What’s your favorite kind of sandwich? We took a look at each individual state to put together the United States of Sandwiches, featuring some of the most classic specialty sandwiches ever. From Alabama’s pulled chicken with white sauce to the trout sandwich in Wyoming, you’ll have to try a few (or all of these) because they’re not only tasty but you’ll be trying plenty of new sandwiches!
So who’s hungry? Let’s take a look at the specialty sandwiches from every state across America.
The United States of Sandwiches infographicUnited States of Sandwiches Transcript
| State | Sandwich | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Pulled Chicken With White Sauce | A combination of mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, and a dash of horseradish smothers dry-rubbed chicken. |
| Alaska | Salmon Sandwich | Add some mayo, lettuce, and bread to your grilled or smoked salmon. |
| Arizona | Navajo Taco | This open-faced sandwich is a fried flatbread with meat, beans, cheese, and lettuce. |
| Arkansas | Fried Bologna Sandwich | Bologna is best served hot with lettuce, tomato, pickle, onion, and mayonnaise. |
| California | French Dip | A hefty serving of roast beef on a French roll with provolone and a side of au jus |
| Colorado | Denver Sandwich | It’s an omelet between two slices of bread, with eggs, ham, cheddar, onions, and sautéed peppers. |
| Connecticut | Hot Lobster Roll | A quarter-pound of lobster meat drenched in melted creamery butter and heaped onto a bun |
| Delaware | The Bobbie | It’s basically Thanksgiving on a roll, with turkey, cranberry sauce, stuffing, and mayonnaise. |
| Florida | The Cuban | Chewy Cuban bread smothered with layers of ham, roast pork, pickles, and Swiss cheese |
| Georgia | Pimento Cheese Sandwich | This southern staple sees creamy pimento cheese spread on sandwich bread and then griddled with butter until it turns toasty brown. |
| Hawaii | Hawaiian Barbecue Kalua Pork Sandwich | Slow-roasted pork shoulder inside a bun and topped with buttery lettuce and pickled kimchi |
| Idaho | PB & Huckleberry Jam | Simple but fantastic, this classic peanut butter sandwich is much tastier with huckleberry jam instead of strawberry jelly. |
| Illinois | Italian Beef | Thinly sliced and seasoned beef topped with au jus and peppers or giardiniera |
| Indiana | Pork Tenderloin Sandwich | A breaded, deep-fried pork cutlet topped with traditional burger fixings like pickles, onions, lettuce, ketchup, and mustard |
| Iowa | Loose Meat Sandwich | Flavorful ground beef topped with sautéed onions, paprika, and cheese |
| Kansas | Burnt Ends | The crispy ends of smoked brisket are tossed with barbecue sauce and thrown onto a bun or sliced bread. |
| Kentucky | Hot Brown | This open-faced sandwich has roast turkey topped with creamy cheese sauce, bacon, and tomato and is broiled until it’s crispy. |
| Louisiana | Muffuletta | With slices of ham, salami, bologna, Swiss, and provolone, this is best topped with olive oil. |
| Maine | Lobster Roll | Fresh lobster is tossed in mayo with a little bit of chopped celery and a squeeze of lemon juice, then served up cold on a lightly grilled hot dog bun. |
| Maryland | Crab Cake Sandwich | A big portion of fried crabmeat on chewy white bread and topped with lettuce and tomato is simply unforgettable. |
| Massachusetts | The Fluffernutter | This sticky, sweet, and delicious sandwich is comprised of Marshmallow Fluff and peanut butter. |
| Michigan | The Reuben | This grilled classic consists of corned beef, Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and Russian dressing on rye or pumpernickel. |
| Minnesota | Fried Walleye | These breaded fish fillets are best served on a soft roll with lettuce, tomato, onion, and tartar sauce. |
| Mississippi | Grilled Shrimp Po’ Boy | Battered shrimp tossed in a spicy, buttery garlic sauce and topped with lettuce, tomato, mayonnaise, and pickles |
| Missouri | Hot Salami | Thick-sliced salami is topped with cheese, lettuce, and tomato. |
| Montana | Pork Chop Sandwich | Lightly breaded and deep-fried pork sirloin on a bun with mustard, pickle, and onion |
| Nebraska | The Blackstone Reuben | The Reuben you know and love, but with chunks of meat rather than slices and toasted instead of grilled |
| Nevada | Patty Melt | A grilled cheese sandwich with the addition of a burger patty and grilled onions |
| New Hampshire | Roast Beef Sandwich | This classic is a favorite in the Granite State, with many delis specializing in rare, thinly sliced roast beef. |
| New Jersey | Italian Sub | Sliced salami, ham, and provolone slapped onto an Italian roll makes this iconic sandwich truly special. |
| New Mexico | Green Chile Cheeseburger | A burger with melty American cheese along with minced green chiles |
| New York | Pastrami on Rye | This classic deli sandwich is best served with a crunchy dill pickle on the side. |
| North Carolina | Pulled Pork Sandwich | Dry-rubbed and smoked pork shoulder tossed in sweet barbecue sauce |
| North Dakota | Sloppy Joe | This classic is ground beef with sautéed onions and spicy sauce on a hamburger bun. |
| Ohio | Polish Boy | This unique dish is kielbasa on a bun covered with barbecue sauce, French fries, and coleslaw. |
| Oklahoma | Chicken-Fried Steak Sandwich | A hefty piece of breaded meat on a kaiser roll topped with lettuce, tomato, and mayo |
| Oregon | Fried Chicken Biscuit Sandwich | Bacon, cheese, thick gravy, and an egg on top of fried chicken |
| Pennsylvania | Cheesesteak | With thin-sliced beef, melty cheese, and sautéed onions, it’s a timeless classic. |
| Rhode Island | Fried Clam Roll | This favorite features seasoned and breaded clams on a grilled hot dog bun. |
| South Carolina | Pulled Pork With Gold Sauce | A pulled pork sandwich topped with a tasty sauce made from yellow mustard, brown sugar, and vinegar |
| South Dakota | Pheasant Sandwich | Shredded pheasant with mayonnaise, onions, celery, and relish |
| Tennessee | The Elvis | Peanut butter, banana, and bacon are the three main ingredients for one of Tennessee’s favorite sandwiches. |
| Texas | Smoked Brisket | Brisket topped with mayo and pickled onions on rich brioche |
| Utah | Pastrami Burger | Pastrami, onions, cheese, and Thousand Island dressing atop a grilled beef patty |
| Vermont | The Vermonter | This tasty sandwich consists of roasted turkey, thinly sliced green apples, sharp cheddar cheese, and honey mustard. |
| Virginia | Country Ham Sandwich | Country ham on white bread smothered with mayo |
| Washington | Banh Mi | Roasted pork, pâté, and pickled vegetables on a baguette make this one you must try. |
| West Virginia | Sausage Biscuit | With sausage and a buttery base, you can spice this up with egg, cheese, and even potato. |
| Wisconsin | Grilled Cheese | The Badger State takes their cheese seriously, and they’ll often top their grilled cheese sandwiches with things like broccoli, roasted carrots, and red onion. |
| Wyoming | Trout Sandwich | It’s no surprise that one of the premier fly-fishing destinations in the world is synonymous with a fish sandwich. |
Sources:
Connecticut and Maine prefer their lobster rolls slightly different.
This classic is a staple in two Northeast states, but Connecticut and Maine have their own unique takes on the popular lobster roll. In Connecticut, they prefer to serve it hot, tossing a quarter-pound of lobster meat onto a bun and drenching it in melted, creamy butter. In Maine, on the other hand, you’ll see that the lobster is served cold on a grilled, hot bun. The lobster itself is tossed with mayonnaise, chopped celery, and a squeeze of lemon. You can’t go wrong with either!
Wisconsin is the place to get the greatest grilled cheese sandwiches.
The Badger State is known for their cheese, as they produce a good amount of America’s cheese supply! As you might expect, those in Wisconsin have been known to get creative with their grilled cheese sandwiches. One of the classics is a traditional grilled cheese sandwich topped with broccoli, roasted carrots, and red onions. To those in Wisconsin, there’s not much better than putting on a cheese hat, tailgating with some unique grilled cheese sandwiches, and watching a Green Bay Packers home game at Lambeau Field.
The classic pulled pork sandwich is a staple in both North Carolina and South Carolina, each with their own unique twists.
People in these bordering states love a good pulled pork sandwich, but you’ll find that they present them a little differently. In North Carolina, the sandwich more often than not consists of dry-rubbed and smoked pork shoulder tossed in some sweet barbecue sauce. Below the state line, it’s more common to find this same sandwich topped with “gold sauce,” which is a tasty mix of yellow mustard, brown sugar, and vinegar.
Here are 50 sandwiches representing all 50 states across America!
- Alabama: Pulled chicken with white sauce
- Alaska: Salmon sandwich
- Arizona: Navajo taco
- Arkansas: Fried bologna sandwich
- California: French dip
- Colorado: Denver sandwich
- Connecticut: Hot lobster roll
- Delaware: The Bobbie
- Florida: The Cuban
- Georgia: Pimento cheese sandwich
- Hawaii: Hawaiian barbecue Kalua pork sandwich
- Idaho: Peanut butter and huckleberry jam
- Illinois: Italian beef
- Indiana: Pork tenderloin sandwich
- Iowa: Loose meat sandwich
- Kansas: Burnt ends
- Kentucky: Hot brown
- Louisiana: Muffuletta
- Maine: Lobster roll
- Maryland: Crab cake sandwich
- Massachusetts: The fluffernutter
- Michigan: The Reuben
- Minnesota: Fried walleye
- Mississippi: Grilled shrimp po’ boy
- Missouri: Hot salami
- Montana: Pork chop sandwich
- Nebraska: The Blackstone Reuben
- Nevada: Patty melt
- New Hampshire: Roast beef sandwich
- New Jersey: Italian sub
- New Mexico: Green chile cheeseburger
- New York: Pastrami on rye
- North Carolina: Pulled pork sandwich
- North Dakota: Sloppy joe
- Ohio: Polish boy
- Oklahoma: Chicken-fried steak sandwich
- Oregon: Fried chicken biscuit sandwich
- Pennsylvania: Cheesesteak
- Rhode Island: Fried clam roll
- South Carolina: Pulled pork with “gold sauce”
- South Dakota: Pheasant sandwich
- Tennessee: The Elvis
- Texas: Smoked brisket
- Utah: Pastrami burger
- Vermont: The Vermonter
- Virginia: Country ham sandwich
- Washington: Banh mi
- West Virginia: Sausage biscuit
- Wisconsin: Grilled cheese sandwich
- Wyoming: Trout sandwich
How many of these sandwiches have you already tried? If it’s not all 50, then now is the time to start checking off the list!