11 Sandwiches That Make Burgers Look Ordinary

Burgers might grab the spotlight, but these eleven sandwiches walk right past the velvet rope. Each one has more personality, better balance, and enough confidence to make the burger look like the understudy.

Steak Bomb

A steak bomb sandwich that is open face where you can see all of the ingredients.
Maddy Alewine/Them Bites

Loaded with steak, peppers, onions, and provolone, the steak bomb from New England doesn’t just outshine burgers—it obliterates them. It’s messy, hot, and unapologetically over the top.

Get the recipe here.

Pastrami Burger

pastrami burger
Maddy Alewine/Them Bites

Utah decided a single meat wasn’t enough, so they stacked pastrami on top of a burger patty. It’s indulgent, salty, and perfectly overbuilt—the definition of doing too much, correctly.

Get the recipe here.

Burnt Ends Sandwich

burnt ends sandwich
Maddy Alewine/Them Bites

Kansas City doesn’t play small ball. The burnt ends sandwich brings chunks of caramelized brisket, sticky barbecue sauce, and pure smokehouse swagger.

Get the recipe here.

Chicken Fried Steak Sandwich

chicken fried steak
Maddy Alewine/Them Bites

Texas transformed comfort food into a handheld weapon. A slab of fried steak with cream gravy inside a sandwich? Burgers could never.

Get the recipe here.

Italian Beef Sandwich

A hand holds an Italian Beef Sandwich filled with sliced beef, mozzarella cheese, pickled carrots, red peppers, and yellow pepper rings on a sub roll.
Maddy Alewine/Them Bites

Chicago’s Italian beef is soaked, spicy, and always dripping onto your plate. It’s everything burgers aren’t—bold, messy, and alive with energy.

Get the recipe here.

Brisket Sandwich

Sliced smoked brisket sandwich with a charred edge, served alongside pickles, raw onion slices, two slices of white bread, and a small cup of barbecue sauce on a brown paper surface.
Maddy Alewine/Them Bites

Low and slow wins the race every time. Texas brisket sandwiches pile smoky slices so tender they’d fall apart if not for the bread holding it all together.

Get the recipe here.

Hot Brown Sandwich

A cast iron skillet with three pieces of chicken hot brown, topped with melted cheese and bacon, sits on a white cloth on a wooden surface.
Maddy Alewine/Them Bites

Louisville’s Hot Brown isn’t just food—it’s an experience. Layers of turkey, bacon, and creamy Mornay sauce, baked until golden, leave burgers looking plain.

Get the recipe here.

Cuban Sandwich

A close-up of two hands holding a halved Cubano, showing layers of roast pork, ham, Swiss cheese, pickles, and mustard between toasted bread.
Maddy Alewine/Them Bites

Pressed, crispy, and perfectly balanced, Miami’s Cuban sandwich hits every note: salty pork, smoky ham, sharp mustard, and pickles. It’s what precision tastes like.

Get the recipe here.

Jucy Lucy

A person holds a Juicy Lucy Burger cut in half, revealing melted cheese, lettuce, pickles, tomato, and ground beef between two golden buns. The filling is juicy and layered with fresh vegetables.
Maddy Alewine/Them Bites

Minneapolis put cheese inside the burger and made history. The molten core of the Jucy Lucy is equal parts innovation and risk management—burn your tongue, no regrets.

Get the recipe here.

Steamed Burger

A plate featuring a classic hot beef sandwich: two slices of bread piled with shredded roast beef and brown gravy, served with a scoop of mashed potatoes smothered in rich gravy.
Maddy Alewine/Them Bites

Connecticut’s steamed burger is the quiet genius of the East Coast. No char, no grill marks—just tender beef that melts instead of chews. Subtlety never looked so confident.

Get the recipe here.

Hot Beef Sandwich

Maddy Alewine/Them Bites

This Midwest powerhouse drowns roast beef and bread in gravy, turning lunch into a full-blown meal. It’s the sandwich equivalent of a winter survival plan.

Get the recipe here.

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