Oak Forest’s charming, Star Wars-loving deli puts out Houston’s premiere meatball sub. Organic beef meatballs meet spicy house-made marinara, parm, provolone, and pesto on perfectly toasted white bread.  If you find yourself there on a Wednesday, check out the Philly cheesesteak — their hump day special.

Pitmaster Greg Gatlin’s homage to Independence Heights neighborhood fish fries offers a bulky chicken sandwich, smothered in a spice-filled Viet-Cajun sauce and topped with basil cole slaw and pickles. Switch it up and replace the chicken with fish instead, and be sure to enjoy with a cup of gumbo or a side of fries or greens.

Look out for the “I Love (heart) Tortas” sign, and you’ll know you’re in the right spot. As the name implies, this Spring Branch shop prides itself on its bad-ass tortas with buttery, toasted bread stuffed with tender grilled meats and your choice of toppings. Try the favorite spicy and sweet Hawaiian, which is decked out with ham, pork chop, and grilled pineapple, and pair it with a thirst-quenching melon agua fresca.

A passion project for MasterChef winner Christine Ha and her husband, this new Spring Branch joint is an ode to their deep appreciation of sandwiches. Find nostalgia-inducing combinations like the crustless Humpty Dumpty egg salad sandwich, a crunchy tuna salad sandwich packed with potato chips, plus hot sandwiches including a gooey triple cheese grilled cheese, a Belly smash burger, and a Sichuan hot chicken sandwich. Make it full meal with tater tots or potato chips.

As their name would suggest, this spot’s fresh-baked sourdough serves as the perfect vehicle for your favorite sandwich. Offering a bevy of classic french dips, cracked pepper turkey, and a killer chicken salad, World of Sourdough has it all.

This Cuban- and Mexican-inspired fast food joint touts a lengthy menu including specialty tortas for under $10.  Served on warm, toasted bolillo bread, you’ll find a variety of options from ropa vieja, traditional Cuban braised beef, to an all-veggie option with refried beans, poblano, mushroom, avocado, fresh onion, and cilantro topped with habanero mayo. 

Keeping to Southern and Gulf Coast traditions, this new Midtown restaurant offers exciting sandwich combos, including a Smashed Boudin melt, with boudin pepper jack cheese, melted onions, and pickled jalapenos on Texas toast, plus a slather of its comeback sauce. Diners can also find fully dressed po’boys with your choice of shrimp, oysters, or soft-shell crab, and the blue crab patty-stuffed Biloxi Vancleave Special, an ode to what was once the least expensive sandwich in Louisiana.

Come for a bottle of your favorite booze or a six-pack of something seasonal, but stay for a Boar’s Head sandwich from this Midtown staple. The menu covers all the bases from hot to cold subs, but the muffuletta reigns supreme. Black Forest ham, hard salami, and provolone are covered in olive tapenade that will send you to Cajun heaven.

Houston’s all-day café, with an ever-growing list of locations, boasts some of the best bready sandwiches in town. The breakfast menu will have you begging for a croque madame, with classic white bread filled with jambon de Paris, gruyère, swiss, jalapeño béchamel, and a jammy egg. Lunch calls for the Texas club. With smoked turkey, applewood smoked bacon, bibb lettuce, tomato, swiss cheese, avocado, and peppercorn aioli, this sandwich will give you enough energy to take you through the rest of the work day.

This chic wine bar in Montrose brings more than bubbly. The stars of its food menu are the sandwiches, each made with deli-style meats and top-notch condiments, like the lemon rosemary turkey breast sandwich that’s coated with turmeric goat butter or the PAT, with ciabatta that’s piled with crispy prosciutto, arugula, tomato, and goat cheese spread. What could certainly be the greatest of all time is the GOAT, an Italian-style sandwich with a 14-inch baguette that’s layered with 18 ingredients, including Genoa salami, mortadella bologna, applewood smoked ham, pepperoni, capocollo di calabria, provolone and American cheeses, plus a slew of condiments.

Local Foods’ crunchy chicken sandwich is integral to Houston’s sandwich scene. The harmonious marriage of perfectly thin chicken, potato chips, fresh tomato, creamy buttermilk ranch, and pickles between a pretzel bun make for the perfect meal at lunch or dinner.

This Westchase newbie brings inspired Peruvian Japanese food to H-Town, resulting in a fusion of incredible twists on familiar classics, like spicy tuna rolls and perfectly fresh ceviches. Don’t miss the pan con chicharron, a Sunday Peruvian staple, made of braised pork belly, sweet potato, rocoto aioli, shiso, and sarza Criolla.

Aside from mezze, flavorful protein bowls, salads, and Maneesh, or Lebanese flatbreads, including pies topped with zaatar, this Mediterranean restaurant specializes in pita sandwiches. Choose between pitas stuffed with shredded rotisserie chicken, ground beef kafta patties, chickpea fritter with tahini sauce, or a veggie pita filled with lentils and hummus. Most sandwiches come with roasted potatoes, red cabbage, tomatoes, pickles, and lettuce for a refreshing and crunchy boost.

This Rice Village gem does a fish sandwich complete justice, tucking a piece of crunchy, flaky fried grouper between two soft buns. Topped with cabbage, with tomato condiment, and a velvety caper aioli, this grouper number comes with a side of crispy French fries.