It’s the crowned King of Lunch. The perfect combination of utility and nutrition. Arguably the best handheld invention since we developed thumbs. I speak, of course, of the sandwich.
It’s a food so ubiquitous that it has iterations across the globe—some would even welcome a taco or lettuce wrap in the royal court of the sandwich. They’re all delicious, but here, I’ll limit myself to those served between bread, and in Ann Arbor.
Here, in no particular order, is my list of the Ten Best Sandwiches in Ann Arbor. Disclosure: I’m a dayshift sandwich engineer at one of these places. (You’ll have to read on to see which one.)
Ready? Let’s bite into it.
Zingerman’s Corned Beef Reuben
No list of Ann Arbor sandwiches could ever be complete without a mention of the Zingerman’s Reuben. One of the most recognizable businesses in town, Zingerman’s has eleven connected Ann Arbor–based affiliates and partners (Bakehouse, Creamery, and Miss Kim’s, to name a few) with more than 800 employees, and a signature sandwich that’s as close to perfection as it gets.
This corned beef sandwich sets the standard of in-house and locally made assembly. Whole brisket corned beef and Emmental Swiss cheese, both freshly sliced from Zingerman’s deli. Sauerkraut from Chelsea’s own the Brinery. Hand-cut traditional Jewish rye bread straight from the Bakehouse. Flavors bound together with time-honored techniques, many hands, and a Russian dressing that tastes both familiar and exciting.
“The corned beef in the Reuben is unlike corned beef anywhere else,” explains kitchen manager and sandwich chef Mike Varney. “We use whole brisket corned beef instead of flat and lean cuts to preserve the marblings and texture that give the sandwich its signature flavor.”
With great staples like the corned beef Reuben, it’s no surprise that Zingerman’s Community of Businesses is continuing to grow. “We just renovated the Roadhouse patio with air-conditioning, heat, skylights, and nicer seating,” reports cofounder Ari Weinzweig. The newest member joined the community in August 2025: “Little Kim, a small vegetarian quick-service wing of Miss Kim.
Zingerman’s Delicatessen. 422 Detroit St., (734) 663–3354. zingermansdeli.com
Ricewood Brisket Sandwich
“Barbecue is something that can be done haphazardly,” explains Ricewood cofounder Gabe Golub, “but to do it well it takes time, talent, and effort.” | Mark Bialek
If you’re talking about Ann Arbor barbecue, you gotta talk about Ricewood. Founded by brothers Frank Fejeran and Gabe Golub, Ricewood started as a food truck behind Ann Arbor’s premier study/meetup/wine-and-lunch space, York. Reflecting Fejeran’s heritage on the Pacific island of Guam, they’re best known for their rice bowls, but the chopped brisket sandwich is a must-have.
They start with bone-in pork shoulder with a perfect meat-to-fat ratio, smoke it overnight with a salt-and-pepper rub, and top it with barbecue sauce (an obvious choice), but also an Asian-inspired, rice wine vinegar-and-gochujang aioli. Pickled red onion joins the party beneath the roof of a soft brioche bun.
“Barbecue is something that can be done haphazardly,” explains Golub, “but to do it well it takes time, talent, and effort. We’ve got it down to a science, not relying solely on temperature and time, but instinct.”
Ricewood. 1928 Packard, (734) 436–4163. 245 N. Maple, (734) 929–5405. ricewoodbbq.com
Frita Batidos Chorizo Frita
Frita Batidos is Ann Arbor’s home for Cuban street food–inspired heaven on earth… drawing on West African, North American, Cuban, and Vietnamese cuisines.
The best frita, in my opinion, is the chorizo, but you can also have it with a black bean patty, beef, chicken, or fish. The basic version is topped with shoestring fries and ensconced in a soft egg bun, but you can/should add one of the many available toppings (tropical slaw and fresh jalapeño best complement the chorizo).
While you wait, grab a seat at one of the communal picnic tables and enjoy the backdrop of bright white walls, streaks of sky blue, warm wooden accents, and townie-favorite exposed brick. Maybe play a game of dominoes—there’s a set at every table, complete with instructions for beginners. Waiters circulating the restaurant will call out your name when your custom frita, served tall on a banana leaf, is ready.
“The most important thing to us is to nurture people through food, and that includes our community within Frita and extending from it,” says chef-owner Eve Aronoff Fernandez. “Cooking, visiting, and eating together … we aren’t trying to do something different for the point of doing something different, but just paying attention to the flavors and texture and making food with care and hoping to make people happy through that.”
Frita Batidos. 117 W. Washington, (734) 761–2882. fritabatidos.com
Jerusalem Garden Falafel Sandwich
At Jerusalem Garden, the falafel starts with garbanzo beans soaked overnight with parsley, onion, and jalapeño. To take it to the next level, our writer recommends adding hummus and fattoush. | Mark Bialek
Founded in 1987, Jerusalem Garden made a name for itself in Ann Arbor with from-scratch falafel in a market that, at the time, had very little Middle Eastern representation. Today, Jerusalem Garden—described on its website as a “corner of Palestine in the heart of Ann Arbor”—is still a go-to place for people seeking healthy, hearty, and tasty Middle Eastern fare.
“We always want to meet expectations,” says Ali Ramlawi, owner and son of founder Ribhi Ramlawi. “To do that we simply believe in ourselves and create something true with quality ingredients and people.”
The falafel starts with garbanzo beans soaked overnight with parsley, onion, and jalapeño. They shape and fry it, and serve it in a pita wrap with romaine lettuce, tomato, and tahini. To take it to the next level, I recommend adding hummus and fattoush.
It’s a meatless powerhouse that dieters, vegetarians, and environmentalists can all enjoy—a fact not lost on Ramlawi. “People who do not eat meat are often challenged to find something that makes them feel satiated,” he says. “This sandwich makes me feel full with energy levels that don’t crash.”
Jerusalem Garden. 314 E. Liberty. (734) 995–5060. jerusalemgarden.net
Ginger Deli Vegan Banh Mi
Eating at Ginger Deli inspires the question: can food be art? Their vegan banh mi earns its place on this list not just for its vivid, bright flavors, but also its superb presentation.
This Vietnamese essential dish starts with a perfectly crisp French baguette layered with long, thin strokes of cucumber and splashes of cilantro, carrot, sweet pickled daikon, and sautéed radish. It’s topped with house-pressed tofu, deliciously accented with garlic aioli, and if you dine in, placed across a canvas of thin white deli paper on a shallow silver tin.
It would almost be hard to take your eyes off a sandwich this beautiful, were it not for the mural on display in the small Liberty St. shop; it was painted by one of the shop’s own staffers. The menu is a work of art too, with pictures of the most popular fare hand-drawn by owner Te Phan.
An automotive designer-turned-classical pianist-turned-sandwich artist, Phan uses from-scratch recipes that have been in his family for years. “The French baguette came to Vietnam when it was a French colony for one hundred years. The Vietnamese made it airy, crispier, and more balanced,” he remarks. “Our dough, which is my uncle’s recipe for sixty years, is made fresh daily in our kitchen on Whitmore Lake Rd.”
Ginger Deli. 203 E. Liberty, (734) 786–1331. gingerdeli.com
Spiedo Zhoug Knight
Spiedo, which opened in September 2023, is the newest Ann Arbor addition on this list, but it’s not owner Brad Greenhill’s first rodeo. He also operates Takoi, a Detroit-based restaurant specializing in high-end Thai food with local ingredients, and he brought this expertise to his latest venture.
The shop and small dining space is the original Jerusalem Garden location, and Greenhill has made it hard to miss: the boxy building pops with shades of minty teal and warm magenta. His menu includes tasty bowls, small plates, and interesting sides, but the Zhoug Knight sandwich tops ’em all. This schawarma-like wrap features zhoug, a Yemeni herbal garlic sauce with serrano peppers, cilantro, coriander, cardamom, and lemon that lands more zesty than spicy on the palate. On-site spit-roasted marinated chicken is the star, with pickled onions and shredded cabbage to round out the cast, all of it wrapped up in griddled flatbread. Greenhill describes the ensemble as “savory, herbaceous, and well-balanced with depth of flavor.”
Spiedo. 307 S. Fifth Ave., (734) 548–6969. spiedoa2.com
Dimo’s Hot Pastrami Sandwich
From the newest on the list to the oldest, Dimo’s Deli & Donuts got its start in 1973 as an Amy Joy’s Doughnuts franchise that eventually became the Dimo’s Deli we love today. The Ann Arbor staple has existed in its current form and location since 1993.
Along with donuts, bagels, Mediterranean fare, and sides by the pound, Dimo’s makes an incredible hot pastrami sandwich. The difference here is the fresh-baked rye combined with in-house sliced hot pastrami, Swiss, coleslaw, and Russian dressing that produces flavors that can only come from family recipes and decades of expertise.
Dimo’s owner, Walid Dimo, is a bombastic, larger-than-life figure—he once asked me if I had friends and then gave me donuts to share with them. When I ask what he does to stay creative in an ever-changing market, he simply replies, “Nothing. We’ve been doing the same stuff we did here fifty-three years ago, some of which with the same equipment. Like most things, if you maintain it, take care of it, even though it may cost you an arm and a leg upfront, it’ll last you forever.”
Dimo’s Deli & Donuts. 2030 W. Stadium, (734) 662–7944. dimosdelianddonuts.com
DiBella’s The Godfather
The next spot on the list is also my current employer—but make no mistake, I am biased by sandwich quality alone. DiBella’s bread roll is never more than a few hours out of the oven, and the much-studied and perfected recipe is crunchy on the outside and cloud-soft on the inside. It comes in four variations: plain, sesame, multigrain, and the absolutely necessary everything, topped with a combination of chia, poppy, and sesame seeds, plus pretzel and garlic salts.
As far as what goes on the bread, the franchise flagship Godfather features a combination of Genoa salami, capicola, and hot ham, a group of meats so spicy, so piquant, so savory, that it’s our most popular sandwich. All DiBella’s subs are fully customizable with more than twenty toppings and condiments, but a simple lettuce, tomato, and onion build will work just fine, especially when paired with DiBella’s famous oil—a take on Italian dressing that complements all flavors perfectly.
“At DiBella’s, making the perfect sandwich isn’t just what we do, it’s who we are,” says president Peter Fox. “We are grateful to be part of this amazing community and proud to serve up subs that start with the best rolls in the business.”
DiBella’s Subs. 904 W. Eisenhower, (734) 997–9011. dibellas.com
Biercamp Backwoods Brisket Sandwich
Like most of the places on this list, Biercamp boasts scratch cooking and in-house recipes. What sets it apart is its wooded backcountry flair, a location close enough to tailgate the stadium—oh, and it’s the only place in town where you can order elk, bison, boar, and quail.
“People are more likely to try different types of meats if they are in a form they can recognize like a hot dog,” observes owner Walt Hansen.
For those with a less adventurous palate, the best pick on the menu is certainly the Backwoods Brisket Sandwich. The crown jewel of their sandwich menu, it’s a sweet and savory mix of barbecue, pickled onions, coleslaw, sweet jalapeño, and mustard, all on a toasted brioche bun. Its generous portion size means it’s served nearly open, so before digging in, you might want to grab a fork for backup.
Funny story: Biercamp was originally intended as a jerky shop, and only started serving sandwiches after over-ordering pulled pork.
Biercamp. 1643 S. State, (734) 995–2437. bier-camp.com
Side Biscuit The BLT$
Buffalo, NY may be the birthplace of the buffalo wing, but Ann Arbor is the birthplace of the Side Biscuit BLT$. | Mark Bialek
It’s hard to remember a time when chicken wings weren’t a major force in the American dining experience. Like spinning straw into gold, innovative chefs elevated the undesirable, and therefore inexpensive, part of the chicken with the addition of herbs, spices, and ingenuity (and maybe a pinch of marketing). There are few that know this better than Side Biscuit’s owner Jordan Balduf, himself a native of the birthplace of the buffalo wing. (Buffalo, NY, in case you were wondering.)
Thanks to Balduf, Ann Arbor is the birthplace of the BLT$—open-face and ready for its closeup with a Costanzo’s bread roll, provolone, Nueske’s bacon, Kewpie mayo, lettuce, lemon pepper seasoning, and fried chicken tenders that are as crunchy on the outside as they are juicy on the inside. It’s a sandwich constructed with many hands and minds. “Part of our success is due to the culture of collaboration, not competition,” says Balduf. “We share staff, ideas, resources, and clientele.”
And come this fall, they’ll be sharing space with Mothfire Brewing. Side Biscuit is expanding its brand with a new food truck parked outside the W. Ellsworth taproom. They’re calling it, aptly enough, WestSide Biscuit.
Side Biscuit. 1232 Packard, (734) 531–6777. sidebiscuit.com
Ann Arbor’s dining scene is a hub of cultural exchange, collaboration, and presentation, and nothing embodies that like the sandwich. It’s a culinary collage. A mosaic of elements and flavors with culture and appetite as its muses. Am I waxing poetic? Forgive me, after writing about so many fine sammies,
I’m hungry.
Love the vivid descriptions of the sandwiches!
Really like the article and selection. I’ve got to more for the list: Weber’s prime rib and Izzy’s cheesesteak.