwiches in Metro Phoenix Everybody loves a good sandwich, right? Bread, meat, cheese, veggies, condiments -- all things that taste pretty good, especially when you put...

By Shannon Armour

September 11, 2012

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See Also: Behind the Scenes at Chris Bianco's Restaurants See Also: The Sandwich Nazi (NSFW, Not Even a Little) See Also: Seven Hate-Free Chicken Sandwiches in Metro Phoenix Everybody loves a good sandwich, right? Bread, meat, cheese, veggies, condiments -- all things that taste pretty good, especially when you put them all together.

And the Valley has plenty of awesome sandwiches. So many, in fact, that it was extremely difficult to pick just 10. But we did it. Check out who made our list:

Bistro Steak Sandwich @ Portland's This decade-old downtown establishment makes a near-perfect steak sandwich, loaded with thin slices of cooked-to-order steak, sweet grilled onions, aged white cheddar cheese, spicy jalapeño remoulade, and fresh tomatoes and lettuce all on a lightly toasted herb focaccia. This hearty sandwich is big enough for two and available only on Portland's lunch menu, but if you can't find yourself a lunch date, you can trade in half of your sandwich for a side of their crispy Cajun fries or a side of steamed veggies.

Meatball Sandwich @ McGurkee's J P Sandwich Shop This west-side spot gets packed during the busy lunchtime hours and we're thinkin' it's because the Italian eatery churns out some of the best tasting sandwiches west of Central Ave. For almost 40 years, this homey shop has been impressing hungry sandwich lovers with their meaty subs and sesame seed-flecked bread. We love their rich meatball sub, loaded with savory handmade meatballs and covered in tomato sauce and melted mozzarella. The service is just as good as the sandwich itself and it's worth it to stick out the wait.

Free Range Chicken Salad @ Essence Bakery Eugenia Theodosopoulos and team not only bake up some of the best croissants and macarons in town, they also make a mean chicken salad sandwich. Shredded free-range chicken is bathed in a creamy sauce with hints of tangy lemon and sweet basil. Top it off with fresh spinach and cucumber slices then place it all on one of the bakery's extra soft and butter brioche rolls and eat! Sometimes the wait at this Tempe cafe can be a bit ridiculous, so if you're short on time, make sure you call ahead.

Smoked Brisket Mac & Cheese Grilled Cheese @ Q Up Barbecue We'll admit that we have a tiny problem with barbecue and maybe a small obsession with mac and cheese so when our favorite BBQ food truck announced the arrival of their latest menu item, we had to get our hands on one immediately. This decadent sandwich is a threesome of awesome with tender brisket and smokey bacon-laced mac and cheese all sandwiched between two piece of cheese-covered grilled sourdough. This obviously isn't a healthy combination but this sandwich is worth every guilt-filled bite.

Soprassata @ Pane Bianco Chris Bianco's little Central Phoenix bistro makes just a handful of sandwiches and each one is amazing but it's the Sopressata that has our hearts. Thick slices of spicy Italian salami, roasted red peppers and aged provolone are stacked between slices of Bianco's chewy wood fired bread. The simple sandwich isn't cheap but we're more than willing to shell out the dough for the quality ingredients.

The New Yorker @ Miracle Mile The Straw may be this old school Phoenix deli's most popular sandwich, but we're much bigger fans of its cousin sandwich, The New Yorker. Hot slices of slow cooked spiced pastrami are blanketed in a generous helping of the deli's housemade cole slaw and finished off with a healthy dose of Miracle Mile's secret dressing. We like ours on marble rye but the combo works on pretty much any bread behind the counter. If you're feeling daring, add a slice of swiss cheese for an extra kick of flavor.

Pork Tenderloin Banh Mi @ House of Tricks Don't get us wrong -- we love our cheap banh mi as much as the next guy -- but we just can't turn down House of Tricks' gourmet take on the classic. A crusty French baguette is filled with Asian barbecued pork tenderloin, Napa cabbage, julienned jalapenos, pickled carrots, onion, cilantro, and a spicy Sriracha aioli. It's the most expensive sandwich on our list but the flavors and the overall lunch time experience make it worth every penny of its $12 price tag.

Porcellino @ Cibo Okay, okay, most people don't go to an Italian joint for a pulled pork sandwich but maybe they should start. Cibo's lunch menu is teeming with amazing sandwiches, including a superb meatball sandwich and a breaded eggplant parmesan that has made us question why we even need to eat meat, but the one the keeps us coming back is the Porcellino. Tangy BBQ sauce engulfs tender shredded pork and creamy fontina cheese ties the whole thing together on Cibo's always perfect wood fired bread. If they had this sandwich on the dinner menu, we'd probably skip the pizza and go straight for this sandwich. (Or maybe they should make this sandwich into a pizza. Hint, hint.)

Jewish Sliders @ Chompie's These aren't your everyday, run of the mill, tiny burger sliders, these are something much better. Mini challah rolls are sliced in half and garnished with Chompie's signature barbecue brisket, a miniature latke, and smooth jack cheese. And if you're in love with these little guys as much as we are and you also like to punish yourself with massive amounts of food, try the Chompie's Slider Challenge. If you can eat an entire dozen of these delicious mini sandwiches, your meal's on the house! (If you can't, then you'll have to cough up the $39.95.)

The Doughboy @ Cheese N' Stuff Vintage sandwich shops are few and far between in the Valley, but after more than 60 years this midtown sandwich shop isn't going anywhere. Thank heaven because we don't know what we'd do without Cheese N' Stuff's Doughboy Sandwich. Extra soft sourdough is stuffed with layers of deli-style turkey, crispy bacon, ripe avocado, and a dollop of creamy mayo. It's a simple sandwich which is sometimes exactly what we need after too many over-the-top sandwich creations.

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