Best Sandwiches in Manhattan
The 10 best sandwiches in Manhattan, Katz's pastrami, Italian heroes, viral schiacciate, deli classics, and the new openings driving the 2026 sandwich boom.
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- 1Lower East Side · $$$ · 2 Av (F) · 205 E Houston St
Also No. 1 on Best Late-Night Eats in NYC → · No. 1 on Best Jewish Delis in NYC →
Map ↗verified 10w agoThe Lower East Side kosher-style deli at Houston and Ludlow open since 1888, hand-cut pastrami on rye, the famous ticket-and-cutter system, neon walls, and the most photographed sandwich in the United States.
Because Katz's pastrami is the Manhattan sandwich every other deli in the country measures itself against, the brisket cure runs thirty days, the steam pulls the bark apart in your hand, and the slicer is the only one of its kind on the LES.
Order Hand-cut pastrami on rye with mustard, side of pickles, and a Dr. Brown's Cel-Ray.
Tip the cutter a dollar at the counter and you will get a free sample slice while he builds the sandwich, this is the unwritten Katz's rule that guarantees the best portion.
Photo: Ken Lund, CC BY-SA 2.0 Photo: Ken Lund, CC BY-SA 2.0 - 2West Village · $$ · Houston St (1) · 260 Bleecker StMap ↗verified 10w ago
A Bleecker Street Italian salumeria operating since 1900, house-made sausage, fresh mozzarella, and an Italian-hero counter that locals have ordered the same combo from for three generations.
Because Faicco's presses the prosciutto-mortadella-soppressata-provolone hero on a real semolina bread roll with broccoli rabe, that combination is the Manhattan benchmark that Italian-deli sandwiches everywhere else are graded against.
Order The Italian Combo hero with broccoli rabe and sharp provolone.
Order it for pickup ahead and ask them to leave the dressing on the side, the bread holds up better at room temperature for the walk to a Hudson River Park bench.
Photo: Tjeerd Wiersma, CC BY 2.0 Photo: Tjeerd Wiersma, CC BY 2.0 - 3Midtown · $$ · 42 St-Port Authority Bus Terminal (1 2 3 7 A C E N Q R S W) · 729 8th AveMap ↗verified 10w ago
The Eighth Avenue Times Square outpost of the legendary Florence sandwich shop, pressed Tuscan schiacciata flatbread stacked with prosciutto, truffle cream, stracciatella, or mortadella, opened 2022 and still drawing block-long lines.
Because All'Antico Vinaio brought the actual Florentine schiacciata format, the warm pressed flatbread with overflowing salumi and creams, to Manhattan with the original Italian sourcing intact rather than an Americanized adaptation.
Order The Favolosa schiacciata with spicy salami, pecorino cream, and grilled eggplant.
Skip the line by ordering through their app for pickup, the kitchen runs a separate prep queue for app orders and you walk past the sidewalk crowd to a counter window.
@allanticovinaiousa ↗All'Antico Vinaio
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- 4Midtown East · $$$ · 33 St (6) · 162 E 33rd St
Also No. 4 on Best Jewish Delis in NYC →
Map ↗verified 10w agoA kosher-style Jewish deli founded in the East Village in 1954 and now operating on East 33rd Street and the Upper East Side, corned beef, pastrami, matzo ball soup, and a sandwich tradition continuous from the original Lebewohl family.
Because 2nd Ave Deli is the closest peer to Katz's for kosher-style cured meats, the corned beef cure tilts a degree saltier than Katz's and the in-house rye is denser, both of which some traditionalists actually prefer.
Order The Instant Heart Attack with corned beef and pastrami on matzo.
Get the Instant Heart Attack on matzo instead of bread, the matzo crisps under the meat and creates a textural contrast that the standard rye sandwich does not deliver.
@2ndavedeli ↗2nd Ave Deli
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- 5Nolita · $$ · Spring St (6) · 198 Mott StMap ↗verified 10w ago
A Mott Street Italian deli that has been turning out hand-rolled hero rolls since 1903, three brothers behind the counter, no menu on the wall, the price scrawled on butcher paper, and an early-afternoon line that wraps around the corner toward Spring Street.
Because Parisi's bakes the bread on premise daily, every other deli in Lower Manhattan now buys their rolls from somewhere else, and the difference between a sandwich on Parisi bread and one on day-old commodity bread is the entire reason this list exists.
Order Chicken cutlet sub with mozzarella, roasted peppers, and balsamic.
Order the chicken cutlet sub before noon to skip the 12:15 rush, the cutlets come out of the fryer at 11:45 and the early window is the only time you get one still steaming inside the foil.
@parisibakerynyc ↗Parisi Bakery Delicatessen
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- 6Flatiron · $$ · 23 St (R W) · 174 5th AveMap ↗verified 10w ago
A 1929 Fifth Avenue counter-service luncheonette that closed in 2020 and reopened in 2023 under new ownership preserving the original menu, chopped liver, tuna salad, egg salad on rye, the same chrome stools.
Because Eisenberg's is the rare classic-era Flatiron lunch counter that survived the COVID closure wave, the chopped liver and the tuna-and-egg combo on rye are still served at the original 1929 marble bar.
Order Chopped liver on rye with a side of pickles, plus an egg cream.
Sit at the counter rather than at a window seat, the counter is the original 1929 element, and the staff turn over the lunch crowd faster there than at the four-tops.
Photo: Pburka, CC BY-SA 4.0 Photo: Pburka, CC BY-SA 4.0 - 7Midtown · $$ · 49 St (N R W) · 136 W 46th St
Also No. 10 on Best of Midtown →
Map ↗verified 10w agoA steam-table Cuban lunch counter that has fed Theater District workers on West 46th Street since the 1970s.
Because the pressed Cubano, roast pork, ham, salami, Swiss, pickles, and garlic sauce, tastes like Midtown before the rents went insane.
Order The Cubano, pressed, with a side of sweet plantains.
Get on line before the 12:30 office rush.
Photo: Jason Lam, CC BY-SA 2.0 Photo: Jason Lam, CC BY-SA 2.0 - 8Lower East Side · $$ · East Broadway (F) · 27 Orchard StMap ↗verified 10w ago
A tiny Orchard Street Italian grocery where every hero is named after a member of the owner's actual family.
Because the Uncle Jimmy stacks prosciutto, hot soppressata, and fresh mozzarella under a hot-pepper spread that does all the talking.
Order The Uncle Jimmy on stirato bread, hot pepper spread included.
Order ahead online; the counter line spills onto Orchard Street by noon.
@reginasgrocery ↗Regina's Grocery
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- 9East Village · $ · 1 Av (L) · 94 Avenue B
A 24-hour Avenue B bodega-deli in the East Village that became a viral sandwich-shop after 2020, the menu features dozens of named overstuffed sandwiches built on garlic-butter rolls and engineered for hangover and post-bar service.
Because Sunny & Annie's rewrote the bodega-sandwich category, the garlic-butter roll, the chicken-cutlet-and-mozzarella stack, and the named-after-regulars menu structure all influenced a wave of imitators uptown.
Order The Avenue B (chicken cutlet, fresh mozzarella, vodka sauce, garlic-butter roll).
Order one of the named sandwiches rather than building your own, the kitchen has the named combinations memorized and they assemble in under three minutes versus ten for a custom build.
@sunny_annies ↗Sunny & Annie's Deli
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- 10SoHo · $$ · Spring St (C E) · 105 Sullivan StMap ↗verified 10w ago
A Sullivan Street SoHo Italian sandwich counter opened in 1986 by Pino Rosa, uncompromising salumi sourcing, no substitutions, named sandwiches in honor of opera composers, and a famously strict no-modifications policy.
Because Alidoro is the most opinionated Italian-sandwich counter in Manhattan, Pino refuses to sell mayo, refuses to substitute ingredients, and the Sopressata-and-truffle-spread sandwich is one of the cleanest Italian builds in the borough.
Order The Pavarotti (sopressata, truffle spread, sun-dried tomato, aged provolone).
Read the menu before you reach the counter, Pino enforces the no-substitutions policy strictly and the line moves fastest when guests order by sandwich name rather than ingredient list.
@alidoronyc ↗Alidoro
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Good to know
- What is the best sandwich in Manhattan?
- Our current #1 reflects a blend of editorial sourcing from Eater, The Infatuation, Time Out, and Grub Street, plus live community votes. The order shifts as votes come in — what is first today may not be first tomorrow.
- Where is the best deli sandwich in Manhattan?
- Katz's Delicatessen on the Lower East Side has served hand-cut pastrami on rye since 1888 and is the most cited deli sandwich in the country. 2nd Ave Deli (now in Murray Hill and the UES) is the closest peer for kosher-style cured meats. Eisenberg's in Flatiron is the classic counter-service tuna-and-egg-salad spot.
- What is All'Antico Vinaio?
- All'Antico Vinaio is a Florence-based schiacciata sandwich shop that opened in Times Square in 2022; it sells pressed Tuscan flatbread sandwiches stacked with prosciutto, truffle cream, or stracciatella. The Times Square line routinely runs an hour long on weekends.
- How much does a great Manhattan sandwich cost?
- A pastrami on rye at Katz's currently runs about $30. Italian heroes at Faicco's and Defonte's are $14 to $18. The viral schiacciate at All'Antico Vinaio land between $16 and $22. Chef-driven counters (Untamed, Lobster Place) sit at $18 to $32 depending on protein.
- Where is the best Italian hero in Manhattan?
- Faicco's Italian Specialties on Bleecker Street has been pressing Italian combos since 1900 — the prosciutto-mortadella-soppressata-provolone combo with broccoli rabe is the benchmark Italian hero in the borough. Defonte's NYC in Tribeca and Rocco's on Bleecker are the closest competitors.