A long time ago in 2019 before COVID changed our lives a popular magazine listed the best sandwich in every state, according to their own survey. At the time we saw their listings, Ruth & I were on the road and decided to sample as many of the sandwiches as we could. We are now up to 12.
By the time we saw the article, we had already eaten at Turkey and the Wolf, a prize winning sandwich place in New Orleans, and liked it very much. Their Collard Green Melt was judged the best sandwich available in Louisiana. We really liked Turkey and the Wolf and also found Tagliare Deli’s “Megadeath” sandwich exceptional in Missoula, MT. Lardo in Portland, OR, Pappy’s Smokehouse in St. Louis, MO, and the Bread & Circus Sandwich Kitchen in Sioux Falls, SD were all great. All deserved their “Best Sandwich” designation.
Some sandwiches were less successful. I would not necessarily recommend Night Heron Books and Coffeehouses’s Bison Reuben in Laramie, WY or Zunzi’s too chickeny Conquistador in Atlanta, GA or the Caribbean Roast at Un Bien in Seattle, WA.
The sandwich place we most recently tried is in Phoenix, AZ. Actually it’s in Mesa in the Phoenix area. Mesa is about 20 miles east of the city of Phoenix and has the distinction of being the largest suburb by population in the United States. It reportedly requires an 18 mile drive on Highway 60 to cross it, and it’s what we used to call a bedroom community. The sandwich shop we tried there is Worth Takeaway.
Worth Takeaway seems old but is relatively new. I would give its sandwiches a general B grade based upon 3 samples. At first we ordered healthily. Ruth ordered the Calabrian oven-roasted Turkey on focaccia. It had cheddar cheese and tomato in its composition. I had the oven-roasted Chicken Salad sandwich with green olives. We sat outside to wait for our order and watched a steady stream of customers including a lot of families enter Worth, which is very, very hot in every way. The salads to accompany each sandwich, Worth’s sauces, and its drinks (Maya peach tea is what we ordered) were all worthy of A grades. The staff was welcoming and enthusiastic. The sandwiches in general were good but not outstanding like Megadeath.
After devouring our sandwiches we felt guilty for not trying the sandwich that is their best seller and the reason for them being included in the Best Sandwich article, Crispy Chicken. The chicken breast in this sandwich is fried, and it comes with house-made pickles, lettuce, and has a sensational honey sriracha sauce. It’s on ciabatta bread for $12.50. Because our mid-afternoon sandwiches were lunch and dinner, we ordered a 3rd sandwich to try their winner. It was the best of the 3 and came with delicious crispy fries.
Worth Takeaway is opened every day of the year except for Thanksgiving. It’s at 218 West Main Street in downtown Mesa, opens at 8 am, and it remains open until after 9 pm. On to Pretty Bird Chicken in Salt Lake City, UT!
Hank
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