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Tails & Trotters
525 NE 24th Ave., 477-8682, tailsandtrotters.com.
Tails & Trotters serves a loosely Eastern-style pulled pork with peppery vinegar sauce, housemade garlic aioli which, in North Carolina, they might have called mayonnaise. There's also a Reuben made with porkstrami more tender than beef knows how to be.
Grant's Philly Cheesesteaks
1203 NW 23rd Ave., 477-7133; 15350 NE Sandy Blvd., 252-8012.
The only rolls that can hold this big, sloppy bastard come from Amoroso's, back in Philly. The jarred peppers come from Philly, too, though the brand is a trade secret. The meat is sirloin, grilled with onions so that little pieces of caramelized bulb find their way into every drippy bite. Get provolone.
Bunk
128 NE Russell St. and other locations, 328-2865, bunksandwiches.com.
There are Bunks tucked all over town now, but we like the one under Wonder Ballroom, where you can put together the unlikely Gulf of Mexico combo with a Cubano loaded with pork belly, ham, melted cheese and pickles, then toasted to perfection, and a Sidepipe margarita that includes its own mini Corona.
Meat Cheese Bread
1406 SE Stark St., 234-1700, meatcheesebread.com.
Meat Cheese Bread's sandwiches are way more fun than their names. The BLB or T swaps heirloom tomatoes with beets depending on the season, while the Green Bean loads those legumes with bacon relish and an egg for serious holiday-salad overload.
Sweedeedee
5202 N Albina Ave., 946-8087, sweedeedee.com.
This almost unbearably twee cafe, breakfast nook and bakery has one of the heartiest sandwiches in town: the braised-beef Good Buddy, which boasts ridiculously thick slices of potato bread that are each thicker than some entire sandwiches.
Portland Penny Diner
410 SW Broadway, 228-7224, portlandpennydiner.com.
Vitaly Paley's low-key diner makes a sandwich called the PDXWT, which is pure genius: Duck bologna, coffee mayo (seriously), sauerkraut (seriously), egg and American cheese (seriously) on a Parker House roll for a big, sloppy umami attack.
The Directory: Our 100 Favorite Restaurants in Portland
By Neighborhood: Southeast | North/Northeast | Westside | Suburbs
2014 Restaurant of the Year: Kachka
Top Five: Old Salt, Ataula, American Local, Expatriate
Counter Service Spots: Latin | Asian | Italian | Sandwiches | Burgers
Wine Bars | Beer Lists | Veg-Friendly | Gluten-free | Elsewhere in Oregon
WWeek 2015