Recipe Roundup

Classic Sandwich Recipes Worth Making From Scratch

The best sandwiches are regional for a reason — a Philly cheesesteak, a Reuben, and a Cuban all developed around a specific city's meat counter and bread, and each one tastes noticeably better made properly than assembled from whatever is in the fridge. This collection gathers our most iconic sandwich recipes, grouped by the city each one comes from, with a couple of diner classics rounding out the list, so you can build the real version instead of a rough approximation. From Philadelphia, a philly cheesesteak sandwich piles thin-sliced steak and melted cheese into a hoagie roll. New York delis popularized the reuben sandwich on rye, layered with corned beef, sauerkraut, and Swiss and griddled until the outside crisps. New Orleans contributes a muffuletta sandwich, stacked with Italian cold cuts and olive salad on a round loaf, while the Florida Cuban-American tradition's cuban sandwich (ham and roasted pork) presses roast pork, ham, and pickles between Cuban bread until the cheese melts. Los Angeles' french dip sandwich with au jus keeps things simple with sliced roast beef and a bowl for dunking. A New England lobster roll with butter and the diner-classic bacon lettuce tomato (BLT) sandwich and club sandwich with turkey and bacon round out the list for anyone who wants something lighter or more familiar. Every recipe links to full, tested instructions with an ingredient list and a step-by-step method, so you can build the sandwich properly instead of guessing at the ratios.