The Best Sandwich shops
A lunchtime staple for its convenience and easy affordability, basically fillings enclosed by bread that are eaten out of hand, sandwiches come in many forms, hot and cold – well, room temperature – from simple to elaborate, and boring or worse to delicious. It all starts with the bread. It’s tough to have a good sandwich without good quality fresh bread, and that is found much more readily here these days.
The most distinctively Houston sandwich, once ubiquitous, is a cold po boy with a unique airy roll devised several decades ago from a family originally from the Levant that lives on in recommendable form at a couple humble sandwich shops. Concerning popular local sandwiches, there are the Vietnamese banh mi and ones with barbecued beef brisket, both of which are done at least as well here as anywhere. Those brisket sandwiches – though often delicious – are excepted from this list. Every one of the many really good barbecue joints serve a really good beef brisket sandwich, with sliced or chopped brisket, and usually just those two sandwiches. See the best of barbecue section. And banh mi are distinctive and popular enough to warrant a separate section.
There are also excellent versions New Orleans-originated po boys with fried shrimp and the like and muffalettas to be found here. The Mexican tortas, too, though too many versions suffer from inexpensive, preservative-laden bread, but there is at least one place in Houston worth a drive for them. And there are many other types of tasty sandwiches here.
Below are the best places for sandwiches in Houston, listed in order of preference.
Updated on February 10, 2024.
Very Good
Roostar (Hot and Cold) – Now with a trio of locations in various parts of town, this Banh Mi 2.0 operation is both slicker and better, overall, than its predecessors. What began as Vietnam Poblano in Spring Branch, an area with a far higher Hispanic and Korean populations than Vietnamese, this has adapted to a growing clientele with a menu and preparations that are broadly popular. Jalapeños, shredded pickled carrots, cucumbers, cilantro with stems, soy sauce and garlic aioli help provide the sandwich platform along with rolls from excellent Slow Dough Bakery that are maybe more traditionally French than is found at other banh mi spots. Not just the bread, but the proteins are also generally better quality than other banh mi purveyors. These are certainly worth a trip, which is now a little easier for many. Spring Branch, Galleria area, East End
Winnie’s (Hot and Cold) – Contemporary takes on New Orleans-bred po boys from experienced, skilled chef with Louisiana roots, these slightly upscale and whimsical renditions will likely please any hearty or discriminating appetite, especially as the sandwich options have increased. A fun, friendly spot that belies any thought this is a sandwich shop – as tasty as the sandwiches are – there is are also oysters on the half shell, from the East Coast, too, many other well-crated preparations often with a whimsical twist, and the capable bar mixes and shakes excellent cocktails, the house and frozen are just $7 from 3:00 to 6:00 during the week. Midtown
Pappa Geno’s (Hot) – Philly cheesesteaks with a Houston accent – thankfully, as the Philly one is quite awful, having lived across the river as a kid – these are the best cheesesteaks in town. Always moist flavorful beef stars in these oft-messy concoctions, with fresh rolls, and in local fashion can be nicely complemented with the Valentina hot sauce in plastic bottles on the table. Montrose, Spring Branch, Timbergrove, Katy (2), Deer Park
Kenny & Ziggy’s (Hot and Cold) – A spiffy, large spot near the Galleria serving slick renditions of Jewish-American deli food and a sporting a multi-generational deli legacy, this is easily the best place in Houston to enjoy the deli classics, which are all here, including those gut-busting sandwiches. Obscenely large, typically as unhealthy as a sandwich can get by any measure, and often unable to be eaten with your hands, some of these are ridiculously tasty, including the pastrami sandwiches, featuring meat smoked in house. Galleria area.
Angelo’z Po Boys (Cold and Hot) – Serving the once-ubiquitous Houston-style cold po boy better than anywhere else, these feature an airy, crusty roll filled with a just-enough amount of lunch meats or other fillings, usually a thinly sliced cheese, and complemented with its distinctive piquant chow chow that just works really well when done well. They also assemble a top-notch warm muffaletta, with bread from Royal Bakery, which also supplies the rolls for its po boys. NRG area
Ragin’ Cajun (Hot) – The shrimp po boys – deep-fried, of course – and muffalettas are both the best renditions in the city and each worth a trip here. The other dozen-plus po boys can be very tasty, too. Greenway Plaza, Spring Branch
Thien An (Hot and Cold) – A Midtown stalwart, this casual unassuming place opened from mid-morning to early evening is seemingly always bustling during the weekday lunch hours with downtown office workers and a heavy Vietnamese contingent, more so after Sunday Mass. Closed on Saturdays. Its banh mi thit nuong is one of the very best around, as the restaurant is more generous than most with the pork, which is nicely cooked, tender and richly flavorful. Midtown
Don Café (Hot and Cold) – This modest stand-alone structure along Bellaire Boulevard has served up some of the very best banh mi in Houston for about a couple of decades now, and it remains one of the top values with the sandwiches; still costing just $3.50 or so. Don Café serves all of the requisite Vietnamese sandwiches plus the somewhat unique versions with char-grilled beef (banh mi thit bo nuong). In addition to the sandwiches, there are about two dozen items on the menu and a few brightly colored packaged items near the counter. Though take-away is very popular, you can actually linger here – not that it is that comfortable nor charming – as many of the polyglot patrons do. Chinatown
Paulie’s (Hot) – Featuring hot Italian-inspired sandwiches, both panini-pressed and otherwise, the Italian accents are clear here. These are artfully assembled with obviously quality ingredients such as ripe roma tomatoes, nicely fresh spinach, roasted red peppers and tasty, fresh bread. Montrose
Brown Bag Deli (Cold) – This small local chain of small bare-bones sandwich shops, siblings to the Barnaby’s, has been more-than-aptly serving up often delightful built-it-yourself cold sandwiches in a low-key fashion since 2003. Montrose, Heights, Downtown (2), Rice Village, Spring Branch
Nguyen Ngo (Hot and Cold) – Along with Khang, possibly the least atmospheric of any sandwich shop, banh mi or otherwise, in all of Houston, nonetheless, this humble spot in a humble shopping center serves up tasty and terrific-value banh mi inside of crusty, noticeably high quality rolls. This might be the only local banh mi place that has one with saucisson, a French-style salami, or Vietnamese-style French salami, it is justifiably well-regarded for its chicken and xiu mai versions. They also sell large jars of its tasty house-made mayonnaise to go. Cash only. Chinatown
Maine-ly Sandwiches (Hot and Cold) – Maine-style lobster rolls are the main attraction here, but there is also a really tasty chicken salad sandwich, done differently. Served on a buttered and toasted split-top roll, a soft, industrially produced hot dog roll, with everything, it’s the chicken salad, slivers of apples, bits of walnuts, chopped onions, iceberg lettuce, slices of tomato, pieces of bell pepper, pickles, black olives, pickled and jalapeños along with salt and pepper. It is a rather odd and unsightly concoction, but it was quite tasty, mayonnaise-heavy, with a lot more going on than the typical chicken salad sandwich. Spring Branch.
Nickel Sandwich Grill (Hot) – There is barbecue, plenty of deep-fried dishes, seafood, a juicy grilled hamburger, and Cajun items, some of this is served in sandwich form, at two decade-old neighborhood standby on Lyons just north of I-10 in the Fifth Ward. It’s almost all very tasty, and a terrific value. Portions are large and prices are low, and the kitchen here is much better than most similar type of neighborhood places. The sandwiches are served on thick slices of buttered toast that works quite well, and the po boys on a small, crusty baguette-like roll. The Smoked Cajun Turkey and Chopped Beef are a couple of the sandwich stars here. Fifth Ward
To Keep in Mind
The Boot (Hot) – Using the New Orleans favorite Leidenheimer French bread for the po boys makes a
difference, even from par-baked form. Po boys with fried shrimp, catfish, oysters, and crawfish tails might be the most tempting, but you can also get the first two in healthier if still tasty form, grilled or blackened. All these and the others properly fully dressed with mayonnaise, iceberg lettuce, tomato and pickle slices. Heights
Nielsen’s Delicatessen (Cold) – Old school and eschewing those spices and peppers that are popular in much of the world, and here, it’s just bread and sliced meat or another protein, and their tasty house-made mayonnaise. It still works. You can add cheese, lettuce and tomatoes though for a charge for each. Afton Oaks
Ploughman’s Deli & Café (Hot and Cold) – Very friendly little place set in a quiet decades-old strip center with a half-dozen hearty specialty sandwiches on the menu including quite respectable takes on the reuben and meatball sandwiches. You can also create your own in a couple of different sizes from a half-dozen types of bread, nearly as many proteins plus more than enough cheeses – grilled cheese is an option, too – spreads, dressings and vegetables to satisfy nearly any taste. A handful of sides or chips complement, as can the soup of the day, and the sandwich’s great partner, beer on tap in four flavors. Garden Oaks
Common Bond (Cold) – With bread making for much of the quality of the sandwich, it’s not surprising that Houston’s best retail bakery also offers some credible sandwiches. Chicken salad and the Texas Club with turkey, thick bacon, and a bit of avocado and piquant aioli, both served on the ethereal croissants, are two worth a visit to one of its locations. Montrose, Heights (2), Garden Oaks, Medical Center, Spring Branch, Spring
Paulie’s Po Boys (Cold and Hot) – Not to be confused with Paulie’s on Westheimer, this one is still owned and operated by descendants of Antone’s and does a great job with that sandwich legacy in similar fashion to Angelo’z. Serving the once-widespread Houston-style cold po boy featuring those airy, crusty rolls filled with lunch meats or other fillings and a smear of the distinctive piquant chow chow and wrapped white paper, these are often sitting ready to grabbed with the low, open refrigerator. West U
Local Foods (Hot and Cold) – Nearly ten sandwiches each day among the garden-fresh and health-oriented (or -signaling) options. These come with the choice of a couple sides or the soup of the day, all higher quality than at most other inexpensive spots, even the chips are house-made. Some of the items, including the sandwiches, are more attractive than they are delicious, though. Rice Village, Upper Kirby District, Heights, Tanglewood
BB’s Café (Hot) – A big attraction here are the New Orleans-style po boys, several deep-fried seafood plus a roast beef one, with a Texas twist – chipotle-infused mayonnaise – done well, and heartily so. Montrose, Upper Kirby District, Heights, Briargrove, Oak Forest, West Houston, Katy, Cypress, Pearland, Webster
One-Offs – You don’t usually come here for a sandwich, but the ones served are very good
Elro – Known for its pizza and crudo, the restaurant’s subtitle, the quaint Elro at a Montrose-Midtown juncture is also a great stop for a sandwich. There is The Hoagie, that’s listed in the “Starters" along with a meatball sandwich. The Hoagie is a version of the familiar Italian-American sandwich, inspired by ones that proprietor Terrence Gallivan grew up with south of Washington, DC. But it’s made with much better ingredients and culinary sense than you’ll find with any chain sub shop offering. The Hoagie arrives wrapped in restaurant-branded paper, cut in half and served on a small plate. It’s quality mortadella, hot coppa – spicy, dried, cured capocollo – slices of provolone, a bit of mayonnaise and pickled vegetable giardinera, with its liquid seeping into the fresh and terrific house-made roll that’s densely topped with plentiful sesame seeds, which are much more for adornment and adding to the overall taste of the sandwich. It can be messy, the also savory meatball one, even more so. Montrose / Midtown
Goode Co. Seafood – Shrimp Po Boy, both the traditional fried and the more localized mesquite-grilled – Both are terrific featuring fresh, crusty bread that’s been baked in house and top-notch shrimp from the nearby Gulf that always expertly cooked; what you would expect from an excellent, long-established seafood restaurant the extols the gustatory charms of the Houston area. Upper Kirby District, Spring Branch
J Bar M – Expanding from just an excellent chopped beef sandwich, there are now several tempting others joinng it on Texas Toast: smoked French dip, a smoked chicken salad, pulled pork, and a popular sliced turkey. EaDo
Blood Bros. BBQ – Smoked Tri-Tip Pastrami on a light rye bread is just one of the delicious, inventive sandwich options that might be on the always changing menu at this terrific barbecue joint. Bellaire
Moon Rabbit – Banh mi are one type of dishes that this fun Vietnamese spot in the Heights does well. These are different than what you will find along Bellaire Boulevard with a mushroom tofu, fried chicken breast, and a Vietnamese dip sandwich, the most traditional take, the lemongrass pork, is easily satisfying, too. Heights
Mucky Duck – BLT, especially the Texas version with sliced avocados and pickled jalepeños, and the famous Mark Portugal. Upper Kirby District
The Mark Portugal sandwich at McGonigel's Mucky Duck
The most distinctively Houston sandwich, once ubiquitous, is a cold po boy with a unique airy roll devised several decades ago from a family originally from the Levant that lives on in recommendable form at a couple humble sandwich shops. Concerning popular local sandwiches, there are the Vietnamese banh mi and ones with barbecued beef brisket, both of which are done at least as well here as anywhere. Those brisket sandwiches – though often delicious – are excepted from this list. Every one of the many really good barbecue joints serve a really good beef brisket sandwich, with sliced or chopped brisket, and usually just those two sandwiches. See the best of barbecue section. And banh mi are distinctive and popular enough to warrant a separate section.
There are also excellent versions New Orleans-originated po boys with fried shrimp and the like and muffalettas to be found here. The Mexican tortas, too, though too many versions suffer from inexpensive, preservative-laden bread, but there is at least one place in Houston worth a drive for them. And there are many other types of tasty sandwiches here.
Below are the best places for sandwiches in Houston, listed in order of preference.
Updated on February 10, 2024.
Very Good
Roostar (Hot and Cold) – Now with a trio of locations in various parts of town, this Banh Mi 2.0 operation is both slicker and better, overall, than its predecessors. What began as Vietnam Poblano in Spring Branch, an area with a far higher Hispanic and Korean populations than Vietnamese, this has adapted to a growing clientele with a menu and preparations that are broadly popular. Jalapeños, shredded pickled carrots, cucumbers, cilantro with stems, soy sauce and garlic aioli help provide the sandwich platform along with rolls from excellent Slow Dough Bakery that are maybe more traditionally French than is found at other banh mi spots. Not just the bread, but the proteins are also generally better quality than other banh mi purveyors. These are certainly worth a trip, which is now a little easier for many. Spring Branch, Galleria area, East End
Winnie’s (Hot and Cold) – Contemporary takes on New Orleans-bred po boys from experienced, skilled chef with Louisiana roots, these slightly upscale and whimsical renditions will likely please any hearty or discriminating appetite, especially as the sandwich options have increased. A fun, friendly spot that belies any thought this is a sandwich shop – as tasty as the sandwiches are – there is are also oysters on the half shell, from the East Coast, too, many other well-crated preparations often with a whimsical twist, and the capable bar mixes and shakes excellent cocktails, the house and frozen are just $7 from 3:00 to 6:00 during the week. Midtown
Pappa Geno’s (Hot) – Philly cheesesteaks with a Houston accent – thankfully, as the Philly one is quite awful, having lived across the river as a kid – these are the best cheesesteaks in town. Always moist flavorful beef stars in these oft-messy concoctions, with fresh rolls, and in local fashion can be nicely complemented with the Valentina hot sauce in plastic bottles on the table. Montrose, Spring Branch, Timbergrove, Katy (2), Deer Park
Kenny & Ziggy’s (Hot and Cold) – A spiffy, large spot near the Galleria serving slick renditions of Jewish-American deli food and a sporting a multi-generational deli legacy, this is easily the best place in Houston to enjoy the deli classics, which are all here, including those gut-busting sandwiches. Obscenely large, typically as unhealthy as a sandwich can get by any measure, and often unable to be eaten with your hands, some of these are ridiculously tasty, including the pastrami sandwiches, featuring meat smoked in house. Galleria area.
Angelo’z Po Boys (Cold and Hot) – Serving the once-ubiquitous Houston-style cold po boy better than anywhere else, these feature an airy, crusty roll filled with a just-enough amount of lunch meats or other fillings, usually a thinly sliced cheese, and complemented with its distinctive piquant chow chow that just works really well when done well. They also assemble a top-notch warm muffaletta, with bread from Royal Bakery, which also supplies the rolls for its po boys. NRG area
Ragin’ Cajun (Hot) – The shrimp po boys – deep-fried, of course – and muffalettas are both the best renditions in the city and each worth a trip here. The other dozen-plus po boys can be very tasty, too. Greenway Plaza, Spring Branch
Thien An (Hot and Cold) – A Midtown stalwart, this casual unassuming place opened from mid-morning to early evening is seemingly always bustling during the weekday lunch hours with downtown office workers and a heavy Vietnamese contingent, more so after Sunday Mass. Closed on Saturdays. Its banh mi thit nuong is one of the very best around, as the restaurant is more generous than most with the pork, which is nicely cooked, tender and richly flavorful. Midtown
Don Café (Hot and Cold) – This modest stand-alone structure along Bellaire Boulevard has served up some of the very best banh mi in Houston for about a couple of decades now, and it remains one of the top values with the sandwiches; still costing just $3.50 or so. Don Café serves all of the requisite Vietnamese sandwiches plus the somewhat unique versions with char-grilled beef (banh mi thit bo nuong). In addition to the sandwiches, there are about two dozen items on the menu and a few brightly colored packaged items near the counter. Though take-away is very popular, you can actually linger here – not that it is that comfortable nor charming – as many of the polyglot patrons do. Chinatown
Paulie’s (Hot) – Featuring hot Italian-inspired sandwiches, both panini-pressed and otherwise, the Italian accents are clear here. These are artfully assembled with obviously quality ingredients such as ripe roma tomatoes, nicely fresh spinach, roasted red peppers and tasty, fresh bread. Montrose
Brown Bag Deli (Cold) – This small local chain of small bare-bones sandwich shops, siblings to the Barnaby’s, has been more-than-aptly serving up often delightful built-it-yourself cold sandwiches in a low-key fashion since 2003. Montrose, Heights, Downtown (2), Rice Village, Spring Branch
Nguyen Ngo (Hot and Cold) – Along with Khang, possibly the least atmospheric of any sandwich shop, banh mi or otherwise, in all of Houston, nonetheless, this humble spot in a humble shopping center serves up tasty and terrific-value banh mi inside of crusty, noticeably high quality rolls. This might be the only local banh mi place that has one with saucisson, a French-style salami, or Vietnamese-style French salami, it is justifiably well-regarded for its chicken and xiu mai versions. They also sell large jars of its tasty house-made mayonnaise to go. Cash only. Chinatown
Maine-ly Sandwiches (Hot and Cold) – Maine-style lobster rolls are the main attraction here, but there is also a really tasty chicken salad sandwich, done differently. Served on a buttered and toasted split-top roll, a soft, industrially produced hot dog roll, with everything, it’s the chicken salad, slivers of apples, bits of walnuts, chopped onions, iceberg lettuce, slices of tomato, pieces of bell pepper, pickles, black olives, pickled and jalapeños along with salt and pepper. It is a rather odd and unsightly concoction, but it was quite tasty, mayonnaise-heavy, with a lot more going on than the typical chicken salad sandwich. Spring Branch.
Nickel Sandwich Grill (Hot) – There is barbecue, plenty of deep-fried dishes, seafood, a juicy grilled hamburger, and Cajun items, some of this is served in sandwich form, at two decade-old neighborhood standby on Lyons just north of I-10 in the Fifth Ward. It’s almost all very tasty, and a terrific value. Portions are large and prices are low, and the kitchen here is much better than most similar type of neighborhood places. The sandwiches are served on thick slices of buttered toast that works quite well, and the po boys on a small, crusty baguette-like roll. The Smoked Cajun Turkey and Chopped Beef are a couple of the sandwich stars here. Fifth Ward
To Keep in Mind
The Boot (Hot) – Using the New Orleans favorite Leidenheimer French bread for the po boys makes a
difference, even from par-baked form. Po boys with fried shrimp, catfish, oysters, and crawfish tails might be the most tempting, but you can also get the first two in healthier if still tasty form, grilled or blackened. All these and the others properly fully dressed with mayonnaise, iceberg lettuce, tomato and pickle slices. Heights
Nielsen’s Delicatessen (Cold) – Old school and eschewing those spices and peppers that are popular in much of the world, and here, it’s just bread and sliced meat or another protein, and their tasty house-made mayonnaise. It still works. You can add cheese, lettuce and tomatoes though for a charge for each. Afton Oaks
Ploughman’s Deli & Café (Hot and Cold) – Very friendly little place set in a quiet decades-old strip center with a half-dozen hearty specialty sandwiches on the menu including quite respectable takes on the reuben and meatball sandwiches. You can also create your own in a couple of different sizes from a half-dozen types of bread, nearly as many proteins plus more than enough cheeses – grilled cheese is an option, too – spreads, dressings and vegetables to satisfy nearly any taste. A handful of sides or chips complement, as can the soup of the day, and the sandwich’s great partner, beer on tap in four flavors. Garden Oaks
Common Bond (Cold) – With bread making for much of the quality of the sandwich, it’s not surprising that Houston’s best retail bakery also offers some credible sandwiches. Chicken salad and the Texas Club with turkey, thick bacon, and a bit of avocado and piquant aioli, both served on the ethereal croissants, are two worth a visit to one of its locations. Montrose, Heights (2), Garden Oaks, Medical Center, Spring Branch, Spring
Paulie’s Po Boys (Cold and Hot) – Not to be confused with Paulie’s on Westheimer, this one is still owned and operated by descendants of Antone’s and does a great job with that sandwich legacy in similar fashion to Angelo’z. Serving the once-widespread Houston-style cold po boy featuring those airy, crusty rolls filled with lunch meats or other fillings and a smear of the distinctive piquant chow chow and wrapped white paper, these are often sitting ready to grabbed with the low, open refrigerator. West U
Local Foods (Hot and Cold) – Nearly ten sandwiches each day among the garden-fresh and health-oriented (or -signaling) options. These come with the choice of a couple sides or the soup of the day, all higher quality than at most other inexpensive spots, even the chips are house-made. Some of the items, including the sandwiches, are more attractive than they are delicious, though. Rice Village, Upper Kirby District, Heights, Tanglewood
BB’s Café (Hot) – A big attraction here are the New Orleans-style po boys, several deep-fried seafood plus a roast beef one, with a Texas twist – chipotle-infused mayonnaise – done well, and heartily so. Montrose, Upper Kirby District, Heights, Briargrove, Oak Forest, West Houston, Katy, Cypress, Pearland, Webster
One-Offs – You don’t usually come here for a sandwich, but the ones served are very good
Elro – Known for its pizza and crudo, the restaurant’s subtitle, the quaint Elro at a Montrose-Midtown juncture is also a great stop for a sandwich. There is The Hoagie, that’s listed in the “Starters" along with a meatball sandwich. The Hoagie is a version of the familiar Italian-American sandwich, inspired by ones that proprietor Terrence Gallivan grew up with south of Washington, DC. But it’s made with much better ingredients and culinary sense than you’ll find with any chain sub shop offering. The Hoagie arrives wrapped in restaurant-branded paper, cut in half and served on a small plate. It’s quality mortadella, hot coppa – spicy, dried, cured capocollo – slices of provolone, a bit of mayonnaise and pickled vegetable giardinera, with its liquid seeping into the fresh and terrific house-made roll that’s densely topped with plentiful sesame seeds, which are much more for adornment and adding to the overall taste of the sandwich. It can be messy, the also savory meatball one, even more so. Montrose / Midtown
Goode Co. Seafood – Shrimp Po Boy, both the traditional fried and the more localized mesquite-grilled – Both are terrific featuring fresh, crusty bread that’s been baked in house and top-notch shrimp from the nearby Gulf that always expertly cooked; what you would expect from an excellent, long-established seafood restaurant the extols the gustatory charms of the Houston area. Upper Kirby District, Spring Branch
J Bar M – Expanding from just an excellent chopped beef sandwich, there are now several tempting others joinng it on Texas Toast: smoked French dip, a smoked chicken salad, pulled pork, and a popular sliced turkey. EaDo
Blood Bros. BBQ – Smoked Tri-Tip Pastrami on a light rye bread is just one of the delicious, inventive sandwich options that might be on the always changing menu at this terrific barbecue joint. Bellaire
Moon Rabbit – Banh mi are one type of dishes that this fun Vietnamese spot in the Heights does well. These are different than what you will find along Bellaire Boulevard with a mushroom tofu, fried chicken breast, and a Vietnamese dip sandwich, the most traditional take, the lemongrass pork, is easily satisfying, too. Heights
Mucky Duck – BLT, especially the Texas version with sliced avocados and pickled jalepeños, and the famous Mark Portugal. Upper Kirby District
The Mark Portugal sandwich at McGonigel's Mucky Duck
