Best Sandwiches

Restaurant recommendations from MnMo food critics Jason DeRusha and Joy Summers.


Jason’s Picks

Bread, meat, cheese, veggies: The sandwich is so simple yet so hard to get exactly right. 

St. Paul Meat Shop: Butcher shops tend to make killer sandwiches, and the pastrami on rye here is incredible: appropriately fatty, smoky, peppery—wow. (Grand Avenue, St. Paul)

Be’Wiched Deli: The tuna confit sandwich may be my all-time favorite. The preserved lemon gives it brightness, the tuna so tender and silky you’ll never stoop to StarKist again. (North Loop, Minneapolis)


Manny’s Special and 3 Little Pigs from Manny’s Tortas. Photo by TJ Turner.

Joy’s Picks

My husband and I fell in love over our obsessive deconstructing of a club sandwich—these things are more important that you might think.

Clancey’s: It’s safe to expect a world-class sandwich from one of the finest butchers in Minneapolis, but the roast beef baby exceeds even the loftiest expectations. Grass-fed, medium- rare roast beef, layered with peppers, mustard, Swiss cheese, and a kiss of horseradish on a perfect, crusty baguette. Get it with everything. (Linden Hills, Minneapolis)

Manny’s Tortas: The torta is the perfect sandwich construction: hot, fried meat of choice, plus onions and beans, separated by cheese and the cool lettuce, pickled jalapenos, tomato, and chipotle mayo on top. The bread is an ideal mix of crust and chew. Plus, it’s a bargain. (Mercado Central and Midtown Global Market)