“#1 Special”
Ba Le
5014 N. Broadway St.
Chicago, IL 60640 (Uptown)
(773) 561-4424
“#1 Dac Biet (Special)”
Nhu-Lan Bakery
2612 W. Lawrence Ave
Chicago 60625 (Lincoln Square)
(773) 561-4424
“#4 The Classic”
Bon Bon Vietnamese Sandwiches
2333 W. North Ave.
Chicago 60647 (Wicker Park)
(773) 278-5800
The Super Bowl is just as much about gluttony than it is about football and commercials. But since we weren’t blessed with the insane talent to make this stunning (and impressively accurate) Soldier Field replica, we had to settle for a sandwich battle. Taking our favorite sandwich—the Italian Beef—and pinning four of Chicago’s best against each other seemed like the ultimate, culminating matchup. So, when we learned that two of the four spots were closed we were Bradying in defeat before the game even started. It was tough, but we dug deep, drew up another game plan, and went with Banh Mi.
Goat Barbacoa
XOCO
449 North Clark Street
Chicago, IL 60654 (River North)
You can pretty much bet on any torta on XOCO’s menu. Bayless is like the “Heisenberg” of tortas and arguably of all Mexican cuisine. If you’re blessed to have tried a few different ones, then you can already assume you’ll change your order three or four times before you get to the register (also to aid in your indecision is the inevitable line out the door). But on Saturdays they like to make things real easy for you. Goat Barbacoa. Using any slow cooked meat in a sandwich is a sure shot (Smoque’s brisket), but the braised goat + Oaxacan pasilla-tomatillo salsa allow Saturday to officially lay claim as the best day of the week.
