9 US Restaurants Serving Up Unique Bologna Sandwiches
There are few foods as simultaneously reviled and adored like the bologna sandwich. They're frugal and declaratively unfancy; slap it between white bread with your spread of choice, and lunch is served. We might view it as sustenance only, but relegating it to a quick fix, scrabbled out of desperation, actually does it a disservice. Professional butchers and sandwich-makers with an unorthodox streak are remaking the staple all over America. In fact, some elevate the bologna sandwich to truly unique — and one-of-a-kind — heights.
Restaurants around the country are stamping out new terrain with imaginative spins on the lunch box staple. Eateries are taking a next-level approach, skipping Oscar Mayer and Wonder Bread in favor of butchering their own meats and inserting crave-able flourishes. Many even pay tribute to the region and community, polishing the poverty food to the shining star of the table. If squishing potato chips between two slabs of bread evokes a nostalgic rush, the restaurant world has figured out how to keep that childhood tradition alive. And if you think you don't like bologna, well, consider this round-up a challenge. Try not to start salivating over these unique bologna sandwiches, served up by eateries around the country.
1. Bologna Sandwich at G & R Tavern in Waldo, OH
Maybe one of the definitive bologna sandwiches anywhere can be scored at G & R Tavern. Established in 1962, it's one of those homey stops that's peddled the same delicious menu for generations, and people respond by repeatedly visiting. Long-distance drivers flock here for old-fashioned grub like tenderloins, sausages, and hamburgers, plus scratch-made pies for a slice of hospitality. With an extensive brew list at the bar, it's only fitting that bologna's on the menu — where it's become a regional phenomenon not unlike a Pink's hot dog or Minnesota Juicy Lucy.
What do you get on your sandwich? Competitors couldn't replicate it even if they tried, thanks to the ingredients. The bologna folks gobble down is tailor-made by a local processor (Falter's Fine Meats), and features a tasty build of Monterey Jack, raw onion, and tangy pickles. Forging a melty, juicy, and irresistible trifecta, it's no wonder the joint pre-assembles sammies — and that's not counting the sheer amount of protein cycled through within a week (over 1,000 pounds). For a unique representation that beats the deli counter any day, head on to Marion, Ohio.
(740) 726-9685
103 N Marion St, Waldo, OH 43356
2. Fried Bologna Sandwich at Turkey and the Wolf in New Orleans
Restaurants spanning the nation are stamping out new terrain with imaginative spins on the lunch box staple. Turkey and the Wolf, then, is a great starting point for our journey to begin. It opened in 2016 and hasn't taken long to shake up New Orleans' dining scene, quirk-ifying deli sandwiches with a heart and soul. Peek the lively red brick building on Jackson Avenue, step inside, and make yourself comfortable: the homey lunch counter setup is slapdash and welcoming, with various tchotchkes evoking the kitchen of an old college buddy.
One of the reasons it took home Bon Appétit's "Best Restaurant" award a year after gracing The Big Easy lies, of course, in the piece de resistance. The Fried Bologna Sandwich is humongous, a tall-tale of a meal that, assuming you dine in, is delivered humorously on a collectible McDonald's plate. Founder Mason Hereford envisioned a sandwich bigger and better, and by all accounts, it succeeds on pure originality and deliciousness. Thick, buttered bread holds in layers of stuff — the bologna is sliced with perfectly fried edges, the processed cheese is tangy, the condiments are generously spread (a slick of mayo and spicy mustard, made in-house). We also like the textural interplay, with salt and vinegar potato chips dressing the top and shredded iceberg (or "shrettuce") lining the bottom.
(504) 218-7428
739 Jackson Ave, New Orleans, LA 70130
3. Fried Baloney Sandwich at The Pig & Pint in Jackson, Mississippi
In Mississippi, folks in the mood for charred meats have many places to flock to, but The Pig & Pint in Jackson is a must. It's modern in aesthetics, but within the industrial digs lies good, honest grub tailor-made for rounds of brew. Despite slinging collared greens or brisket and shredded pork for sampler platters, the barbecue mainstay has a lot of range. Not only known for nachos and tacos, the popular smokehouse joint also happens to be one of the state's most iconic sandwich shops.
The fried baloney sandwich almost mocks itself with the spelling, but don't be fooled. It might be full of "baloney," but only the most substantially homespun around, made from scratch which the kitchen commits to on site. Quite a feat, one that no doubt factored into accolades from Food Network back in 2018. For toppings, the kitchen takes inspiration from the classic smash burger with all the fixings (pickle chips, special sauce, an oozy American slice). But tucking in a fried egg, on a sweet brioche roll, spills over into indulgent, lazy-Sunday territory you just don't see with the typical grab-and-go lunch.
Far from the sammies scavenged together on nights when dad worked late, give it a try when in the Fondren District. French fries or collard greens comprise some tasty additions you get to savor on the side.
(601) 326-6070
3139 N State St, Jackson, MS 39216
4. Smoked Bologna Sandwich at Lady Jaye in Seattle
Smoked bologna on bread outside the regional hot spots might give some of the purists pause. How can a West Coast joint deliver full-blown Southern goodness like the grill houses back home, you might wonder. Well, Lady Jaye in Seattle opened with restaurateurs at the helm behind other popular haunts in the city, so it seems they know what they're doing. It functions as both a butcher shop and a full-service eatery, with one of the most unique bologna sandwiches hitting the carving block.
For starters, Lady Jaye is all about preparation — and it shows in the moist, tender folds adorning your sandwich. They season and chisel the meat with small slits, an often forgotten step that induces those aromas to soak in and make themselves at home. Then "Cletus" (that's the smoker) goes to town charring the sausage to perfection under cozy applewood. The kitchen, slicing and stacking the discs high up on a fresh-baked roll (made by a neighborhood bakery), doesn't let the fixings go unnoticed, either. A spicy mustard for zing, a zesty slaw (enhanced by dill pickles) and potato chips wadded in for crackly flair exudes an inventiveness with pay-off. What makes it unique is the experimentation: there's bells and whistles, but they ring a sweet tune when it comes to a mouthwatering sandwich.
(206) 457-4029
4523 California Ave SW, Seattle, WA 98116
5. Big Ole Smoked Bologna at Martin's Bar-B-Que Joint (multiple locations)
Pink, slimy cold cuts aren't going to cut it in the South. Pat Martin made sure of that when opening Martin's Bar-B-Que Joint, first in Tennessee but now staking real estate in South Carolina, Alabama, and Kentucky. It's taken under 20 years for the establishment to earn a following, hawking the authentic pit-smoked pig practiced in the Volunteer State. Plates of brisket and cornbread dominate the menu, but if you're willing to go out on a limb, the Big Ole Smoked Bologna — no false advertising there — exceeds one's wildest expectations.
In a discussion with Tasting Table, the restaurant's pit-master revealed how the bologna is prepared, and just reading it gets the mouth watering. It's barbecued the old-fashioned way, set low and slow for around eight hours. Restaurants avoid spice rubs and instead allow the hickory wood to do all the lifting in boosting the protein's flavor. Fried up and carved into hockey pucks, the bologna's adorned in garnishes offering a homey, backyard-cookout vibe. Onions, pickles, and a squirt of yellow mustard dribble down a griddled hamburger bun. If you savor one, get your butt over to Nashville to enjoy it at its beer garden.
Multiple locations
6. The Carl Ruiz at Fox Bros. Bar-B-Q in Atlanta, GA
Smokehouses like Fox Bros. Bar-B-Q weave home cooking with playful riffs. And take it from us — the culinary impact is bamboozling. With six restaurants across Atlanta, brothers Justin and Jonathan Fox showcase the Texan grilling that shaped their youth. There's hefty brisket and chicken-fried ribs, but also cafeteria cast-offs that just needed a little smoke to come alive again. Standing tall and proud, the local chain turns the bologna sandwich, already satisfying, into a gourmet event unlike the rest.
It's the ingenuity that makes the "Carl Ruiz" named after the late chef (and pal of Guy Fieri) a unique upgrade to base all future sandwiches off. High and low-brow in all the right ways, gnawing into this bad boy demands an empty belly and napkins at your side. The bologna, a pork-beef mix, is tender and tinged with smoke; the pimento cheese teems with a peppery tang that screams "homemade" (which it is). Together they're melted on the grill, then saddled with pickles on honkin' slabs of Texas toast. Arguably it's the finishing touch seals the deal: taking a handful of Fritos and smushing them between the bread. You do need to take note of the sandwich's availability should you hanker for a taste. Its a permanent fixture inside one outpost — The Works, a shopping mall — while another location (on DeKalb Avenue) rotates it in on Fridays.
Multiple locations
7. Fried Bologna BLT at Libby's Southern Comfort in Covington, Kentucky
Libby's Southern Comfort has one aim, and it's to feed people from the soul. Brad and Michelle Wainscott renovated an old supermarket, now housing hearty, Southern-fried entrees right at the border of Cincinnati. It's easy to get distracted by the specialties — fried chicken, anyone? — but there's been a lot of buzz over the Fried Bologna BLT.
A rework of the classic sandwich, it offers a rustic, Southern-approved tune-up. This is a weighty handheld, constructed with the heft of the smoky meat in mind. Thick-sliced bread (a sourdough sourced locally) is stacked with creamy Pimento cheese spread, a fried egg, with thick planks of meat riding high in the middle. Crisp spring greens tame the grease, all brought together by barbecue sauce (and Carolina style to boot).
While there's nothing wrong with plain bologna, Libby's version keeps grown-up tastebuds in mind, proving childhood lunch can be altered with upper-crust flair. Wash it down with the Cheerwine slushy, and you'll never crave it any other way. The shrimp and grits with crispy onions and brisket melt are other winners.
(859) 261-3106
35 W 8th St, Covington, KY 41011
8. BBQ Bologna at Cozy Corner BBQ in Memphis, Tennessee
For sauce-slathered meats, no-frills places like Cozy Corner BBQ raise the bar every time. It's a Memphis standby, occupying a rugged building on North Parkway that's not indicative of the downright welcoming eats smoking from its doors. The attitude is neighborly, from the regulars lined up to the family running the joint, now multiple generations in. A culinary time machine, the meals here are largely unchanged like the bologna sandwich, which the eatery's doled out since the beginning.
Look behind the counter, and you'll see logs of fresh bologna run through a slicer for perfect rounds. The patties are charred on a grill, receiving half an hour on the grates to gain color and a succulent, fall-apart doneness that carnivores gobble up. You won't find anything like Ruffles or artisanal Dijon smothered here — just a barbecue sauce-lacquered meat hunk, with a little coleslaw for texture. We'd argue that extra flourishes aren't necessary for this sandwich to stand out. It's the finesse of preparation and consistency — traits only a family business could pass down — that make it one of the most memorable takes on the frugal staple. Dig in, preferably with its iconic scoop of barbecue spaghetti on the side.
(901) 527-9158
735 N Parkway, Memphis, TN 38105
9. Fried House-Made Bologna at Au Cheval (multiple locations)
Drawing press for one of the best burgers in the U.S. is easily Au Cheval's top accomplishment. So, to the outside observer, bologna sandwiches might be kind of a wild card. Or is it? The eatery caters to refined riffs on American grub, both at its Chicago flagship as well as a single Big Apple outpost. If it can make-over fast food with a gourmand's eye, then a grade school lunch is certainly not above the fray, as proven by the Fried House-Made Bologna in its towering glory.
It's obvious how Au Cheval takes this sandwich beyond the proverbial brown bag. The restaurant, for one, puts the effort into scratch-making its bologna. Any picture you find of the handheld resembles an edible Jenga game, with each fold piled high (and a tad precariously). The condiments are another highlight. A dijon mayonnaise and cheddar cheese add a saucy component to dial up the luxuriousness (a word we've never once associated with fried bologna). While a bit of a sodium bomb, word on the street is that it's the restaurant's unsung hit. Extra flavorful and thoughtfully presented, one could mistake it for a fancier ham sandwich.
Multiple locations
10. Methodology
If the default bologna sandwich consists of deli slices and store-bought white bread, then "unique" could mean just about any deviation; the sky is the limit. My goal wasn't necessarily to showcase the best of the best, although that case could be made for many of the restaurants. Under the auspice of creative vision, quality, and reputation, I scoured meaty renditions from coast to coast, weighing factors like longtime traditions and culinary ingenuity. Each sandwich, and the skilled kitchens slinging them day to day, needed to offer that extra spark, signifying an undeniably envelope-pushing sandwich was on the table.
Authorities within the foodie scene came to my aid, between the rave words of local publications and celebrity chefs. Taking in the sandwich as the "total package" — how they were put together, utilizing top-notch ingredients or recipes stamped with an original spin — made choosing these places a far easier undertaking. And of course, I couldn't ignore the human element behind the counter. Many of the eateries I came across have logged decades (if not longer) refining the sandwich to a tee, delivering consistency with every order. Neither did newer joints lag behind in broadening the lunch pail staple's appeal to wider audiences.