Forget everything you know about sandwiches.
A surprising new ranking turns sub science on its head — with the top picks in each of the fifty states often far from expected.
The annual hoagie hoedown, published by user review website Yelp, once again delivers an unusual crop of customer favorites, often thumbing its nose at a state’s well-known faves.
From Philly-style cheesesteaks in the Sunshine State to Pastrami sandwiches in Arizona, the list paints a picture of an America ever on the move, where iconic regional styles are allowed to flourish elsewhere — sometimes multiple time zones away.
Then again, some states appeared to prefer to stick with what has always worke — New York Yelpers, for example, had no trouble falling back on a local favorite that’s kept generations of Gothamites sated.
To compile the list, Yelp editors said they considered user ranking and the number of people voting, among other metrics, to reveal the niftiest fifty.
In the Empire State, the award was handed to Tony’s Beechhurst Deli, a family-run standout in the spoiled for choice Italian section of Whitestone, Queens where the fresh-made mozzarella wins raves. (“Deserves all the accolades it gets,” said user Najwa G.)
But New York didn’t have a lock on the Italian category — way out in Montana, Tagliare’s Delicatessen in Missoula wins the hearts of the locals with prosciutto and fig jam sandwiches on freshly-baked bread, while in Illinois, Chicago’s Firenze Italian Street Food won the day for its spicy sopressata on freshly made schiacciata bread.
Meanwhile in New England, not a single lobster roll managed to beat the competition — in Connecticut for example, Yelpers leaned on the roast meats filling the sandwiches at the Dilly Duck Shop in Norwalk.
And Mainers flipped for the eclectic lineup at Cera in Portland, where Japanese karaage chicken and wood-grilled cobia salad make for unique fillers.
Other surprises included Franky’s Deli Warehouse in Hialeah, Fla., where you can select from a Philly cheesesteak or a Cubano, to mention just two popular options — and Mike’s Alaskan Eatery in Homer, AK, where eaters rave about the grilled chicken and roast turkey sandwiches (“Absolutely one of the best sandwiches I have ever eaten,” said reviewer Thomas N.)
And finally, in Hawaii, the vietnamese sandwiches were a big hit at No Name BBQ in Honolulu — in fact, banh mi made a big splash on the nationwide list, taking top honors everywhere from New Mexico to Nebraska — even in New Jersey.
“The best banh mi sandwiches I’ve ever had,” said happy eater Shaun H., of the Hawaii pick.