Jacksonville’s best sandwiches: 10 standout picks to try

Have you eaten 200 sandwiches yet this year?

Surveys show that's how many sandwiches the average American eats annually, with almost half of us eating one on any given day. That's a lot of grilled cheeses, ham-on-ryes and Philly subs.

In Jacksonville, you don't have to look too hard to find a great sandwich. We sampled a bunch, dug through previous Times-Union reporting and online menus and reviews, and came up with a list of sandwiches that are worth a try.

Angie's Subs, 1436 Beach Blvd., Jacksonville Beach; 299-1 Atlantic Blvd., Atlantic Beach; angiessubs.net 

Ask anyone at the Beaches where you can get a good sandwich, and they're likely to point you to Angie's, which has locations in Jax Beach and Atlantic Beach. We're tempted by the Jack Del Rio sub on the menu, named for a former Jaguars coach, but that Philly Sub, with sautéed onions, peppers and mushrooms over thin-sliced steak and provolone, is something special. 

The Bearded Pig, 1808 Kings Ave., thebeardedpigbbq.com 

Brisket is notoriously difficult to cook properly, so if you find a place that does it well, consider yourself lucky. At the Bearded Pig in San Marco, the brisket sandwich comes with way too much meat. You could get macaroni and cheese, collard greens or potato salad as your side, but the slaw really is the way to go.  

Sub Cultured, 10 Donner Road in Atlantic Beach, subculturedsubs.com 

OK, there might be better sandwiches on the menu at Sub Cultured (the Miami Cuban, for instance), but how can you not love a sandwich called the Bulgogi Hoagie? It's grilled, with Korean-marinated steak, Havarti cheese, onions and gochujang aioli.  

Found at various restaurants around Jacksonville  

If Jacksonville has a "signature" sandwich, surely it must be the humble camel rider. The sandwich, a pita sack stuffed with sliced deli meat (usually ham, salami and bologna) with a touch of lettuce, tomato and cheese and a bit of dressing, is a great one-handed sandwich, at least at the start. There are vegetarian versions, but if you stray too far from the simple ingredients, it's not a camel rider anymore. You can find riders on the menu at dozens of lunch places around town, including The Sheik Sandwiches and Subs (where the sandwich probably got its name), the Goal Post Sandwich Shop, Southern Grill and Noura's. Pinegrove Deli has a "camel ryder" on its menu, and the Desert Rider downtown offers a "desert rider."  

Clara's Tidbits, 1076 Hendricks Ave., 8535 Baymeadows Road, 12276 San Jose Blvd. and 2349 Village Square Parkway, Fleming Island, clarastidbits.com 

This is comfort food on bread, plain and simple. The house-made chicken salad has been a favorite at Tidbits since they opened in the mid-'80s. It's most commonly served on pita, but you can get it on any bread you like, and if you catch the right day, you can find it part of a combo with potato salad, lemon cake and a drink.  

You might be able to find a better sandwich in a place that only makes sandwiches. But if you're in a hurry and already in the store, a Pub Sub isn't a bad choice. For this one, they squeeze as many chopped-up Publix chicken tenders as they can on a sub roll, then add whatever cheese and veggies you want on top. Try the Lemon Garlic Aioli to add a little spice.  

The French Pantry, 6301-1 Powers Ave., Jacksonville; 36 Granada St., St. Augustine; thefrenchpantryfl.com  

The French Pantry, which has been serving lunch across the street from Wolfson High School for decades, expanded to St. Augustine last year, where a dinner menu is now available. But whichever location you choose, don't overlook the French dip, a traditional roast beef and provolone on a hoagie bun, with a side of au jus for dipping. 

Le Petit Paris French Cafe, 9965 San Jose Blvd., 14474 Beach Blvd., 7111 Bentley Road, 363 Atlantic Blvd. in Atlantic Beach, 831 A1A North in Ponte Vedra Beach, lepetitepariscafe.com 

In Paris, Montmartre is home to the original Moulin Rouge and the iconic Sacré-Cœur Basilica. In Jacksonville, it's memorialized in a sandwich featuring rotisserie chicken, bacon, roasted red peppers, zucchini and squash, served on a baguette with spicy aioli sauce.  

European Street Café in Riverside, San Marco and Jacksonville Beach, europeanstreet.com 

Something magical happens when you pile corned beef, Swiss cheese, sauerkraut and Thousand Island dressing on rye, creating one of the tastiest — and messiest — sandwiches known to man. E Street, which recently announced plans to open in Riverfront Plaza in downtown Jacksonville, also offers Reubens with pastrami, turkey or vegetarian sausage.

Maple Street Biscuit Company, locations in San Marco, Point Meadows and Fleming Island, maplestreetbiscuits.com 

Get this one while you can, because Maple Street was sold (again) this summer to new owners, Biscuit Belly. They plan to rebrand the remaining Maple Street locations by the end of 2028, so the Squawking Goat may be on its last legs (although Biscuit Belly offers the G.O.A.T., which is similar). The sandwich, which the Food Network loved in an episode of "Coast to Coast Indulgences," consists of fried chicken, a goat-cheese medallion and pepper jelly between two biscuit halves, and makes for a great breakfast. 

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jacksonville's best sandwiches: 10 standout picks to try