For the purposes of this list, I’m narrowing it down to sandwiches that come on some form of roll, rather than sliced bread. This will render some crowd favorites, like the Stepmother from Cosa Buona, ineligible. When I first wrote about the sandwich in 2020, it was served on a ciabatta roll. Now, the meats are piled onto sliced focaccia. It’s still an excellent sandwich, just not on this list.

Lorenzo California, home to some of the most excellent Italian sandwiches on the planet, is also not on this list.

And that place everyone loves that slides a third slice of bread into the middle of the sandwich? It eats like a Big Mac sub. It’s not for me.

The following is a guide to my favorite Italian subs, in alphabetical order. Don’t make me pick a single favorite. And if yours isn’t on here, I’m sure you’ll let me know.