The Sandwich Alton Brown Dubbed New York City's Best

Nearly every major city will have a street corner shop that has a tongue-in-cheek sandwich board sign claiming to have "the world's best" pizza, coffee, hamburger, and more. New York City is no exception, but claims of having New York's best of the best are more serious, especially when the title is bestowed upon a shop by a third party. Sandwich lovers are presented with a multitude of delicious options in the city that never sleeps, from institutions like Katz's Deli pastrami to any bodega's breakfast sandwich of bacon, egg, and cheese and hole-in-the-walls like Cheeky's.

But if you're looking for the sandwich that reigns supreme over New York City, you can skip the internet roundup lists because one chef has declared a certain sandwich from Queens as the King of sandwiches. Self-proclaimed "Thyme Lord" Alton Brown has given his opinion via Instagram on the best sandwich: An egg and cheese from Porcelain.

"In my opinion, the best sandwich in NYC: The mortadella egg [and] cheese at [Porcelain] (that big slab is actually steamed egg, not cheese)," he declared, along with a photo of the item.

Located in the affordable and multiethnic neighborhood of Ridgewood (that's Queens, and not Brooklyn, as reports the New York Times), Porcelain opened in 2019 and serves "vaguely Asian" food, according to Grub Street, with chef Kate Tefleyan (formerly of Mission Chinese Food) running an Instagram account of the same name. Once used as a set for the Scorsese film "The Irishman," the unassuming and relaxed atmosphere and food served from Porcelain once earned them a place in the Michelin guide to New York City.

Their version of an egg and cheese sandwich is available during their Sunday lunch and is served on a pan au lait bun with pickled peppers and chili mayo. Instead of ham, Porcelain uses mortadella, an Italian emulsified sausage cold cut (per The Spruce Eats), and the egg is prepared steamed. If you want to try it yourself, head over to Queens to test the best sandwich of NYC that'll set you back $12 (tip not included).