New York's fine-dining reputation is well earned, but ask any local where they actually eat and the answer is usually between two slices of bread. Condé Nast Traveller UK's resident sandwich obsessive has rounded up the spots they never stop returning to, from century-old Italian counters to the viral pho sandwiches of the East Village, and the list doubles as a great DIY food crawl of the city.
Start in Astoria, Queens, where Sal, Kris & Charlie's has been stacking foot-long Italian subs since 1940. The TikTok-famous "The Bomb" merges two menu sandwiches into one tower of cold cuts — fun once, but the writer recommends the classic Italian or a custom turkey build. No seating, so take it to the nearby waterfront. Bring cash.
In the East Village, Bánh Anh Em turned the bánh mì into a full sit-down restaurant concept, and lines form half an hour before opening. Bread is baked in-house; standouts include crispy pork belly, charcoal-grilled ribeye and a lemongrass beef wrapped in betel leaf, plus a tofu-and-pesto option for vegetarians. Skip the queue with an online order and eat on the plastic stools outside.
Other highlights: Faicco's on Bleecker Street, a tiny West Village Italian deli where $20-something sandwiches are big enough for two meals; Court Street Grocers, the polished multi-location spot with a killer seeded-rye reuben and a sweet-potato vegetarian sandwich that converts carnivores; and Defonte's in Red Hook, a century-old shop where a summer bike ride ends with a sub overlooking the Statue of Liberty.
For something quirkier, Sunny & Annie's — a 24/7 Korean-owned corner deli — stuffs hero rolls with everything you'd find in a bowl of pho, broth excepted: stewed beef, bean sprouts, cilantro, jalapeño, sriracha. It's gloriously messy, so eat it on a Tompkins Square Park bench with a fistful of napkins. And Farmer in the Deli in Fort Greene does the chopped-sandwich thing, hacking your fillings together on butcher paper before troweling them into the bread — ideal picnic fuel for the park across the street.
Why it matters: sandwiches are the cheapest, fastest way to eat like a New Yorker. Most of these spots cost $15-25 a head, involve zero reservations, and drop you into neighbourhoods — Astoria, Red Hook, the East Village — you'd want to explore anyway. Lines are real at the famous ones, but nearly all offer workarounds: online ordering, off-peak visits, or just eating standing up like everyone else. Pack cash for a few of them and go hungry.
