Jibarito is a unique Puerto Rican sandwich made with smashed, fried plantains instead of bread. The sandwich is typically filled with garlic mayonnaise, meat, lettuce, tomatoes, and cheese. The origins of jibarito are somewhat hard to untangle, as some claim that the sandwich is originally a Puerto Rican invention, while others claim that it was created by Juan Figueroa at the Borinquen Restaurant in Chicago in 1996. The most probable theory says that the sandwich was invented by Coquí Feliciano and Jorge Muñoz at Plátano Loco restaurant in Aguada, Puerto Rico, and Figueroa probably read about it, which inspired him to make another version in Chicago.
Italian beef is a popular Chicagoan sandwich consisting of thinly sliced, seasoned layers of roast beef in a dense and chewy Italian-style roll, topped with either pickled giardiniera relish or roasted green bell peppers. The sandwich is typically dipped in jus - on one end, both ends, or completely soaked in the flavorful gravy. Additionally, mozzarella or cheddar cheese can be added to the sandwich, according to personal preferences. There are three popular theories about the origin of the Italian beef sandwich. One says that is was invented by Al Ferreri (the owner of Al's Beef restaurant) and his family at the start of World War II. They invented it in response to big Italian weddings that needed to stretch a small amount of food a long way. Another theory says that the sandwich is a version of the French dip, introduced in Los Angeles in 1918. According to Pat Bruno, a critic for the Chicago Sun-Times, it was invented by a man named Tony who worked in a Greek diner and messed around with the French dip recipe, creating the Italian beef sandwich in the process. The third theory gives credit to Pasquale Scala, a supplier of Italian beef in Chicago, who invented it as a way to help consumers to stretch their dollar during the Great Depression. Regardless of the origin of the sandwich, it is still a staple of Chicago's cuisine, found at numerous restaurants and hot dog stands across the city.
The pork tenderloin sandwich consists of a breaded and deep-fried pork cutlet that is usually served on a hamburger bun. Typical side dishes include french fries and onion rings, while the condiments of choice are usually mustard, lettuce, pickles, or mayonnaise. The sandwich is popular throughout the Midwest, especially in the states of Indiana and Iowa. According to estimates, the sandwich is served in at least fifty percent of Indiana restaurants. The most popular theory suggests that the pork tenderloin sandwich originated in Huntington, Indiana, when Nicholas Freinstein opened a restaurant called Nick's Kitchen in 1908. From there, the sandwich has spread across central Indiana and beyond, acting as a unique substitute for its similar, famous cousin called the Wiener schnitzel.
Walleye sandwich is a classic American fish sandwich consisting of a cracker-coated, deep-fried walleye fillet that's served on a hoagie or kaiser roll and topped with tomatoes, lettuce, and tartar sauce. The walleye has been Minnesota's official state fish since 1965, which is the reason why this sandwich can be found on the menus of most Minnesota eateries. It's recommended to serve this sandwich with a side of lemon wedges, onion rings, french fries, and a cold bottle of beer on the side.
A specialty of Nebraska, runza is a sandwich consisting of a yeast dough bread filled with beef, cabbage, onions, and various seasonings. It can be baked in many shapes such as squares, triangles, or half-moons, although the authentic Nebraskan version is almost always baked in a rectangular shape. It is believed that the original runza sandwich has German and Russian roots, dating back to the 18th century, and the recipe eventually made its way to the Midwestern area of America, where it was originally served as lunch for the field workers.
Also known as tavern sandwich, loose meat sandwich is an American invention consisting of a hamburger bun that is split and filled with ground beef and sautéed onions. The beef is unseasoned (it's often slowly cooked in various blends of flavorings), and the sandwich is usually additionally filled with mustard, ketchup, cheese, or pickles. In a sandwich shop, you’ll probably get a spoon with this sandwich so you can eat all of the scattered ground meat that’s fallen off. The first tavern sandwich was prepared by David Heglin in Sioux City, Iowa in 1924, while the same thing, but with the name loose meat sandwich was prepared in Muscatine, Iowa by Fred Angell in 1926. The sandwich gained popularity over the following years, and nowadays it is served throughout the American Midwest.
Shredded chicken sandwich is a sandwich that's a specialty of Northern and Central Ohio. It is made by cooking and fork-shredding chicken that is then cooked in chicken broth or condensed chicken soup with flour, bread crumbs, or crushed potato chips. The combination is seasoned with black pepper before being served on hamburger buns. The sandwich was especially popular in the 1960s, when it was a staple of school lunch menus, dairy bars, and church gatherings. It was made with leftover old and tough chicken meat, so what anyone could do is to simply make creamed chicken, then serve it in buns or over biscuits.
This open-faced sandwich is a specialty of Springfield, Illinois, where it was originally invented. A horseshoe typically consists of two slices of toast topped with two meat patties or slices of ham, french fries, and a cheesy sauce. Originally, it was served on a hot metal plate known as anvil, with ham and fries representing the horseshoe nails, hence the name. There is also a variety of this sandwich called a pony shoe sandwich, which is half of a regular horseshoe portion. The sandwich was invented in the late 1920s by a chef named Joe Schweska at Leland Hotel in Springfield.
Z-Man is an American burger originating from Kansas City. It consists of a split Kaiser roll that's filed with sliced smoked brisket, smoked provolone cheese, onion rings, and barbecue sauce. This burger was invented at a barbecue joint called Joe's Kansas City Bar-B-Que. Jeff, the owner, went to Zarrick, a sports talk show host on the local radio station, and asked him to talk about this new burger. The listeners chose the name as they began regularly asking for that Z-Man sandwich on the air, referring to Zarrick, who had begun calling himself Z-Man not long before. Eventually, the name stuck, and the burger was even proclaimed to be the "Best Sandwich in Kansas" by Zagat, and "One of 50 Sandwiches to Eat Before You Die" by Thrillist.
Bone-in pork chop sandwich is a Chicagoan specialty made with marinated pork loin chops which are seared until brown. The meat is cooked a bit more atop sizzling onions, and the combination is then placed on burger buns with yellow mustard. The sandwich is usually served in brown paper bags, accompanied by french fries and pickled "sport" peppers. Once prepared, bone-in pork chop sandwich should be served and eaten immediately, just be wary of the bone.
TasteAtlas 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 “Top 20 Midwestern American Sandwiches” list until July 15, 2026, 372 ratings were recorded, of which 312 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.
