The 25 Best Sandwiches in Cleveland

Polish Boy From Banter

Cleveland and Shaker Heights

The polish boy is a Cleveland staple, so no list would be complete without at least a couple of polish boys. In early 2020, the Food Network let loose their list of the "Best Sandwiches in America." Banter, which has locations in Detroit-Shoreway and Shaker Heights' Van Aken District, was included on the list, with its Polish Boy one of 99 sandwiches across the nation that were featured.

Photo via Burklehagen Photography

Italian Beef at Ferrara's Imported Foods

5750 Mayfield Rd., Mayfield Heights

Despite a sizeable Italian-American contingent in Cleveland, there is a disappointing lack of legitimate Italian beef sandwiches. Fortunately, there's Ferrara's Imported Foods, an eastside staple for 60 years. If you've ever enjoyed a real-deal Italian beef sandwich while visiting Chicago, you know exactly what to expect from the version prepared at this grocery and cafe.

Photo via Ferrara’s Imported Food/Facebook

Potato Pancake Reuben at Der Braumeister

13046 Lorain Ave., Cleveland

Winter is here, and in preparation for our annual hibernation, it's time to put on some weight. Might we recommend the gut-busting potato pancake Reuben at this 35-year-old treasure? Just like it sounds, this bell-ringer consists of the usual corned beef topped with sauerkraut, melted Swiss and Thousand Island dressing, but the two-fister swaps the bread for a pair of potato pancakes. Goodnight.

Photo via Scene Archives

Banh Mi From Superior Pho

3030 Superior Ave., Cleveland

The unlikely marriage of French and Vietnamese cuisines birthed the bahn mi, the United Nations of sandwiches. A split baguette is slathered with chicken liver pate and sweet mayonnaise. It’s layered with thinly sliced roast pork, shredded daikon and carrot, wheels of jalapeño and a smattering of fresh cilantro.

Photo via @Superior_Pho/Instagram

OMG Philly from Black Box Fix

25359 Cedar Rd., Lyndhurst

Black Box Fix isn't messing around when it comes to the OMG Philly, a knife-and-fork hoagie loaded with Philly-style chicken, grilled shrimp, mushrooms, onions and peppers. What brings it all together is the dreamy "yum-yum" sauce, a mayo-based spread. The success of the sandwich has even birthed a spin-off, the OMG 2.0, which adds buttered lobster to the already winning combination.

Photo via Scene Archives

Smoked Turkey Club at Herb'n Twine

4309 Lorain Ave., Cleveland

People lose their minds over the smoked turkey club at Herb'n Twine, a 5-year-old gourmet sandwich emporium in Ohio City. This artful construction is composed of house-baked French bread, house-smoked turkey breast, maple-glazed bacon, smoked Gouda, pickled onions, fresh spinach and sun-dried tomato mayo.

Photo by Tim Harrison

Meatball Sub From Dave’s Cosmic Subs

Multiple Locations

Most gravitate to one of the deli meat subs at Dave’s, and for good reason; they’re loaded with goodies and a generous helping of delicious Dave’s sauce. But the real diehards know the meatball sub is the way to go. It’s a pretty traditional meatball sub - marinara, meatballs, melted cheese and the sub roll. Trust us though when we say that its really a cut above any other meatball sub you can try.

Photo via Dave’s Cosmic Subs/Facebook

Corned Beef From Slyman’s

3106 St. Clair Ave., Cleveland

16 tons and what do you get? The best corned beef sandmuwich without going into debt. They still slice every sandwich to order, and every sandwich still towers above much of the competition. Amaze your friends by ordering in Slymaneze: a “natural” means plain; “original” comes with mustard; and “Smurf” buys you one with Swiss and mustard (which ain’t kosher, by the way).

Photo via Scene Archives

Torta at La Plaza Taqueria

13609 Lakewood Heights Blvd., Lakewood

We know, the tacos here are heaven on Earth, but, once or twice, cycle a torta into your rotation. You still get to choose your meat (al pastor, chorizo, carne asada ...), but instead of being plopped into tortillas, it's stuffed into a soft, round bun with cheese, refried beans, tomatoes, lettuce, avocado and sour cream. There's nothing preventing you from hitting that salsa bar on the way to your seat.

Photo via Scene Archives

Cubano at Caribe Bake Shop

2906 Fulton Rd., Cleveland

We've been blessed with the opening of nearly half a dozen new Puerto Rican bakeries in town, each proffering excellent versions of this hearty pressed sandwich. But we always find ourselves heading back to Caribe, where the Cubanos come in three sizes. Here, the ideal bun is layered with roast pork, ham, melted cheese, dill pickles and yellow mustard before getting the hot-iron treatment.

Photo via Wikimedia Commons