Bread Winners

CLEVELAND PICKLE

850 Euclid Ave.,
216-575-1111,
clevelandpickle.com

BOGTROTTER'S DOORSTEP

1848 W. 25th St.,
Cleveland,
216-861-5515

How To Order

Spots fill up quickly at this 18-seat shop, so get there early. Also know that the place has its own terminology. "[It's] kind of like our own pickle language," co-owner Josh Kabat says of the creative toppings that come on some sandwiches. Angry Pickle is a spicy olive relish while Pickle in Middle is a sweet daikon relish.

It's all about the homemade au jus: how much of it you want and where you want it. " 'Dry' means it comes on the side," says chef Nate Williams. " 'Soaked' is fork-and-knife style." He usually recommends his sandwiches "wet," poured over just the meat. Williams also suggests getting the "crunch," or crumbled kettle chips.

Try This

Kabat recommends the Classic Pickle ($10) for first-timers. "It's our version of an Italian sandwich," he says of the provolone, prosciutto, sopressata, capicola and Angry Pickle-spread sub. His favorite is the Payne Avenue Panini ($9) — a take on a bánh mì with Asian-style meatballs, shredded carrots and Pickle in Middle spread.

Williams traveled to sandwich shop staples in Philadelphia and Chicago to research the art of putting meat between bread. He came home with the idea for the Porkopolis ($9), which has shaved pork loin, provolone and spicy broccoli rabe. "I season the au jus with whole-grain mustard cloves and allspice," Williams says.

Cleveland Tribute

The Clevelander ($10) represents the city's food-forward thinking. It comes with black forest ham, sopressata, smoked turkey, white cheddar, pickle chips and roasted garlic spread. "People are not looking for an average $5 footlong," Kabat says. "They don't mind paying a couple extra dollars."

The Cleveland ($9) comes stuffed with turkey, Swiss cheese, grilled onions and turkey jus that Williams says is almost like Thanksgiving gravy. "Every deli and every sandwich shop in Cleveland has a turkey sandwich," Williams says. "It's accessible. We wanted something on the menu that we knew every Clevelander would love."