Best Sandwiches in Boston

Roast Beef: Roast Beast, Boston

At this subterranean shop near Packard’s Corner, purists can get their thinly sliced top-round roast beef piled on a squishy, butter-griddled onion roll with classic barbecue sauce, mayo, and American cheese, no questions asked. We prefer the messier Terrier special, which strategically layers the meat with house honey-barbecue sauce, chipotle and horseradish mayos, and sautéed onions.
➜ roastbeast.comPHOTOGRAPHS BY CHELSEA KYLE

PHOTOGRAPHS BY CHELSEA KYLE

BLT: Flour Bakery + Café, various locations

Joanne Chang keeps the classic elements (smoky bacon from New Hampshire’s North Country Smokehouse, fresh slices of tomato, a layer of Hellmann’s) and upgrades the formula with peppery arugula, a touch of balsamic vinaigrette, and, most crucially, her olive-oil-laced white bread, which crisps up perfectly on the griddle.
➜ flourbakery.comPHOTOGRAPHS BY CHELSEA KYLE

PHOTOGRAPHS BY CHELSEA KYLE

Tuna Salad: Wichit, Back Bay

Inspired by the spicy tuna roll, this hidden-in-plain-sight Newbury Street shop (which relocated from Lawrence in 2012) cleverly adopts sushi-counter staples—tuna salad kicked up with sriracha and sesame oil; strips of toasty nori; cool slices of avocado and cucumber; and a fiery wasabi aioli—and arranges them between two slices of whole wheat.
➜ wichitsandwich.comPHOTOGRAPHS BY CHELSEA KYLE

PHOTOGRAPHS BY CHELSEA KYLE

Ham & Cheese: 3 Little Figs, Somerville

Known for her from-scratch cookies and muffins, owner Katie Rooney likes to add a sweet touch to her sandwiches, too. In this case, it’s a layer of pickled pears—an effective foil for savory ham, melted Vermont cheddar, rich Dijon butter, and a handful of crisp watercress, all of which gets appropriately toasty and gooey after five minutes in the oven.
➜ 3littlefigs.comPHOTOGRAPHS BY CHELSEA KYLE

PHOTOGRAPHS BY CHELSEA KYLE

Reuben: Formaggio Kitchen, Cambridge

Best known for obscure cheeses and highbrow imports, this gourmet grocer also makes a spectacular Reuben—on Saturdays only, from November through March. Here, the Swiss is matched with house-made corned beef and imported filderkraut, and grilled on Iggy’s rye. Gilding the lily: a house Russian dressing with a peppery kick from sriracha and McClure’s spicy pickles.
➜ formaggiokitchen.comPHOTOGRAPHS BY CHELSEA KYLE

PHOTOGRAPHS BY CHELSEA KYLE

Chicken Salad: Hi-Rise Bread Company, Cambridge

The “Mahatma Gloves” has been on the menu since 1997, and owner Rene Becker wouldn’t dare retire it. “People would revolt,” he says. His curry-spiced chicken salad starts with poultry that’s roasted in the bakery’s bread ovens and bound with house-made mayo. Mango chutney brings complexity and sweetness, baby spinach adds freshness, and sturdy slices of sprouted-wheat sourdough offer chew.
➜ hi-risebread.comPHOTOGRAPHS BY CHELSEA KYLE

PHOTOGRAPHS BY CHELSEA KYLE

Even the most humble of lunchtime staples, the peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich, has been rebooted as a too-serious-for-its-own-good, artisanal-nut- butter concoction in restaurants citywide. But we wondered: Could these Gen-Y PB & Js pass the ultimate litmus test of authenticity—the discerning palate of a five-year-old? We asked J.P. resident Finuala Nevins (daughter of Boston design director Eric Mongeon)—who, at home, prefers Teddie smooth peanut butter, Bonne Maman raspberry preserves, and lightly toasted whole wheat bread—to take a few for a spin.

☆ The Winner
Tatte Bakery & Café: CB & J (house cashew butter, strawberry jam on brioche)
“The jam and [cashew] butter is really good, and I like how the bread is really thick. I really like it.”

☆ Runner-Up
Saus: CBJ (crunchy Biscoff spread, bananas, and “berry berry” sauce on wheat bread)
“I like that it’s kind of sweet. I like the bananas, too.”

3 Little Figs: Lil Figgy (almond butter, banana, honey, and cinnamon on seven-grain bread)
“I only love the banana part. That’s what I love.”

Fornax Bread Company: Fruity Breakfast Sandwich (banana, almonds, apple slices, and Nutella on boule)
“It tastes weird, because, like, the chocolate and the [fruit] together tastes weird and I really don’t like it.… I like the bread.”

Rifrullo: House nut butter, Granny Smith apples, and a sprinkle of salt on cinnamon-nut bread
“It just tastes weird…. The nut bread was yucky.” (Editor’s note: Finuala’s parents do, however, heartily endorse the melted Taleggio sandwich with wilted greens and onions—a sandwich suited perfectly for grownups.)

illustration by sam kerr

Click to enlarge.

Photograph by PJ Couture

Long before nose to tail was de rigueur, Mike’s City Diner chef-owner Jay Hajj was getting resourceful with the birds he roasted for his signature turkey dinner. The “Mike’s Famous Pilgrim” sandwich became a catch-all for the poultry leftovers, with pan drippings and turkey stock bolstering both garlicky French-bread stuffing and thick brown gravy. Diners can choose from lean white turkey breast or rich pulled thigh meat, which is then layered with the stuffing, gravy, and a house cranberry spread on a braided sesame roll.
➜ mikescitydiner.com