Millions of Americans grew up eating sandwiches. From bologna and Kraft singles to peanut butter and honey to garden-fresh tomatoes with pepper and mayo, these simple and satisfying meals of our youth have instilled in many of us an unwavering enthusiasm for piles of food between bread. (For the die-hard sandwich-lover, here are 24 iconic sandwiches you can make at home.)
Sandwiches can be hot or cold, or a pleasing combination of the two. Likewise, they can be sweet, savory, or both. They are endlessly customizable, which just adds to their universal appeal.
While you can get a variety of sandwiches just about anywhere in the U.S., some cities have far more sandwich options than others. To determine the 35 best American cities for sandwich-lovers, 24/7 Tempo reviewed a report on the subject published by LawnLove, a lawn care company that conducts research into city and state amenities on a regular basis. The site ranked the 200 largest U.S. cities across 12 differently weighted metrics in three categories: access (the number of establishments serving sandwiches per square mile), quality (a combination of consumer ratings and rankings on food and travel sites), and interest (average monthly Google searches for “sandwich shop near me” or “best sandwich near me” between October 2021 and October 2022).
The 35 best cities for sandwich-lovers are spread evenly throughout the country, with the top five cities being San Francisco, St. Louis, Washington, D.C., New Orleans, and New York. The state with the most sandwich-friendly cities is Florida, which has five of the 35, while there are two each in Tennessee, Kentucky, California, and Washington.
Click here to see America’s best cities for sandwich-lovers
Second-place New Orleans is home to not one but two iconic sandwiches – the po’boy and the muffaletta. New York, which ranked first both in quality and interest, is home to numerous sandwich essentials, including hot pastrami on rye, lox and cream cheese on a bagel, and the chopped cheese – a popular bodega specialty that consists of ground beef and onions mixed with melted cheese and served on a hero with lettuce, tomato, mayo, and ketchup. (Here is the most iconic sandwich in every state.)
35. Chicago, Illinois
> Access rank: 20/200
> Quality rank: 64/200
> Interest rank: 12/200
> Overall score: 13.61
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34. Denver, Colorado
> Access rank: 34/200
> Quality rank: 51/200
> Interest rank: 6/200
> Overall score: 13.96
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33. Louisville, Kentucky
> Access rank: 17/200
> Quality rank: 38/200
> Interest rank: 51/200
> Overall score: 14.64
Source: jmsilva / iStock via Getty Images
32. Hialeah, Florida
> Access rank: 100/200
> Quality rank: 24/200
> Interest rank: 199/200
> Overall score: 14.96
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31. Atlanta, Georgia
> Access rank: 22/200
> Quality rank: 53/200
> Interest rank: 7/200
> Overall score: 15.02
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30. Nashville, Tennessee
> Access rank: 111/200
> Quality rank: 26/200
> Interest rank: 16/200
> Overall score: 15.71
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29. Kansas City, Kansas
> Access rank: 171/200
> Quality rank: 21/200
> Interest rank: 182/200
> Overall score: 16.18
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28. Seattle, Washington
> Access rank: 13/200
> Quality rank: 40/200
> Interest rank: 24/200
> Overall score: 16.19
Source: OlegAlbinsky / iStock Unreleased via Getty Images
27. Alexandria, Virginia
> Access rank: 3/200
> Quality rank: 143/200
> Interest rank: 104/200
> Overall score: 16.23
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26. Lincoln, Nebraska
> Access rank: 151/200
> Quality rank: 20/200
> Interest rank: 104/200
> Overall score: 16.64
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25. Murfreesboro, Tennessee
> Access rank: 120/200
> Quality rank: 16/200
> Interest rank: 95/200
> Overall score: 17.68
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24. Milwaukee, Wisconsin
> Access rank: 49/200
> Quality rank: 23/200
> Interest rank: 74/200
> Overall score: 17.86
23. Anchorage, Alaska
> Access rank: 192/200
> Quality rank: 13/200
> Interest rank: 130/200
> Overall score: 17.89
22. Tacoma, Washington
> Access rank: 63/200
> Quality rank: 18/200
> Interest rank: 101/200
> Overall score: 18.04
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21. Lexington, Kentucky
> Access rank: 153/200
> Quality rank: 14/200
> Interest rank: 111/200
> Overall score: 18.08
Source: Sean Pavone / iStock via Getty Images
20. Fort Lauderdale, Florida
> Access rank: 6/200
> Quality rank: 47/200
> Interest rank: 80/200
> Overall score: 18.17
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19. Tampa, Florida
> Access rank: 21/200
> Quality rank: 28/200
> Interest rank: 14/200
> Overall score: 18.26
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18. Tulsa, Oklahoma
> Access rank: 126/200
> Quality rank: 9/200
> Interest rank: 91/200
> Overall score: 19.28
17. Albuquerque, New Mexico
> Access rank: 81/200
> Quality rank: 17/200
> Interest rank: 17/200
> Overall score: 19.31
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16. Indianapolis, Indiana
> Access rank: 132/200
> Quality rank: 10/200
> Interest rank: 45/200
> Overall score: 19.32
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15. Providence, Rhode Island
> Access rank: 11/200
> Quality rank: 19/200
> Interest rank: 83/200
> Overall score: 22.12
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14. Portland, Oregon
> Access rank: 32/200
> Quality rank: 8/200
> Interest rank: 24/200
> Overall score: 22.39
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13. Los Angeles, California
> Access rank: 80/200
> Quality rank: 11/200
> Interest rank: 5/200
> Overall score: 22.97
Source: Kruck20 / iStock via Getty Images
12. Baltimore, Maryland
> Access rank: 31/200
> Quality rank: 6/200
> Interest rank: 57/200
> Overall score: 23.18
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11. Charleston, South Carolina
> Access rank: 42/200
> Quality rank: 4/200
> Interest rank: 49/200
> Overall score: 23.28
10. Miami, Florida
> Access rank: 5/200
> Quality rank: 25/200
> Interest rank: 44/200
> Overall score: 23.55
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9. Las Vegas, Nevada
> Access rank: 15/200
> Quality rank: 15/200
> Interest rank: 15/200
> Overall score: 24.09
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8. Orlando, Florida
> Access rank: 10/200
> Quality rank: 12/200
> Interest rank: 31/200
> Overall score: 24.81
Source: pierre9x6 / Flickr
7. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
> Access rank: 26/200
> Quality rank: 3/200
> Interest rank: 26/200
> Overall score: 26.32
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6. Boston, Massachusetts
> Access rank: 4/200
> Quality rank: 22/200
> Interest rank: 21/200
> Overall score: 27.14
5. San Francisco, California
> Access rank: 1/200
> Quality rank: 32/200
> Interest rank: 22/200
> Overall score: 27.69
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4. St. Louis, Missouri
> Access rank: 7/200
> Quality rank: 5/200
> Interest rank: 42/200
> Overall score: 28.51
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3. Washington, D.C.
> Access rank: 2/200
> Quality rank: 7/200
> Interest rank: 20/200
> Overall score: 31.96
2. New Orleans, Louisiana
> Access rank: 18/200
> Quality rank: 2/200
> Interest rank: 29/200
> Overall score: 34.02
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1. New York, New York
> Access rank: 9/200
> Quality rank: 1/200
> Interest rank: 1/200
> Overall score: 48.32
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