Hungry lunch crowds have long swarmed this Lincoln Square treasure for its Vietnamese banh mi sandwiches. The house-baked baguettes give a pleasing crunch and are paired with meats, seafood, or tofu plus sweet pickled daikon, fresh cucumber spears, and lots of cilantro. A second Nhu Lan outpost is located in Uptown.

L&M Fine Foods has a stellar deli counter in the back of this gourmet store, and there are plenty of challenging decisions presented by the menu. The porchetta, made in the store, is a standout, served with garlic aioli and capers. Get this one hot and take a minute to savor it all.

Irving Park shop JT’s pulls on Midwestern influences for much of its menu, which includes options like a breaded pork tenderloin sandwich and a Coney dog. Owner Christopher Cunningham’s finest creation, however, is a riff on a Philly favorite, the Italian roast pork sandwich. His version consists of thinly-shaved pork in a honey and garlic glaze, served on a sesame roll with provolone, grilled rapini, Calabrian chili aioli, and jus. Al fresco dining is available on the restaurant’s patio when the weather permits. Online ordering is available here.

The bread’s the difference at Loaf Lounge, a pandemic pivot for a husband-and-wife team who worked at acclaimed restaurants like Giant and Sepia. For their simple BLT, the jalapeño-cheddar bread elevates everything. Don’t forget to buy a loaf to bring home where you can treat yourself to midnight snacks.

The hottest sandwich shop in town is the brainchild of former Blackbird chef Ryan Pfeiffer and Mason Hereford of celebrated New Orleans destination Turkey & the Wolf. Drawing on ‘90s nostalgia, the pair create unique and playful items like a fried bologna sandwich and a vegan taco tot melt. The collard melt, a Turkey & the Wolf original, also makes an appearance here. This intriguing sandwich, which boasts braised collard greens, Russian dressing, coleslaw, and Swiss cheese on rye bread, is short on meat but big on flavor. Online orders can be placed here.

Le Bouchon is a classic Chicago restaurant with all the vibes of what one would expect from a French bistro. For lunch, dine on a French dip made with roast wagyu beef, Raclette, and cornichon aioli. A side of French onion broth is provided for dipping pleasure.

It’s not as nationally famous as other iconic Chicago dishes but the jibarito deserves recognition. Originally created at the late Borinquen by Juan Figueroa, the Puerto Rican sandwich is defined by thinly sliced steak, lettuce, tomato, mayo, and cheese between fried plantains. Today, it’s available at many Latin American restaurants like La Bomba, where the recipe remains unchanged. Online orders can be placed here.

Ethan Lim’s Pan-Asian sandwich shop charms diners by riffing on classics, such as a bulgogi cheesesteak. But the best of the bunch is the fried chicken sandwich that embraces Cambodian flavors with pickled papaya, long beans, Asian herbs, and garlic mayo. Order online here.

The Italian beef is perhaps the most iconic sandwich in all of Chicago. Although it’s hotly contested, a large chunk of people think the best one is found at Johnnie's Beef out in Elmwood Park. Order it the traditional way: Topped with spicy giardiniera or sweet peppers, and dipped in jus. Picnic tables are set up outside for dining. A second location is in Arlington Heights.

Kasama is the only Michelin-starred Filipino restaurant in the world. That honoir is mostly due to its fancy dinner service. But that doesn’t mean lunch is an afterthought. Chef Tim Flores provides a tribute to Chicago with a sandwich made from sliced pork dunked on adobo jus and then torpedoed with a longaniza. It’s his version of the Italian beef combo, and it’s wonderful.

Father-and-son duo Agostino and Tony Fiasche’s cured meats market in West Town has earned rave reviews since opening at the end of 2017. Nduja, a spreadable cured sausage from the Calabrian region of Italy, is the favorite here and for good reason as the family is also behind Nduja Artisans salumeria. Diners should try the Dante, an Italian sandwich holding six layers of nduja, soppressata, mortadella, finnochinoa, coppa, and porchetta as well as giardiniera, nduja aioli, lettuce, and tomato. Order online here.

When USA Today called the breaded steak sandwich at this South Side pizzeria the best sandwich in the world, it unsurprisingly caused a bit of a stir. Whether folks agree or not, the article made the combination of breaded steak, tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, and hot giardiniera a must-try. Save time be ordering ahead here.

"Every visitor to Chicago should experience a pork chop sandwich," writes Mike Baruch in Street Food Chicago. Legend has it that Jim's Original was the first to serve the sandwich in 1941, but Maxwell Street Depot is also known for offering it to customers 24 hours a day. Unique for having a "bone on a bun," the sandwich features a tender, juicy, bone-in pork chop that's thrown between a bun and loaded with mustard, grilled onions, and hot peppers.

The origins of the “Gym Shoe” sandwich are unclear. Eaters, though, couldn’t care less because the delicious South Side creation at Stony Sub arrives packed with a heaping pile of roast beef, gyro meat, and corned beef and mixed with giardiniera, sweet peppers, onions, tzatziki sauce, tomatoes, Swiss cheese, and mayo. It’s quite the mouthful and certainly leagues better than the odd name implies.

Chicago is the land of mild sauce, the only good use for ketchup in the city (the famous condiment is a mixture of the stuff with barbecue sauce and other flavorings). But Hot Chi Chicken proves that this city enjoys its heat with a wonderfully hot sandwich that mocks the fascination with a certain fast-food chain. “Popeyes Ain’t !@#%” brings heat thanks to a mixture of Kashmiri and other chiles with some harissa for a multi-culture party in your mouth. Please be careful about the spice levels and don’t wipe your eyes.

Italian beef gets all of the hype but sweet steak is Chicago’s true variant of the Philly cheesesteak. Popularized on the South Side, the sandwich sports coarsely chopped rib eye, sweet peppers, tomatoes, and a signature sweet sauce on a sub roll.