I recently chose the 10 best Italian subs on the DC area on my eponymous blog. I divided them by type of bread grouping in order, Mangialardos , A
Liter I, and Vace among the hard, heavy bread OG group Among lighter hard crust subs, I ranked Gemelli’s and The Italian Store Westover at the top followed by Bub and POP’s, and then Capo Tyson’s and grazie Grazie downtown. And I added Stachowski as a soft roll. I since have heard they now use a crusty roll which would be a big improvement. I hope they’ve made it smaller.
I welcome, as always, comments on my choices and rationale(s). And suggestions for other sub shops
Coming soon. Pastrami sandwiches. And Barbecue. I’ve been asked to turn my. Attention to banh mi and I suppose that would be less fattening than most of my surveys.
Our little town in northern Westchester had a deli cited for making one of the best fresh mozzarellas in the tri-state area. As you might imagine, their Italian heroes, made on arthur ave bread, were otherworldly. Since then, a good homemade mozz has become a major factor in what separates good from great for me.
you are doing God’s work!
best,
ps I think you may have a typo in this line “Old School Italian market. aches high quality meats and cheese.”
pps I don’t want to start a holy war, but is that mayo on your sub?
Thanks, vinouspleasure! I see that Autoincorrect has struck again, and that I shouldn’t post without having Nancy proofread for me.
And yes! that is mayonnaise on that particular sub! The first time I had one from Mangialardo’s, I’d recently been bruised by a couple of really badly dressed subs, so I went with mayonnaise instead. The sub was so good, I didn’t want to change anything. I still don’t, contrary to my otherwise-uniform practice of standard dressing.
To my great surprise, you’re the only one to mention that, so far, although I’ve had well over 3,000 views of the post.
Pardon my butting in, but I just recently read about a vegetarian Italian sub (the Vegitalian) at Court St Grocers in NY that the New Yorker’s Helen Rosner declared to be “New York’s Finest Sandwich.” And it also has a smear of mayo. Maybe something to reconsider?
Interesting article, digga. I’ve had cold eggplant/roasted red pepper subs before and enjoyed them. I’m not sure about sweet potato as a base, but I’m game.
Now I’m thinking of making a pan pagnat. With aioli.
My problem with most places in DC is the bread. So Mangialardo and A. Litteri do not tempt me back.
Grazie Grazie was started by the same guy who started Taylor Gourmet. TG mostly folded after over-expansion. There is still at least one TG in the area, though I haven’t been in years. They long gave up making a proper roast pork with broccoli rabe and it delved into something pathetic, so they nixed it completely. GG started with making a roast pork sandwich, but it is long gone from their menu. DC is not interested in that sandwich.
We just don’t have that kind of sandwich culture here. Or Italian culture.
born, grew up thru college in the Phila area. live up and down the east coast and two other continents . . . the only place we’ve discovered that makes a really good Italian hoagie is Jersey Mike’s.
they have three locations in the DC area - have you tried them?
I think to a large extent, like pizza, it depends on the style of sub you ate growing up. Here’s what I ate in my teens, as such, Jersey Mike’s doesn’t do it for me.
HappyOnion, yes, I’ve tried Jersey Mike’s, and I certainly can see the appeal. On the other hand, I think that there’s been a major shift to rolls with a good crust, with in hoagies and cheesesteaks in Philadelphia and elsewhere. The commercial (not home-made) hoagie breads available today are lot better than those when I was growing up.
Steve, which Live Crawfish and seafood location has po boy’s? I didn’t see one on the Falls Church menu – or any sign of bread on the chain’s FB or X pages
Yes, the amount of meat is certainly one of the differences.
Other differences include the use of transparently sourced, high quality, imported meats and cheeses, the use of freshly baked, real Italian bread and fantastic, imported hot and sweet peppers, good evoo and balsamic.
With family in the south, everyone cringes at someone’s choice at some point but we can usually find a happy middle ground. I still haven’t had straight mayo on a sandwich of any kind but siracha mayo occasionally finds its way on to a hamburger.
Steve – that’s the one. It looks to be out of Richmond, or perhaps expanding there out of Falls Church. https://www.livecrawfishseafood.com/locations
B that as it may, it’s the elusive bread that interests me.
Is this topic about Italian American style sandwiches or Italian sandwiches more generally?
If it’s the former then it’s a pretty good list if it’s the latter then I’d have a few comments as someone who spent his formative years in Italy eating quite a few sandwiches.
None of these places makes sandwiches I’d associate with Italy itself. Cornucopia in Bethesda, which wasn’t mentioned here comes a lot closer to that in style.
Most of the bread here is a crime against humanity if it’s supposed to be Italian bread of some kind and the way the ingredients (which are themselves not great) are stuffed on is baffling to me.
I’d love to know what other places might make something more like an Italian sandwich (there are several different types of course).
A small US chain called Rosetta (named for the bread most often used in Roman sandwiches which I grew up eating) just opened a shop in Bethesda but I haven’t been yet. I hope they make a decent rosetta!
