7 Of The Best Sandwiches In The World

Sandwiches are having a moment right now, and it's not hard to see why. Over the past year, restaurants around the globe have pivoted to include more casual, carryout-friendly eats that cater to our lockdown lives. The humble, universally beloved handheld has quickly claimed a top spot on menus far and wide, offering a carbo-loaded vehicle for creativity and comfort.

Even now, as our cities emerge from hiding and restaurants fling open their doors, the sandwich remains hellbent on sticking around. And who are we to disagree? To pay homage to the ancient art of cramming our favorite ingredients between two slices of bread, we're shining a spotlight on the world's best, most sensational sandwiches right now. If these stackers could talk, they'd tell stories of resilience, survival and boundless innovation.

And because we can already hear some chatter coming from the peanut gallery, we'll clear the air: A hot dog is not a sandwich. Neither is a taco. And though you could make a good case that a burger fits the bill, we've excluded patties from this list to keep things focused. Now, without further ado, we invite you to sink your teeth into the world's best sandwiches.

# Garth Trinidad from Wax Paper Chinatown, Los Angeles

Roasted turkey, cabbage-citrus-serrano-chili slaw, pickled carrot, miso-sesame aioli, cilantro, furikake and sliced almonds on Bub & Grandma’s focaccia

Allow us to preempt your avocado toast wisecrack: If there’s a sandwich that tastes like Los Angeles, it’s actually this. Served only at Wax Paper’s Chinatown outpost, the roasted turkey sandwich is eclectically L.A. in every way possible, from its KCRW DJ namesake to its Mexican-inspired slaw, smear of Japanese seasoning and the fluffy focaccia from farmers’ market staple Bub and Grandma’s. It’s an umami-laden colossus that’ll leave you scavenging for every last scrap of the sweet-and-spicy cabbage-citrus-serrano slaw.

# The Cold Cuts from Dom’s Subs, London

Bresaola, gabagool, salami, mortadella, provolone, vinegar peppers, lettuce, tomatoes and mayonnaise on a semolina sub roll

Your eyes are not deceiving you: This sub deploys a quartet of meat – from ruby-red bresaola and nut-studded mortadella to Tony Soprano-approved gabagool and peppery salami. The veg accessories add much-needed crunch and acidity, while the chewy semolina roll ensures no ingredient goes rogue. It’s the kind of sub that requires both hands and some mouth stretches before you dive in.

# Mie Goreng toastie from Dutch Smuggler, Sydney

Mie goreng noodles, fried egg, shallots, mozzarella and gruyere on white bread

If there were a concept to pique the interest of gluten gluttons everywhere, it’s the idea of carbs wrapped in more substantial, structurally sound carbs. The stoner-chic mie goreng sandwich at this CBD hole-in-the-wall joint is so much more than the sum of its parts, like any good sando should be: spicy mayo is slathered on bread, followed by a mess of spicy-sweet instant noodles, an oozy fried egg and shallots. The whole thing is gloriously bound together by a combination of mozzarella and nutty gruyere. It’s basically the uni student dream, but legitimised – even the city’s pressed-linen-wearing, briefcase-toting bankers are lining up around the block to get one.

# Ichigo sando from Da Café Ebisu, Tokyo

Fresh cream and Japanese strawberries on white bread

A trio of impossibly simple ingredients make up this luscious, bulging mouthful of a sandwich. While fruit sandos are quintessentially Japanese and therefore ubiquitous across Tokyo, Da Cafe Ebisu is so confident in the quality of its ingredients that its fruit sandwiches need nothing else to stand out. The bread is, quite frankly, inconsequential here, as all it needs to do is encase the two real stars of the show. The housemade fresh cream boasts the slightest hint of saltiness to avoid competing with the sweetness of the plump, picture-perfect strawberries, which are sourced directly from farms across Japan.

# The Smoking Fox from Foxface, New York

Cherrywood smoked boneless ribs, coleslaw, pickled onion and house spicy sauce on ciabatta

In a year of constant innovation, one sandwich spot in NYC leads the pack for its sheer boundless creativity: Foxface in the East Village. Operating out of a small pop-up window on St. Mark’s Place, the sandwich wizards here produce new and exciting handhelds every single day, utilizing rare meats like elk and camel.

But the star of the show is the Smoking Fox, the only sandwich that remains on the menu daily – and for good reason. Like a McRib that’s gone to grad school, this stacker flawlessly balances spicy and sweet flavors, thanks in part to the house hot sauce, which is crafted with orange vinegar and tongue-tingling habaneros. It’s playful and inventive, just like NYC’s current can-do, DIY attitude.

# Panino con tartare di tonno from Pescaria, Polignano a Mare

Tuna tartare, burrata, tomato, caper oil and basil pesto on a roll

Look, no one's denying that fried fish sandos are a beautiful thing, but this raw number seriously ups the ante. Loaded with 100 grams of premium, ruby-red tuna tartare, this massive sandwich gets bonus points because it's served seaside in the coastal town of Polignano a Mare, Italy. This isn't just some poke bowl slapped between bread though – a thick layer of oozy burrata seeps into every nook and cranny, while a dollop of basil pesto lends a burst of earthy freshness. You'll be tempted to devour it on the spot, but take the five-minute walk to the water for unparalleled views of the Adriatic Sea while you nosh.

# Pastrami sandwich on rye from Mananá World Deli, Mexico City

Brisket and beer mustard on rye bread

Mananá World Deli, how do we love thee? Let us count the ways. This ghost kitchen emerged in the thick of the pandemic to bring the city what it needed most: comfort food (and a boatload of carbs). There’s also the fact that the crew here takes their meat game seriously. Case in point: The prime choice angus brisket on this sandwich is cured for 15 days before it’s smoked for a leisurely nine hours, resulting in tender, melt-in-your-mouth protein that gets a kick from thick, whole-grain mustard. And because this new-wave deli only deals in takeout, you can devour it from the comfort of home. Napkins at the ready, people!