The annual CultureMap Tastemaker Awards honor the best in Dallas food and drink, and as part of the program, each year we introduce one wildcard category that highlights a buzzy part of the city's culinary scene.

Our 2026 wildcard category will crown the restaurant that serves Dallas' Best Sandwich. Our expert judging panel has selected 10 top-notch Dallas sandwich shops, ranging from traditional neighborhood delis serving up the classics to newcomers offering fresh and fun twists on the standard sandwich.

Get a taste of our 10 Best Sandwich nominees below, then join us on May 7 at Astoria Event Venue for the 2026 CultureMap Tastemaker Awards. We'll celebrate the finalists and unveil the winners, while you sample chef-prepared bites, sip crafted cocktails, and mingle with Dallas' culinary stars.

Limited discounted tickets are still available for general admission and VIP access, but prices will increase soon, so get yours today. Now, meet the 10 nominees for Best Sandwich in Dallas:

Beyond the Bun
The menu at Beyond the Bun is totally vegan, but that shouldn’t stop even the most devoted carnivore from giving this Lewisville spot a try. Here, the breads are baked fresh, and that’s really half the battle when it comes to a great sandwich. But Beyond the Bun kicks things up a notch by dressing up its faux-turkey and “chicken” sandwiches with accoutrements like dill pickle aioli and fig preserves.

Bread Zeppelin
Born in DFW in 2013, Bread Zeppelin revolutionized the sandwich and the salad by combining them into one wildly popular creation. After hollowing out an artisan baguette, the sandwich pros at this local chain get to work stuffing the carb-y “zeppelins” with all the fixings of a classic Caesar salad or combining steak, crispy jalapeño, and avocado, as seen in the popular Lonestar. In the years following its debut, this spot has become a lunchtime staple, one salad-stuffed loaf at a time.

Deli News Restaurant
New York-style delis aren’t exactly abundant in Dallas-Fort Worth, but Deli News is just about as close as you can get to the real thing without buying a plane ticket. Whether in search of a towering, sauerkraut-laden Reuben or what might be the city’s best tuna melt, this longtime sandwich staple never disappoints. You can also order your custom-sliced sandwich meats to-go to build your own sandwiches at home.

Empire Baking Co.
Any real sandwich aficionado knows that the bread is the most important part, which is why Empire Baking Co.’s sandwiches are always an excellent choice. The grab-and-go options, ranging from pimento cheese on its super-seedy Hippie Health loaf to the simply perfect ham on a French baguette, are among Dallas’ most compelling options for a super-quick lunch. And while slightly more adventurous, the curried chicken salad on raisin pumpernickel is the definition of a sleeper hit.

Goodfriend Package
Sure, it’s a beer store, but there are few better sandwiches to be found in DFW than those at Goodfriend Package. This longstanding East Dallas spot has been slinging its sandwiches for a decade, earning a devoted crowd of fans. At breakfast, dig into an eggy, cheesy biscuit sandwich topped with scrapple, or stop by for lunch and bring your appetite for the meaty (and massive) French dip.

Jimmy’s Food Store
If you ask pretty much any sandwich fan where to find the best in Dallas, they’re going to send you to this East Dallas grocery — and they won’t be wrong. Among the bottles of imported olive oil and canned tomatoes, you’ll find a powerhouse lineup of beloved sandwiches, from the meat-stuffed Italian Stallion to the spicy, mustardy Cuban, that locals are willing to wait in lengthy lines for every single weekend.

Latin Deli
With a menu heavily influenced by Peruvian flavors, the sandwiches at Latin Deli are a little bit different than you’ll find at other sandwich shops across the city. Here, house-cured Peruvian ham is piled atop tangy pickled onions in the griddled butifarra sandwich, and richly spiced lomo saltado is paired with salsa criolla and aji amarillo. Fans of a great tuna sandwich shouldn’t sleep on Latin Deli’s version, either — packed with cilantro, corn, mustard, and avocado, it’s a fun and flavorful departure from the usual.

Mendocino Farms
This Cali-born chain has proven a perfect fit in Dallas’ sandwich scene since arriving in 2020. Known for its super-fresh ingredients and creative flavor pairings, pretty much everything on the menu is a slam-dunk. The real star of the show is the Not-So-Fried chicken sandwich, which pairs shaved chicken and crunchy “krispies” with a tangy slaw and herb aioli. There are also great options for vegetarians here, too, including a veggie-packed banh mi that’s so good you won’t miss the meat.

The Happy Hippie sandwich from Mendocino Farms. Mendocino Farms

Tortas la Hechizera
You’re never too far from Tortas la Hechizera. With more than a dozen locations across Dallas-Fort Worth, it’s easy to score one of this beloved spot’s towering tortas, loaded with meaty options like chorizo, ham, and pork loin, plus plenty of veggies. You can customize yours with fillings of your choice, or go for a pre-set combo like the namesake Hechizera. Either way, there’s no torta on the menu that disappoints.

Trades Delicatessen
If you’re looking to splurge on a great sandwich in DFW, Trades Delicatessen is your destination. You won’t find sandwich-chain prices here, but the decadent French dip, made with hand-shaved ribeye and grilled onions, is absolutely worth the cost. The menu also features a stellar turkey melt, plus housemade pastrami and juicy Italian beef.

---

The CultureMap Tastemaker Awards ceremony is sponsored in Dallas by Maker's Mark, Shutto, NXT LVL Event, Seedlip, Ritual Zero Proof, H-E-B, and more to be announced. A portion of the proceeds will benefit Harvest Project Food Rescue.