Think you know American sandwiches? You might be familiar with the classics like the Philly cheesesteak or the po’boy. Those have reached nationwide fame. Yet hidden across the country are regional sandwich treasures that rarely make it beyond their home turf. These are the sandwiches that locals swear by but outsiders have never even heard of. They tell stories of immigration, resourcefulness, and local pride. Let’s be honest, most of us have eaten hundreds of sandwiches in our lifetime. Still, chances are you’ve never encountered these six remarkable creations.
The Horseshoe Sandwich from Springfield, Illinois
This open-faced creation from Springfield, Illinois consists of thick-sliced toasted bread, a hamburger patty or other meat, French fries, and cheese sauce. Picture this: a sizzling platter arrives at your table piled high with what can only be described as organized chaos. In 1928, chef Joe Schweska was getting pressure from his bosses at the Leland Hotel to improve the menu when his wife, Elizabeth, suggested a family recipe for Welsh rarebit, leading to the creation of this open-faced sandwich supposedly named for the horseshoe cut of ham he used.
Some versions boast as many as 2,700 calories, making this a meal that demands respect and perhaps a nap afterward. Horseshoes have expanded far beyond the original open-faced ham sandwich, with everything from Impossible burger patties to pulled pork becoming the norm at just about every spot in town. The beauty lies in that gloriously indulgent cheese sauce, which must never be made with Velveeta according to local tradition. Springfield embraces the horseshoe and even started a horseshoe trail in 2024.
Indiana’s Breaded Pork Tenderloin Sandwich
The pounded, breaded, and fried pork tenderloin sandwiches of Indiana and parts of Iowa are comically large, sometimes spilling over the hamburger bun and plate by multiple inches on all sides. Honestly, the first time you see one of these, you might laugh out loud. The bun looks almost decorative, like a tiny hat perched on a massive piece of golden, crispy pork. The sandwich is claimed to have originated at Nick’s Kitchen restaurant in Huntington, Indiana, near Fort Wayne.
The son of German immigrants, Nick Freienstein’s claim to fame were his specialty sandwiches, including a variation of the Viennese Wiener schnitzel, which are thin, tenderized cuts of veal that are breaded and fried. Indiana senators voted in January 2026 to advance a bill naming the breaded pork tenderloin the Hoosier State sandwich, with Senate Bill 21 passing 37-11 and heading to the Indiana House. There’s even a dedicated Facebook group with over 50,000 members devoted to this sandwich.
Livermush Sandwich from Western North Carolina
Here’s where things get interesting. Livermush is a Southern United States pork food product prepared using pig liver, parts of pig heads, cornmeal and spices that is common in Western North Carolina, typically consumed as a breakfast and lunch food. The name might not win any marketing awards, but locals in the foothills region wouldn’t have it any other way. By law in North Carolina, the product must consist of at least 30% pig liver.
Local custom often puts livermush on a biscuit with mustard, though some serve it on a bun with American cheese and an over-easy egg. Shelby, North Carolina hosts an annual Livermush Exposition that began in 1987, with Cleveland County Commissioners and the Shelby City Council passing resolutions proclaiming that livermush is the most delicious, most economical and most versatile of meats, while other towns including Drexel and Marion also have livermush festivals. Don’t knock it until you’ve tried that crispy, savory slice between fresh bread.
St. Paul Sandwich from St. Louis, Missouri
The St. Paul sandwich was created in the 1940s by a Chinese-American cook looking to appeal to American tastes, placing an egg foo young patty made with flour, onions, bean sprouts, and eggs between two pieces of white bread slathered in mayonnaise, and named after the cook’s hometown of St. Paul, Minnesota. This fusion creation became a St. Louis institution rather than a Minnesota one, which adds to its quirky charm.
The St. Paul is unique enough to catch anyone’s attention, featuring hot egg foo yong with mayo, pickles, lettuce and tomato on white bread. It’s one of those sandwiches that makes you question everything you thought you knew about what belongs between bread. The combination sounds bizarre on paper, yet somehow it works. You’ll find it sold all over St. Louis, often with additional meats added to the patty for those who want extra protein.
Baltimore Pit Beef Sandwich
While crab cake sandwiches get attention, the lesser-known Pit Beef is chosen for Baltimore due to its distinct regionality and lack of availability outside the region, with the irony being that the pit beef is pretty simple and very tasty. The sandwich is traditionally made with a cheap cut of beef such as top round, grilled over a charcoal pit until almost burnt, then the top layers are sliced off and the beef is placed back on the grill until it reaches a finished yet rare state, then piled onto a bun with Tiger Sauce (a mix of mayo and horseradish) and topped with raw onion.
The beauty of pit beef lies in its simplicity and that distinctive charred flavor you can only get from cooking over an actual charcoal pit. It’s the kind of sandwich that roadside stands and local joints do best. Baltimore knows how to do beef, and this sandwich proves it without any fancy frills or complicated techniques. Just fire, smoke, meat, and that tangy Tiger Sauce cutting through the richness.
Loose Meat Sandwich from Iowa
With origins in Montana and a home mostly in Iowa, the loose meat sandwich certainly isn’t much to look at, which is exactly the point, and those who haven’t traveled to the Midwest may not even know about this culinary delicacy. The loose meat sandwich falls somewhere between a deconstructed hamburger and a sloppy joe, typically involving seasoned, crumbled ground beef with onions, served on a bun with options such as pickles, mustard, ketchup, or cheese.
In Iowa, the loose meat sandwich is king, and while Iowans invented the Sloppy Joe which is certainly venerated in the Hawkeye State, its sauceless cousin is actually more popular, made famous by regional chain Maid-Rite. It’s humble, it’s unpretentious, and it’s absolutely satisfying in a way that’s hard to explain until you’ve tried one. The seasoned beef speaks for itself without drowning in sauce.
These six sandwiches represent more than just regional cuisine. They’re edible history lessons, born from immigrant traditions, economic necessity, and local innovation. Each one remains largely unknown outside its home territory, which means there’s a whole world of sandwich discovery waiting for anyone willing to venture beyond the usual suspects. Next time you’re traveling through the Midwest or Southeast, seek out one of these hidden gems. Who knows? You might find your new favorite sandwich has been waiting for you all along in a town you’ve never visited.
