Char-grilled broccolini

Heritage

Long Beach, Calif.

Ingredients: Grilled broccolini, Swiss cheese and sauerkraut on rye bread.

Price: $14

Creator: Phillip Pretty

Description: This meatless version of a classic Reuben is a staff favorite at Heritage, a zero-waste, no-modifications restaurant. The broccolini is char-grilled and tossed in pastrami spices before being layered on toasted rye bread with house-made sauerkraut and Swiss cheese.

Candied bacon tomato grilled cheese

Daddy Mac’s Down Home

Asheville, N.C.

Ingredients: Candied bacon, basil, tomatoes and cheddar and pepper Jack cheeses griddled between sourdough

Price: $10.99

Creator: Scott Linquist and David McFarland

Description: Cheese melted on the outside as well as inside is a strong selling point of this sandwich, which combines elements of a caprese salad and a BLT as well as grilled cheese.

Chicken club croissant

District South Kitchen & Craft

Tampa, Fla.

Ingredients: Grilled chicken, guava jam, goat cheese, bacon, arugula and tomato on a toasted croissant

Price: $16

Creator: Cody Tiner

Description: It’s challenging to get a chicken sandwich to stand out, but this one does with the inclusion of guava jam and goat cheese. Combine that with bacon and put it on a flaky croissant and you have a harmonious yet dynamic combination of flavors and textures.

Barbacoa melt

Toasted

Orlando, Fla.

Ingredients: Jack & Cotija cheese, barbacoa braised beef, house-made chimichurri and pickled red onion on toast

Price: $7.79

Creator: Megan Yarmuth

Description: Restraint is the key to this reasonably priced and reasonably sized sandwich that gets a flavor boost from the chimichurri being included rather than served on the side.

Indiana pork tenderloin

RegionAle

Baltimore, Md.

Price: $11

Ingredients: Crispy pork, pickled red onion, arugula, tomato and garlic aïoli on a potato bun

Creator: Kevin Curley

Description: Pork tenderloin pounded flat, breaded with panko and fried is topped with pickled red onion, tomato and garlic aïoli and served on a locally baked potato bun for a refreshing take on a classic pork sando.

Chicken and waffles

Waffle Champion

Oklahoma City, Okla.

Ingredients: Crispy buttermilk tenders, tabasco honey and crispy leeks.

Price: $13.95

Creator: Ian Manera

Description: The crispy leeks are the standout characteristic of this sandwich, which has been a staple at Waffle Champion for close to a decade now. In fact, the owners say this sandwich, for which every ingredient is made in-house daily, is one reason why the shop has continued to have lines wrapped around the building. It has also been the flagship of the restaurant’s online and delivery program, which began with the onset of the pandemic.

Hash grilled cheese

Brekkie Shack

Columbus, Ohio

Price: $12

Ingredients: Sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts , asparagus and radish with white cheddar cheese and spicy aïoli on multigrain toast

Creators: Twin sisters Lisa and Lindsey Rusch

Description: Starting with a hash of sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts, asparagus and radish all cooked in olive oil, this sandwich then has a spicy aïoli and sharp white cheddar cheese, melted and then griddled for gooeyness, crunch and what its fans call a “flavor symphony.”

El Guapo

Havana 1957 Cuban Cuisine

Miami Beach, Fla

Price: $19.57

Ingredients: Roasted picanha beef, cream cheese chimichurri sauce, guacamole and roasted tomatoes pressed in Cuban bread topped with butter

Creator: Yunior Perez

Description: The picanha is the juicy cap of meat on a beef sirloin that is a popular cut in churrasco cooking. Here it’s used as the heart of this handsome and hearty sandwich, where it’s paired with its natural condiment, chimichurri, but enhanced with cream cheese as well as guacamole. Roasted tomatoes round out this South Florida Cubano-style sandwich that reflects flavors from different parts of Latin America.

Porchetta panuzzo

Piccolina DC

Washington, DC

Price: $16

Ingredients: Roasted and shaved suckling pig, mustard greens, grilled onion, salsa verde and provolone cheese on wood-fired bread

Creator: Amy Brandwein

Amy Brandwein’s approach to cooking has long been to tweak classics, which she does here with a traditional porchetta preparation dressed with spicy mustard greens, savory grilled onion, tangy salsa verde and melted provolone on house-made bread that has made this sandwich a staple since Piccolina DC opened in summer of 2019.

Torta Ahogada

MX Taco

Orlando, Fla.

Price: $14

Ingredients: Pork carnitas, avocado, pickled red onion and refried beans on a telera roll “drowned” in spicy tomato sauce

Creator: Ryan Manning

This staple in Guadalajara, Mexico, is rarely seen in the U.S., but the combination of avocado with pickled onion, contrasting with the robust flavor of the carnitas, makes for an unforgettable experience, all enhanced by the spicy sauce and added creaminess from the refried beans.

Antipasto sandwich

Big Parm

Tustin, Calif.

Price: $11

Ingredients: Capicola, prosciutto, salami, olives, fresh mozzarella, marinated wild mushrooms, basil, oregano, thyme and Parmesan cheese on an 8-inch sub roll

Creator: Andrew Gruel

Description: This antipasto platter between bread transforms a traditional shared-plate tradition from Italy and makes it a convenient grab-and-go item while also pushing all the right flavor buttons.