Grinder is a variety of a submarine sandwich and it is especially popular in New England. The sandwich consists of a long roll that resembles Italian bread, but the interior is much chewier and the exterior is crustier. The roll is sliced halfway and filled with olive oil, sliced ham, turkey, salami, or prosciutto, provolone cheese, tomatoes, and lettuce.
The lettuce should always be shredded for a real New England grinder, while the tomatoes and onions should be sliced paper thin. After the sandwich has been filled, it is sometimes dressed with vinegar, oregano, salt, and pepper. Today, any kind of hot or cold sandwich is often called a grinder if it is served on a grinder roll.
MOST ICONIC Grinder
Steak bomb is a greasy, moist sandwich consisting of a bread roll loaded with steak, cheese, peppers, onions, mushrooms, and salami or sausages. It is mostly associated with the New England region, where almost every sandwich shop has their version of a steak bomb.
In New England, these sandwiches are typically prepared by grilling shaved steak on a griddle, then combining it with all the other ingredients.
MAIN INGREDIENTS
Hoagie has been declared the official sandwich of Philadelphia in 1992, consisting of an Italian roll that is sprinkled with oil and vinegar, then layered with onions, tomatoes, shredded lettuce, provolone cheese, and different types of meat according to the customer's preference.
The authentic Philly hoagie is complete only after the addition of oregano, basil, salt, and pepper. Pickles and mayonnaise are strictly forbidden. There are many theories about its origin, but the one that sounds most likely involves a jazz musician turned sandwich shop owner called Al De Palma.
MOST ICONIC Hoagie
View moreMAIN INGREDIENTS
Gatsby is Cape Town's signature sandwich consisting of a crusty, toasted roll that is stuffed with bologna slices, French fries, ketchup, lettuce, and hot piri-piri sauce. The sandwich is so big that it is usually sliced into four portions, and it can easily feed several people.
Gatsby is named after F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel The Great Gatsby, possibly referring to the size of the sandwich and the richness of the filling. Today, there is a variety of different ingredients for the filling, from masala steak to calamari and sausages.
MOST ICONIC Gatsby
View moreA fat sandwich is a submarine-style sandwich variety that is characterized by being overstuffed with calorie-laden, fatty, fried ingredients such as gyro meat, chicken strips, fries, and mozzarella sticks. These supersized sandwiches originated at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey, where they were originally served out of so-called Grease Trucks which were lined up on College Avenue, satiating the hunger of numerous students, mostly after a night of heavy drinking.
It is believed that the first fat sandwich was invented in 1979 and was called the Fat Cat, consisting of a cheeseburger topped with french fries. Today, there are a number of variations including the Fat Darrell, the Fat Knight, the Fat Elvis, the Fat Lady, and the Fat Romano.
MOST ICONIC Fat Sandwich
View moreTasteAtlas food rankings are based on the ratings of the TasteAtlas audience, with a series of mechanisms that recognize real users and that ignore bot, nationalist or local patriotic ratings, and give additional value to the ratings of users that the system recognizes as knowledgeable. For the “5 Submarine Sandwich Varieties Ranked From the Best To the Worst” list until March 20, 2025, 623,922 ratings were recorded, of which 402,154 were recognized by the system as legitimate. TasteAtlas Rankings should not be seen as the final global conclusion about food. Their purpose is to promote excellent local foods, instill pride in traditional dishes, and arouse curiosity about dishes you haven’t tried.