20 Amazing Sandwiches to Try This Year!
Reviews of the steak sandwich at Tusk Bar, the po' boy at Kjun, hot chicken at Peaches, vada pav at Chote Miya, cotechino at Misipasta. Plus: 13 "sandwich commandments"
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I’ll have more to say about Los Angeles soon.
For now, I hope you read this essay by Khushbu Shah, about how we need to support the restaurants that are sacrificing so much to feed first responders, evacuees, and others. I hope you spend some time with Eater’s Kat Thompson, who writes about evacuating her home, while meditating on what was left behind. And I hope you read these missives from Hillary Dixler Canavan, about eating and cooking in Pasadena, and from Meghan McCarron, about life in Los Angeles right now.
If you can, please donate — either to relief organizations, or check individual restaurant websites to see if they’re collecting funds or selling gift cards.
Let’s keep things light today. What follows is a guide to some really amazing sandwiches. I tried all of these either last year or the first weeks of this year.
But first, here are some ideas I have on sandwiches, lol.
The Lo Times Thirteen Sandwich Commandments
This is subjective; we all grew up in different households and were raised on different sandwich-based values. No single sandwich philosophy has a monopoly on the truth.
One: Thou shalt not mock watery deli tomato. It plays a key role in refreshment on so many sandwiches. I love watery tomato. Except when I don’t.
Two: Watery tomato will make your BLT taste like sh!t.
Three: When ordering at a deli or a gourmet market, remember that mayo is better than 99 percent of the colorful squeeze bottle condiments that go by the name “aioli.”
Four: Actual aioli is wonderful on a sandwich, so if you tweet something dumb like “aioli is mayo that did a semester abroad,” you are disqualified from competition.
Five: If you’re a restaurant serving sandwiches, you shall sell at least one plant-based sandwich (I still get angry about a hotspot that wouldn’t serve my friend a grilled cheese without…rabbit. Who the f&ck wants rabbit on grilled cheese?)
Six: If you walk into a lunch spot and you see all the premade sandwiches sitting in a refrigerator case, thou shalt turn around and leave. Children of Earth deserve a jambon buerre that isn’t as cold as a cup of Greek yogurt.
Seven: If a (well-financed) restaurant serves a sandwich at lunch, it shall serve that same sandwich at dinner. Or at least late night. Humans don’t cease to be sandwich-craving organisms after 3:00 p.m.
Eight: If your restaurant only serves overstuffed sandwiches, thou shalt offer half sandwiches. Or smaller sandwiches.
Nine: It’s okay to complain about sandwich prices in our exorbitant city, but putting your favorite meat onto a hero doesn’t magically make it cheaper to the cash-strapped restaurant making your lunch. Value is subjective. Costs are not.
Ten: Before eating a sandwich that’s been cut in half, thou shalt appreciate the cross section. Take a photo if you’re so inclined, and send it to a friend or ex.
Eleven: A great lobster roll is a truly beautiful thing, but when in doubt, you’re better off ordering the lobster by itself. Most lobster rolls are just okay.
Twelve: Most good sandwiches need three times as much veg as meat. That’s especially true with a BLT, which needs, like, seven parts LT and one parts B.
Thirteen: If you’re having a sandwich alone at lunch, you may finish it by yourself. If you’re having a sandwich alone at dinner, thou shalt bring back the second half for your partner. There are few greater signs of love.
Chomp chomp!!!
20 Amazing Sandwiches You Should Try in 2025!
The following guide is presented in no particular order. You’ll see very tasty entries from Edith’s, Superiority Burger, Sawa, Bar Pisellino, Misipasta, Peaches Hothouse, Kjun, Peking House, Chote Miya, Strange Delight, and more.
Most cost less than $20, and the bulk are modest-sized affairs you can eat in a single sitting! Also: You’ll read about five or so sandwiches without meat! As is always the case, this isn’t a lean list; this is a proper guide with lots of good intel and reviewing.