Take a bite out of this.
Some of summer’s most perfect foods, the best sandwiches offer up their own delicious stories with every bite. Feeling hungry? Check out our guide to some of the most unforgettable in the state. Try one, you’ll see.
Jack Brown’s Joint in Harrisonburg and Roanoke serves the Showalter. It might seem like just (just?!) a premium Wagyu burger with applewood bacon, cheese and a fried egg, but instead of a bun, all this comes between two halves of a glazed doughnut (pictured above). $6.99, served only on Sundays, JackBrownsJoint.com
The Black Sheep in Richmond features massive sandwiches named after Civil War-era battleships. (The sandwich section of the menu is titled The War of Northern Ingestion.) Owner Kevin Roberts’ favorite is the CSS Manassas—fried rainbow trout filet, chopped romaine, radish, green onion, tomato and Cajun tartar sauce. $13 (half), $16 (whole), BlackSheepRVA.com
Mabry Mill Restaurant in Meadows of Dan solves the question of whether to have breakfast or barbecue. Ed’s Special takes the restaurant’s pulled pork barbecue, tops it with melted cheddar cheese and nestles it all between two corncakes—a fitting tribute to the mill’s originial owner. $8.95, MabryMillRestaurant.com
The Dancing Tomato in Virginia Beach is usually standing-room only around lunchtime. The reason? The Betty, named after owner Laura Parker’s mother, mixes roasted nuts with cream cheese and tops it with bacon and tomato, serving all between two slices of raisin bread. $6, DancingTomatoVB.com