I’ve done a few food genre posts about my favorite tacos and pizza around Tampa and Brandon, so I thought it was time to do a blog post chatting up my favorite sandwiches! I will warn you there are a few fast food sandwiches included in this entry but I assure you their worthy of being posted on my blog! I think I should also preface that I’m not a Chick-fil-A fan. Yeah I said it…. not a Chick-fil-A fan! So when it comes down to my favorite chicken sandwich there will be no mention of Chick-fil-A at all in this blog post!
Let’s start this sandwich celebration with every Floridians favorite place to get a fresh made sub… Publix Supermarket (Where shopping is a pleasure!!)! This food blogger happens to enjoy the Publix Ultimate Sub, I’m all for splurging at The Boar’s Head ultimate as long as it’s on sale that week otherwise I’ve never found the Publix brand deli meat to be disappointing. You can’t beat the fresh baked sub rolls that they get directly from the bakery, a few feet away from the deli counter. Publix subs are always chock full of fresh sliced high quality deli meat right from the case where you would order it for your weekly sandwiches. They also use top quality vegetables and condiments and you can load it up as far as the eye can see! I love adding mayo, spicy mustard, lettuce, onions, green peppers, banana peppers, Boar’s Head garlic pickles and oil & vinegar with salt & pepper to complete my Ultimate Sub experience! Another plus about ordering a Publix sub, you can skip waiting in the long line and order ahead on your Publix app, then your sub is ready without the wait!
I am a huge chicken salad fan and honestly the plainer the better. I don’t like fruity, fancy fru-fru chicken salad. I enjoy tasting the quality ingredients married together with mayonnaise. Simple and classic is how I like to keep my chicken salad. Basic, if you will. If I don’t make it at home, I enjoy Chicken Salad Chicks Classic Carol chicken salad or their Dill-icious chicken salad. The Dill-icious flavor is a limited seasonal release and was available this summer. It is savory, flavorful and exactly how I make mine at home with pickles. They give you several breads or croissant to choose from and depending on my mood I like the berry wheat bread or a croissant. Side note, I really enjoy getting the combo so I can have a cup of their scrumptious potato soup and sweet little cookie!
https://www.chickensaladchick.com/our-food/restaurant-menu/
First Watches Roast Beef & Havarti sandwich is NO JOKE! They load up the roast beef with horseradish havarti cheese on seriously spectacular grilled Parmesan-crusted sourdough bread with their house special roasted onions and tomato (I 86ed the toms, not a fan!) with lemon dressed arugula. And killer horseradish sauce on the side. I’m a sucker for horseradish sauce on my roast beef sandwiches! But the parm crusted bread seals the deal on this traditional take on a lunchbox classic!I don’t commonly order a sandwich from a sit down breakfast place but we were there during brunch hours and it happened to call to me. Boy am I glad I gave it a try! I washed it down with their lavender lemonade, so refreshing.
Menu
Now we get to the controversial post… The beloved chicken sandwich! Like I prefaced in the beginning of my post, I am not a fan of Chick-fil-A so I can’t compare my favorite chicken sandwiches from two well-known chicken fast food restaurants with everybody’s favorite chicken restaurant icon. I’ll start with Popeyes tender all-white meat chicken breast fillet, marinated in an authentic blend of Louisiana seasonings, then hand battered and breaded in a buttermilk coating. Served with crisp barrel cured pickles and Classic or Spicy Mayonnaise, served on a warm and toasted buttery brioche bun. (This is Popeye’s description on their website, I didn’t adapt their description since it works!) And how can you pass up adding Popeyes delicious seasoned fries or red beans & rice as a side?! These are two of my all-time favorite fast food side dishes! I’ve been known to just order the red beans & rice as my entree.
https://www.popeyes.com/chicken-sandwich
I saved my favorite fast food chicken sandwich for last but trust me it comes in first! PDQ’s Honey Butter Crispy Chicken sandwich is an All-Star! This sandwich is exactly as its name depicts it is dripping with sweet and salty honey butter on a perfectly crispy chicken breast, naturally served with a few pickle slices. I don’t think any of the chicken restaurant giants skimp on pickle chips!! But believe me when I tell you, the honey butter is the unique twist on the sandwich! Make sure you add their fries and extra creamy garlic dip. Sweet peas and carrots, that creamy garlic dip is a game changer! They sell Cheerwine in an icy cold bottle, it accompanies this sandwich perfectly!
Now we get to the next controversial sandwich, this one’s a little more local, the Cuban sandwich. Florida’s unofficial State sandwich is the Cuban sandwich especially in Tampa, where I live. I have several favorites like Broccato’s Sandwich Shop, La Segunda Bakery and Papa Joe’s. But more often than not I’ve been getting my Cuban sandwiches from Moreno Bakery since it’s only a few miles from my house. Sometimes, I opt for convenience versus my normal “travel anywhere for food” attitude. But in the case of Moreno Bakery I really don’t feel like I’m skimping on quality of sandwich because it’s the closest place to order one. They also bake hundreds of loaves of traditional Cuban bread daily so I know that I’m getting the freshest quality bread for my sandwich. Another noteable fact, they make their roasted pork fresh in house. Another plus for Moreno’s sandwich. And who doesn’t love ordering a savory sandwich and being able to grab a sweet treat while they’re at it!
A new Cuban sandwich stop for me is the Strawberry Hut in Plant City. Don’t let the rinky dink appearance of this beloved roadside eatery fool you, they throw down! You’ll get one of the best Cuban sandwiches you’ve ever eaten in eastern Hillsborough County from here! And you can wash it down with one of their famous strawberry milkshakes. I see a pattern as I’m writing this blog post … I definitely enjoy getting a sweet treat from the same place I get my sandwiches from!
https://www.thestrawberryhut.com/
Wrights Gourmet House has been a South Tampa staple since 1963. They serve up notoriously unique sandwiches and top quality cakes, pies and bakery items! Say Wright’s to a local and they’ll finish your thought with Hummingbird cake (their famous banana nut layer cake). I could go on and on about their lusciously rich red velvet cake but then this will turn into a dessert post (which I have plans on writing in the future)! Back to the task at hand, my favorite Wright’s Gourmet House sandwich…. Drum roll please….the Turkey & Pecan Salad sandwich served with thin slivers of red onions on fresh, soft pumpernickel bread! Made fresh before your very eyes. To. Die. For. My parting thoughts on Wright’s is if you go for a sandwich don’t leave without one of their famous desserts and if you go for one of their signature treats don’t leave without a fresh sandwich!
Homepage
For another one of my all time favorite sandwiches, let’s revisit PDQ! They have a limited Fall menu with the most divine thinly pounded, crispy battered turkey breast you’ll ever rest your lips on! They stack two crispy Butterball brand turkey breasts with cranberry relish, herb seasoned mayo and lettuce, all on a toasted potato bun! Oh my goodness does this work! It is truly the best of Thanksgiving with a twist!
Last but not least, and please don’t stop following my blog from this last sandwich but I am a huge Arby’s classic roast beef sandwich fanatic! It definitely does not hold a candle to any of the above sandwiches that I’ve eaten in the past, but this iconic fast food sandwich definitely deserves an honorable mention. There is something so gratifying about slathering on Arby’s Horsey sauce to their warm “unique” roast beef that brings you back to happy childhood memories. And good golly, they have some of the best curly fries out there!!! You cannot go wrong with this classic pair!!! While you’re at it – add on a Jamocha shake or one of their warm turnovers. Yeah, I obviously have a sweet spot for adding on extra treats!
Tell me all about your favorite sandwich shop, even if it’s not in Tampa. I love suggestions and I enjoy hearing what makes the ordinary such as a sandwich extraordinary!
Bon appetit!
Rachel
Tampa Food Mom 