These Under-The-Radar Louisiana Sandwiches Are Totally Worth The Chase
Louisiana is known for its po’boys and muffulettas, but the state hides plenty of sandwich treasures that most tourists never taste.
These are the spots where locals line up without posting about it, where recipes have been perfected over decades, and where gravy-soaked bread is considered an art form.
I have spent a lot of time searching for these hidden champions, and every single one deserves a serious detour.
Get ready to discover sandwiches that will make you rethink everything you thought you knew about Louisiana eating.
1. Shrimp Buster at Herby-K’s (Shreveport)
Flattened, butterflied fried shrimp cascade over toasted French bread in this Shreveport institution that has been slinging seafood since the 1930s.
The shrimp get pounded thin, fried to golden perfection, then piled high with a squeeze of lemon and Herby-K’s signature house sauce that nobody can quite replicate.
This messy masterpiece requires at least three napkins and zero shame. The bread soaks up every drop of sauce while staying sturdy enough to hold the mountain of shrimp.
Herby-K’s has kept this recipe unchanged for nearly a century, proving that some things should never be modernized.
2. Darrell’s Special at Darrell’s (Lake Charles)
Ham, turkey, and roast beef get stacked impossibly high before being completely drowned in rich brown gravy and slathered with jalapeño mayo on pillowy French bread.
This is what Lake Charles locals order for lunch or dinner, whether they need daytime fuel or late-evening comfort.
I tried this sandwich after a late-night drive, and it tasted like a warm hug wrapped in carbs. The gravy seeps into every crevice while the jalapeño mayo adds just enough kick to keep things interesting.
Darrell’s has mastered the delicate balance between too much and just right, landing firmly in delicious excess territory.
3. Fried Crawfish or Shrimp Po’boy at Olde Tyme Grocery (Lafayette)
Hot Gulf seafood meets crackly French bread in this college-town ritual that becomes a full-blown pilgrimage during Lent.
Olde Tyme Grocery fries their crawfish or shrimp to order, then piles them onto bread that shatters with every bite, dressed with all the traditional fixings.
The line wraps around the block when crawfish season hits, and nobody complains about the wait. Each po’boy arrives dripping with sauce, requiring strategic eating techniques and a solid grip.
Lafayette students have been making this their lunch tradition for generations, and one taste explains why loyalty runs deep.
4. Catfish or Shrimp Po’boy at Poor Boy Lloyd’s (Baton Rouge)
Downtown Baton Rouge’s old-school counter serves fried seafood and roast beef po’boys that capture the essence of a proper lunch hour.
Poor Boy Lloyd’s keeps things simple with perfectly fried catfish or shrimp tucked into good bread, dressed the way it should be.
This is where office workers and students unite over the same craving, standing elbow-to-elbow at the counter. The seafood stays crispy even under layers of lettuce, tomato, and mayo, which takes real skill.
Poor Boy Lloyd’s proves that sometimes the best sandwiches come without fancy twists or Instagram-worthy presentations.
5. Pressed Muffuletta at Anthony’s Italian Deli (Baton Rouge)
Anthony’s takes the classic muffuletta and presses it warm until the meats and provolone melt into the sesame loaf, creating Baton Rouge’s best-kept sandwich secret.
The olive salad brings a sharp, briny flavor that cuts through the richness of the melted cheese and cold cuts.
Compact and packed with flavor, this pressed version transforms the traditional room-temperature muffuletta into something entirely different. I stumbled onto this spot by accident and have been dreaming about it ever since.
The warmth makes everything meld together in ways that feel both familiar and completely new.
6. Roast Beef Debris-Style Po’boy at R&O’s (Bucktown/Metairie)
Gravy-soaked roast beef meets Leidenheimer bread in glorious, napkin-wrecking harmony at this neighborhood institution.
R&O’s serves their roast beef debris-style, meaning shredded bits of beef swim in rich gravy that completely saturates the bread.
This is not a sandwich you eat in your car unless you enjoy permanent upholstery stains. The debris adds extra beefy flavor and texture, turning each bite into a messy celebration of everything Louisiana does right.
R&O’s has been a Bucktown standby for decades, and their roast beef po’boy shows exactly why locals keep coming back for more punishment.
7. BBQ Shrimp Po’boy at Liuzza’s by the Track (New Orleans)
Sautéed shrimp swimming in buttery, peppery sauce get ladled into a pistolette roll at this Mid-City favorite near the Fair Grounds.
Liuzza’s signature creation requires extra bread for soaking up the sauce and extra napkins for everything else.
The BBQ sauce here has nothing to do with barbecue and everything to do with butter, Worcestershire, and enough black pepper to make your eyes water.
I ate this sandwich at the bar during Jazz Fest season, and it felt like discovering a secret handshake.
You will want to lick the plate when the shrimp are gone, and nobody will judge you for it.
8. All That Jazz at Verti Marte (French Quarter, New Orleans)
Grilled ham, turkey, and shrimp unite with sautéed mushrooms, melted cheese, and mysterious wow sauce on French bread at this late-night French Quarter lifesaver.
Verti Marte stays open when everything else closes, feeding bartenders, musicians, and night owls who need serious fuel.
The All That Jazz sandwich throws together ingredients that should not work but somehow create magic. Locals swear by this spot, ordering the same sandwich at three in the morning that they crave at noon.
The wow sauce lives up to its name, adding a tangy kick that ties the whole wild combination together perfectly.
9. Cochon de Lait Po’boy at Walker’s Southern Style BBQ (New Orleans East)
Tender, smoky roast pork gets piled onto French bread with crunchy slaw and tangy sauce at the brick-and-mortar home of the Jazz Fest barbecue legend.
Walker’s serves their famous cochon de lait po’boy year-round, saving festival-goers the wait in those brutal fairgrounds lines.
The pork melts on your tongue while the slaw adds cool crunch, and the sauce brings everything into perfect balance. I first tried this at Jazz Fest and immediately asked where I could get it on a random Tuesday.
Walker’s answered that craving on its limited lunch days, making this New Orleans East spot worth the drive when the doors are open.
10. Hot Sausage Po’boy at Vaucresson Creole Café & Deli (Seventh Ward, New Orleans)
Snappy, spicy sausage links land on fresh French bread at this Seventh Ward spot, carrying on a century-old Creole sausage tradition.
Vaucresson makes their own sausages using recipes passed down through generations, and you can taste the history in every bite.
The hot sausage has a serious kick without overwhelming the other flavors, and the casing snaps when you bite down. They rotate specialty sausages throughout the week, giving regulars new reasons to stop by.
This po’boy represents old-school New Orleans craftsmanship that refuses to cut corners or chase trends, just pure sausage excellence.
11. Bánh Mì at Dong Phuong Bakery (New Orleans East)
Shatter-crisp baguettes get packed with pâté, cold cuts, pickled vegetables, and cilantro in the Vietnamese answer to the Louisiana po’boy.
Dong Phuong bakes their bread fresh daily, creating baguettes with impossibly crunchy exteriors and pillowy insides that put most French bakeries to shame.
This is the eastside detour that locals make without question, driving across town for sandwiches that cost less than fancy coffee.
The grilled pork version might be my favorite, though the cold-cut combination runs a close second.
Simple, perfect, and proof that Louisiana sandwich culture extends far beyond traditional Creole boundaries.
12. Thin-Fried Catfish Po’boy at Middendorf’s (Manchac/Akers & Slidell)
Paper-thin catfish fillets fried to impossible crispness get stacked high and dressed properly at this legendary Louisiana seafood house.
Middendorf’s famous thin-fried catfish technique creates fillets so crispy they practically shatter, and the po’boy version brings that same magic in handheld form.
The catfish stays crunchy even under all the traditional dressings, which seems like some kind of frying sorcery. Multiple locations mean you can get this masterpiece whether you are near Manchac, Akers, or Slidell.
This sandwich proves that sometimes the thinnest catfish makes the biggest impact on your taste buds and memory.
13. Roast Beef Po’boy at Bear’s Restaurant (Covington)
Gravy-heavy roast beef lands on solid French bread in a no-frills dining room where napkins come by the handful and nobody apologizes for the mess.
Bear’s serves Northshore comfort food without pretension, focusing on getting the basics absolutely right.
The roast beef gets smothered in brown gravy that soaks into the bread until it nearly falls apart in your hands.
This is the sandwich you eat when you need to feel grounded, when fancy ingredients and clever twists would just get in the way.
Bear’s understands that sometimes simple execution beats innovation every single time, especially when gravy is involved.