There may not be a more controversial topic in all of Memphis: Where can you find the best sandwich in this city?
Luckily, we're not limited to just one answer. There are too many worthy options. Still, someone had to investigate. So we ate our way through Germantown to Downtown, chasing the perfect combination of bread, crunch, filling, sauce, and bacon.
So much bacon. (We promise we didn't do that on purpose.)
Some picks are from newer places that have a ton of local buzz. At least one comes from a classic Memphis restaurant that's been around longer than some of us have. We tried to find the right balance of variety, too: traditional deli sandwiches, a grilled
cheese, a few unexpected, underrated pleasures, and one very Southern delicacy you likely won't find many other places. But one thing they all have in common is sheer deliciousness.
Here are six of the very best sandwiches Memphis has to offer — all worthy of reaching for with both hands.
Elwood Shack: Elwood's Melt
4523 Summer Ave.
https://www.elwoodsshack.com/
This is just the kind of melty, buttery, gooey sandwich you'd expect to find in the heart of Summer Ave. and Memphis.
The Elwood's Melt is essentially a classic deli-style sandwich deliciously combined with Elwood's take on a grilled cheese. It's the perfect city version of comfort food in sandwich form, and it's irresistible to the last bite.The sandwich is loaded with Black Forest ham, smokey turkey and hand-sized strips of crispy bacon, then grilled to perfection with sharp cheddar on two slices of sturdy sourdough bread. Add fresh lettuce and tomato, plus a creamy red-pepper aioli that provides a nice balance of sweet and a gentle kick, it's the kind of sandwich you eat so quickly, you'll wonder where it went.It's honestly so good we could order two., but there are many more sandwiches to eat.
The Mad Grocer & Deli: The French Dip
1350 Concourse Ave #163
https://www.madgrocerdeli.com/
You may not be able to find a better French Dip in Memphis.
Imagine tender, juicy house-roasted beef and Swiss tucked into toasted po'boy bread that provides just the right amount of crunch. This savory treat is served with a side of rich au jus for dipping, adding just a touch of saltiness.
Memphis social media users and folks on online discussion forums often single this sandwich out as one of their favorites at Mad Grocer's, which is saying something because practically everything on their menu is great.
Cheffie's Café: BLT with Pimento Cheese
483 High Point Terrace
https://cheffies.com/
Famous for their fresh, bountiful salads, the sandwiches at this High Point Terrace staple are equally satisfying.
And this one we've improvised a bit.
At Cheffie's Cafe, the BLT is already a solid contender: applewood-smoked bacon, cool lettuce, ripe tomato on toasted sourdough. It's such a timeless combination it really needs little explanation.
But in Memphis, "little explanation" has never meant "don't make it better." So we always add a distinctly Southern flourish: Cheffie's homemade pimento cheese — the kind of cheesy spread you can eat right out of the container with a spoon.
The result is a BLT that lands somewhere between lunchtime familiar and gloriously excessive, with the smoky crunch of bacon meeting the tangy richness of the pimento cheese perfectly.
Fino's From The Hill: Chicken Salad Sandwich
1853 Madison Ave.
https://www.finosmemphis.com/
Fino'sis the kind of historic Midtown Memphis lunch spot where its easy to get distracted by the Italian heavy hitters — those towering salami, mortadella and olive-dressed monsters built like a skyscrapers.
Personally, we love its iconic Acquisto. But don't sleep on its chicken salad sandwich, a lighter, quieter alternative. One of Fino's most underrated offerings, this cooler, crisper sandwich features house-roasted chicken mixed with herbs and a darker, creamier base, paired with fresh lettuce and tomato and served mightily on a crusty Italian-style baguette. That's amoré!
Hard Times Deli: Turkey Bacon Ranch
655 Marshall Ave.
https://hardtimesdeli.com/
We're noticing a running theme here with our Best of Memphis sandwich roundup: bacon. Three of our six top choices have the deli protein staple, and ... with good reason. As the refrigerator magnet says: "Everything is better with bacon." And everything is better at Hard Times Deli, the ambitious Edge District favorite.
That includes one of the single most flavorful, sumptuous sandwiches in the entire city. And, as you can probably tell by this list, that's saying something.
So what is it about the Turkey Bacon Ranch sandwich at Hard Times? Yes, it's a familiar classic. But at Hard Times, they take it up a few notches. The turkey is smoked and the bacon is delicious, substantially thick and sourced from Home Place Pastures, a regenerative family farm located in Como, Mississippi, roughly an hour south of Memphis.
The sandwich gets an extra jolt of brightness from tomato and "angel hair letty," plus extra flavor from the pickled avocado, mild cheddar and buttermilk herb ranch dressing.
And a favorite touch: It's presented in Hard Times' trademark white butcher paper, sliced in the middle to preserve its freshness.
Huey's Restaurant: Steak Sandwich
Collierville: 2130 Poplar Ave, Suite 101Cordova: 1771 N Germantown PkwyGermantown: 7677 Farmington BlvdDowntown Memphis: 77 S 2nd StEast Memphis: 4872 Poplar AveMidtown: 1927 Madison AveMillington: 8570 US Hwy 51Olive Branch: 8179 McGregor Crossing, Suite 200Southaven: 7090 Malco BlvdSouthwind: 7825 Winchester Rd
https://hueyburger.com/
Here's proof you don't have to just rely on Memphis-area delis to snag a world-class sandwich. Huey's has so many incredible menu options its almost easy to forget they have a killer steak sandwich. And at one point in time, they didn't. A few years back, I tried to order it, only to be told it was no longer on the menu. Thankfully, the steak sandwich returned to this Memphis institution, with its astounding 10 locations, during the summer of 2025.
Made with an 8 oz. hand-cut tenderloin filet, served open-face and camera-ready on a buttered, toasted hoagie roll, it's a savory gem and has been enjoyed by Huey's regulars for many years.
We always order it medium, with lettuce and tomato and au jus on the side for dipping. This is considered the "classic" option. It's also available "Prospector Style," topped with pepper jack cheese, fried onion and creamy horseradish sauce.
And because it's Huey's, it's also your duty to add a side order of those yummy steak fries. The perfect partner to a perfect steak sandwich.
Brian Strickland is the Food & Dining reporter at The Commercial Appeal. Contact him at brian.strickland@commercialappeal.com.
To keep up with the latest news from the Memphis food and dining scene, sign up here for our Eat Drink Memphis weekly newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: 6 Memphis sandwiches we can't stop thinking about
