We’ll spare you the story about the card-playing Earl of Sandwich and go straight to a list of great Utah sandwiches from Salt Lake magazine’s food writer Lydia Martinez. Sandwiches are all about proportion. Filling shouldn’t overwhelm the bread, and bread shouldn’t bury the filling. Tomatoes should be ripe; lettuce fresh; chicken cut into manageable chunks; cold cuts distinctive. Sandwiches, above all, are meant to be eaten by hand.
No. 1 Caputo’s Muffuletta
“I once spent an entire day in search of the best Muffuletta sandwich in NOLA. Caputo’s stands right up next to them as an equal. I love anything briny and olive-y on bread. Add the imported Genoa salami, ham, mortadella with a tart olive salad and you have the perfect balance of fatty, rich, spicy and tart on a ciabatta bun. Get the whole sandwich. The olive brine and oils soak into the bread and it much better later in the day.”
314 W. 300 South, SLC, caputos.com
No. 2 Beltex Meats’ Cubano
“My favorite sandwich in town (hands down) is the Beltex Cubano. They only serve it on Saturdays and only until they sell out. I made a journey there every single Saturday for like six months straight —from the lomo, the ham, the mustard, the bread, the pickles and an onion jam this Cubano is next level. They do serve other sandwiches on other days of the week, and they are all good. But the Cubano wins.”
511 E. 900 South, SLC, beltexmeats.com
No. 3 Feldman’s Sloppy Joe
“Corned beef AND pastrami together in one magical sandwich. The ‘sloppy’ part comes from Feldman’s house-made Thousand Island dressing and the coleslaw piled on top. There will be drips. Honestly, what makes this sandwich next level is the authentic Jewish Rye studded with caraway seeds. Get it with the potato salad, which is a great foil for this rich sandwich.” 2005 E. 2700 South, SLC, feldmansdeli.com
No. 4 Chungas’ Milanesa torta
“The Milanesa torta is amazing. It is a pounded, breaded chicken cutlet that is fried golden brown and served on bread with mayo, refried black beans, chili, cheese, avocado and onion, and served with lime and salsa. They are HUGE. I would get one for lunch and eat the other half for dinner—they somehow get better when they sit for a while. Their gorditas are also great. Basically a sandwich between two puffy corn tortillas.” 180 S. 900 West and 1895 S. Redwood Rd., SLC, chungasslc.com
No. 5 Oh Mai Sandwich Kitchen’s The Sinner Banh Mi
“It is spicy and fatty and acidic and fresh—on the best, crispiest but still soft in the middle bread. I always get the Sinner Banh Mi (braised pork belly, black pepper, lettuce, cucumber, cilantro, pickled carrots and soy sprouts, jalapeños and chili-lime fish vinaigrette) that is not punch in-the-face spicy. The honey-glazed pork is delicious. Tone it down and hold the jalapenos.” 850 S. State St., SLC,
ohmaisandwichkitchen.com
No. 6 Grove Market’s ‘The Deluxe’
“Not only is Grove Market a classic in the sense of being a community staple since the 1940s, its Deluxe sandwich is exactly what a deli sandwich should be. Ham. Turkey. Avocado. Your choice of cheese (American, because, classic). Dressed with mayo and mustard, sometimes I’ll add some bacon. And I always eat the accompanying pepperoncini first. Best eaten with basic potato chips and a coke (and some of The Grove’s macaroni salad.)” 1906 S. Main St., SLC, grovemarketdeli.com
The Golden Proportion
The ‘Deluxe’ from Grove Market & Deli exemplifies the formula for combining the Golden Proportion of bread to filling that adds up to a monster sandwich that gives 120%.
