If two is a coincidence, and three is a trend, the 11 nominees for Best Sandwich — a wildcard category at this year's CultureMap San Antonio Tastemaker Awards — argue that Alamo City’s delis stack up to its acclaimed taquerías.

The list of lunchtime favorites tells the story of a city shedding its small-town roots. From Philly cheesesteaks to toasty Cubans to tortas ahogadas that drip on our lap, San Antonio now has an international palate that embraces almost anything stuffed between two slices of bread.

While our esteemed panel of expert judges sinks their teeth into the ballot, make sure you snag your ticket to our annual Tastemaker Awards ceremony and signature tasting event at the Briscoe Museum on May 14. A limited number of discounted First Dibs tickets are still available for both general admission ($50) and VIP ($85, which includes perks like early admission and a dedicated bar). Prices will increase after March 31, so don't delay.

Now that that’s settled, consider doing your own field research into San Antonio’s electric dining and nightlife scenes by following our special editorial series. Read more about the many layers of the 11 nominees for Best Sandwich 2026 below:

Beacon Hill Market & Deli
Maray McChesney and Matt McLaughlin, the married duo behind Bexar Tonics, brought their lifelong dream of an East Coast deli to Beacon Hill in 2023, flying in Amoroso hearth-baked rolls from New Jersey. But don’t mistake them for carpet-baggers. The Philly cheesesteak isn’t slathered with Cheez Whiz. That’s Ricos gourmet nacho cheese sauce, thank you very much.

Bilia Eatery frequently offers specials, like this swordfish sandwich on a potato bun.Bilia Eatery/ Facebook

Bilia Eatery
This Castle Hills spot brings sazon to all of its Pan-Latin dishes, from lomo saltado to simple black beans and rice. Still, we can’t stop ordering the Cuban. It starts with slow-roasted pork shoulder marinated in bitter orange mojo, before the ham, Swiss, and house-made pickles hit the French roll. It’s a day-long process, gone in mere minutes, but we bet you won’t be able to get it out of your head.

Extra Fine
The two locations of this bakery — in Monte Vista and Southtown — aren’t exactly minimalist when it comes to sandwiches. Culinary team Jessica and John Philpot turned French onion soup into a grilled cheese. Apricots, burnt grapes, cashews, and roasted tomatoes combine into a chicken salad that would make any Junior Leaguer weep. However, they only need three ingredients to stop time: Bayonne ham, good butter, and a caramelized baguette.

Gigi's Deli
Before 2021, Chef Matt Garcia was busy building a career at The Cookhouse and Barbaro. Then he shattered his leg. In the long hours of bingeing TV and eating takeout, the injury spawned an idea: San Antonio really should have better sandwiches. Since then, he has held a residency at Little Death and pop-ups all over town. Now, the permanent home at El Tigre Coffee in St. Paul Square proves the thesis still has (excuse us) solid bones. The Italian Disco, a throbbing pulse of mortadella, prosciutto, salami, and pepper relish, can be a daily affirmation.

Gino's Deli
The self-described "worst best-kept secret in San Antonio" has been making Philly cheesesteaks out of a Huebner Road convenience store for nearly 30 years. In those decades, now-owner Aleem Chaudhry has kept piling on new options, named after longtime patrons like “Dirty Derrick” or “Rabbi Scott.” We won’t offend a local by choosing whose creation is best, but we will say Brad’s mix of smoked turkey, pepperoni, provolone, and egg is truly “bad a$.”

RoHo Pork & Bread
Wear your crisp guayabera; style that blazer with a Beefy-T. Who cares if your dress whites soon look like one of Jackson Pollock’s angriest paintings? Chef Jorge Rojo's tortas ahogadas — slow-cooked carnitas on crusty birote sourdough, drenched in chile de arbol sauce — are vibrant, peppery, unctuous, near miraculous. Let them drip, drip, drip like no dry cleaner is watching.

Smack's Chicken Shack has already won the chicken sandwich wars.Smack's Chicken Shack/ Instagram

Smack's Chicken Shack
Let the national chains fight out their chicken wars with soggy breading and half-baked buns. We’re banging the drums for this St. Mary’s food truck. Chef Keenen Hendricks starts with a Nashville hot sandwich that sizzles as much as anything found outside the Ryman Auditorium. But things get interesting when he strays from the map. The Cheesy Thai somehow blends dairy and a sweet chili sauce. The PB&J triages the taste buds with peanut butter and blackberry jalapeno jam.

Station Cafe
First, let’s pour one out. This Southtown institution is temporarily closed as it prepares to move down South Flores Street. While we have no idea what the new digs will look like, we do know what won’t be changing — the encyclopedic selection of sandwiches, the always affordable prices, and the tendency to scorch San Antonio with fiery offerings like the Turkey Chupacabra and the ghost pepper haunted Pele’s Fire.

The Newstand
Extra, extra! That seems to be the theme of Dez Rodriguez and Page Pressley’s downtown shop. Yes, there’s a journalism theme woven throughout, but the headlines come from the amount of care the team puts into each sandwich. The bread is fresh-baked daily, filled with intriguing ingredients like broccoli rabe, avocado crema, and Wagyu beef cheeks. Still, they know when not to mess with a byline. The mayo is Duke’s.

The Wicked Wich
This Woodlawn Lake deli is hardly polite. Chef and owner Feliza Salazar defies physics with the sheer amount of ingredients she stuffs in each bite. And there are no shrinking violets on the menu. The Wemby Stack weighs in at a half pound, with four meats and three cheeses, while the Rodeo Clown embraces the sting of a pepper relish. Even the classics refuse to be mild-mannered. The Reuben, with what appears to be a fistful of sauerkraut, proves why villains are always more fun.

Zito's Deli
The family-owned institution has been at it since 1975, now with locations in Babcock and Broadway. Though it serves delicious deli standards like corned beef and tuna, let's get down to brass tacks. The Serious Sandwiches, family matriarch Fran Zito’s flatbread riff on the muffaletta, has earned its place in the pantheon.

The Newstand/ Facebook

A headline-worthy sandwich from The Newstand.

---

The Tastemaker Awards ceremony is sponsored in San Antonio by NXT LVL EVENT, Maker's Mark, and more to be announced. A portion of the proceeds will benefit our nonprofit partner, Culinaria.