Chicago Pope

Does the Windy City blow when it comes to sandwiches?

Author

Club:Sandwich
May 14, 2025

As you may have heard, we finally have an American Pope. We did it. He hails from the South Side of one of our most cherished food cities, Chicago. As such we thought it was a good time to do a Chicago sandwich deep dive. 

But wait! While Chicago is a beloved food city, does it have great sandwiches? Our friend Jerry, who was born and raised there, isn’t so sure. That shocked me. 

What about the famous Chicago Dog? It’s probably the most sandwich-like of any hot dog based on the sheer amount of stuff piled on top. - “Too much stuff. Not even clear it should count.”

Ok. What about the Italian Beef? - “No, Chef. Too soggy.”

OK Jerry, This doesn’t look appealing - but Business Insider posted an article saying this was one of Chicago’s best, and if there’s one thing Business Insider knows about - it’s sandwiches?

How about the highly touted “Mr. G” from J.P. Graziano Grocery? - “Mediocre. The bread is kinda bland.”

Hard to be too mad at this very well reviewed sandwich that features marinated artichokes, but the ratio of bread and lettuce to meat and cheese is questionable.

Jerry was sounding a bit picky, so we did some outside research with funding recently received from The Vatican (we used Reddit), and for the first time we’re sharing the results of that research:

  • “Has he never gotten a pepper and egg sandwich on a Friday during lent? He should.”

This is basically an alternative to the Italian Beef that’s popular on Fridays during lent. I wish we would’ve posted this sooner because lent just ended, but there’s always next year. Anyhow, I’d eat this and the pope approves.

  • “JT’s Sandwich Shop, that's all you need. It's one of the only places I know of to get a breaded pork tenderloin!”

Ooh we like the look of this one a lot. 

  • “Ricobene’s breaded steak.” This was the most recommended sandwich in the research. It does not look even remotely appetizing, but we trust that Chicago Reddit wouldn’t steer us wrong.

We don’t judge a sandwich by what it looks like on the outside, but rather what it tastes like once it’s inside.

  • “Clearly Jerry has never heard of the jibarito.”

“The Jibarito is a Puerto Rican sandwich that uses fried plantains instead of bread. This one is stuffed with thinly sliced steak, and we’re told “it f*%king rules.”

What have we learned from this deep dive? Hard to say but, despite Jerry's skepticism, Chicago's sandwich scene seems diverse and inventive. From the classic-but-soggy Italian Beef to the breadless jibarito, the Windy City has a distinct mark on the sandwich world. 

Ok, now I’m starving. Jerry, you should be all set for at least a week or two. 

Until next time.

 

Club:Sandwich is the world's first ever members-only club for sandwich lovers (as far as you know). Together we discover, order, make, eat, and discuss sandwiches while building the largest, most comprehensive database of sandwiches ever. Grab or make a sandwich and then share it with us by adding it to the Million Sandwich Database. Uploading sandwiches will earn you points that have no value and cannot be used in any way.