The best sandwich shops in Austin

Sink your teeth into one of the artisanal sandwiches at Lox, Box & Barrel and you’ll immediately know it was worth a drive to the edge of southwest Austin. The Reuben, made with Akashi house corned beef and house kraut, is a must, but you also wouldn’t be wrong to order a French Dip made with Akashi house roasted beef or a BLT using house smoked bacon. Almost everything is made in house here, but New World Bakery bakes the bread, and all the bagels (used for cream cheese and lox or egg and cheese sandwiches), are flown in daily from New York. Dinner is now available Thursday through Saturday, with daily specials announced on Facebook.

Though they maintain a menu of classic deli sandwiches (from liverwurst to egg salad to PBJ), there’s no finer place to wrap your hands around an Italian sub than Little Deli. This Crestview neighborhood deli and restaurant, owned by Tony Villani, specializes in Jersey-style hoagies  (on 6-inch regular buns or 12-inch large buns), layered with high quality cold cuts, shredded lettuce and red wine vinaigrette, plus hot subs stuffed with hearty meatballs and thinly-sliced, cheese-drenched Philly steaks.

The only way to improve the melted perfection of a grilled cheese sandwich is by enjoying one for a good cause. After teaching English in the Dominican Republic and meeting Haitians affected by the earthquake, 16-year-old Anna Hutto decided to open a food trailer and donate 100 percent of the profits to the International Justice Mission, a group which empowers people in third world countries to lift themselves out of poverty. Not only are the sandwiches here reasonably priced, but they’re one of a kind, too. Enjoying a grilled mac sandwich (melted shells, marinated bacon, onion crisps and house queso on artisan sourdough) never felt so good.

If there’s anything Austin needs more of in this town, it’s Jewish delis. Luckily, Biderman’s saw that need and came to the rescue, opening in a former NeWorlDeli in Far West. Enjoy chewy housemade corned beef Reubens, hot French dip sandwiches on crusty bread and even veggie creations like a matzo ball sandwich on rye or the pesto potato topped with cheese and greens. And, of course, there’s plenty of Dr. Brown’s soda and black and white cookies in stock. Do note that Biderman’s is not, in fact, kosher, so the nearby deli inside the Far West H-E-B will continue to serve that community need.

Texas French Bread has been providing Austin with freshly baked, rustic bread since opening in West Campus in 1981, serving simple lunch sandwiches like roasted turkey on whole wheat sourdough, smoked ham and Swiss on amber rye sourdough and a vegetarian sandwich on foccacia. The $12 daily lunch special comes with a half sandwich, cookie, drink and a side (green salad, soup of the day or fruit).

One of the most important elements of Austin's trailer boom was that it gave many old-school chefs an opportunity to flex their culinary muscles on their own terms. Luke's evolved from a culinary biz that serviced venues like ACL Live, bringing a seasoned chef-centric approach to otherwise stoner-ish hot grilled sandwiches. The burger is one of the girthiest in town, and the Pressed Pig—jerk pork, mortadella, swiss—is hoagie bomb that'll put you in a food coma for hours (worth it).