Sandy's

"Bow down to San Francisco's muffuletta king. There are two muffuletta options at the counter-service sandwich joint in the Haight—a meaty original and a mushroom—and they’re both awe-inducing and not exactly typical of the New Orleans classic. For one, they use mayonnaise—a big no-no to purists—but the Duke’s mayo adds an essential layer of decadence that takes the dream sandwiches to the next level. More importantly, their sesame bread is specially made for them by a bakery over in Oakland. And it’s coated with a thick swath of spicy olive spread that has us under its fermented cauliflower and carrot giardiniera spell. They’ll suggest you make your sandwich toasted (another controversial move), and we do too—if you want maximum melted cheese satisfaction." - julia chen 1, lani conway, ricky rodriguez, patrick wong

"New Orleans native Peterson Harter rides hard for big Southern sandwiches. He opened his colorful restaurant on the strip in spring 2023. The restaurant’s become a major player in the dining scene since. Order a muffuletta, perhaps the grilled pimento cheese sandwich: half pickled egg salad, half pimento, half powerful Big Easy energy." - Paolo Bicchieri

"Muffulettas are by no means a traditional San Francisco treat — we have New Orleans to thank for this culinary gift — but under the guidance of Nola native Peterson Harter, the sandwich has found new fandom in this 7x7 city. The muffulettas aren’t overly traditional, but the changes are what make the sandwich stand out, as San Francisco Chronicle food critic Cesar Hernandez writes, such as the zingy olive salad and mayo of choice (Duke’s, if you must know). There’s the meat-loaded muffuletta and a vegetarian, roasted mushroom version, and they’re available in 1/8 or 1/4 slices, or whole slabs. There’s also a pimento cheese sandwich and a pickled egg salad sandwich topped with Zapps chips, if that’s more your speed, but whatever you do, add on a brown butter chocolate chip cookie if you know what’s good for you." - Dianne de Guzman, Eater Staff

"Sandy's in San Francisco is famous for its roasted mushroom muffuletta, which uses vegetables only, mayo, is spicy, and served hot. It's made by New Orleans native Peterson Harter using roasted cremini mushrooms, Kalamata olives, cherry peppers, pickled cauliflower, carrots and capers, scallions, garlic confit, Cajun spices, and a touch of Tabasco. The bread is toasted from Firebrand Artisan Breads in Oakland. Sandy's also offers a standard muffuletta with prosciutto, provolone piccante, salami, mortadella, and the same olive salad, giardiniera, and spice level. The venue is located in San Francisco’s Haight-Ashbury neighborhood and sells a 1/8 muffuletta for $14.50 ($98 for a massive 12-inch round sandwich). Sandy's is also a vendor at Outside Lands and Hardly Strictly Bluegrass music festivals." - Sharon McDonnell

"This city knows how to make good sandwiches (see Saigon Sandwich above), but surprisingly, one of our favorite sandwiches in SF is actually a New Orleans classic. Sandy’s, a counter-service sandwich shop in the Haight, makes two excellent versions of the muffuletta (a meaty original and an equally great mushroom), and neither of them are exactly traditional. They’re layered in Duke’s mayo—a big no-no to purists—their housemade kalamata olive spread has fermented cauliflower in it, and most controversially, they suggest you toast your sandwich to get some of that provolone melted. It all comes together to make a juicy, briny, and crunchy sandwich that you’ll immediately want at your next Golden Gate Park picnic." - julia chen 1, lani conway, ricky rodriguez, patrick wong