Rochester, NY
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Rochester's sandwich shops and delis, from Park Avenue and East Avenue cafe counters to century-old Italian sub counters, per CITY Magazine and the Rochester Business Journal.
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Press picks, until locals rank their own Top 5s. Sourced from the local food press. As seen in CITY Magazine and Rochester Business Journal. Updated September 2026.
Pearson's · East Avenue
Pearson's Market and Cafe is restaurateur Jon Swan's ninth project, CITY Magazine's Leah Stacy reports, opened in the Somerton Street space Glen Edith's John Ebel sold him in 2022, with the name drawn from family memories. The counter runs a morning breakfast-sandwich program and its own cold-pressed juices, including the Good Beets. Order the breakfast sandwich with a coffee, and add a bottle of the beet juice.
Cafe Sasso · Park Avenue
Cafe Sasso is a half-seafoam, half-deep-gray coffee and cocktail bar covered head to toe in local artwork and antique finds, CITY Magazine writes, with Motown on the speakers and an extensive list of food offerings from bagel sandwiches to paninis and fresh salads. The Rochester Business Journal covered Jessica Stroud and Peter Sapia buying the Park Avenue room and naming it for the Italian word for stone. Order a panini or a bagel sandwich with coffee.
DiBella's Subs · South Wedge
DiBella's began in Rochester in 1918 as an Italian import grocery and deli, and its cold-cut subs grew from there into a shop now known across the region. CITY Magazine named it winner of Best Deli Sandwich or Sub over finalists Calabresella's, Rubino's, and Lacagnina's, noting dough aged more than sixteen hours and rolls baked twice a day. This is the in-metro Henrietta Road location. Order the Godfather cold-cut sub.
Rubino's Italian Foods · North Rochester
Peter Rubino opened Rubino's Italian Imports in 1958, and more than sixty years on the family shop still specializes in fresh cold cuts, submarines, and imported cheeses. CITY Magazine named it a finalist for Best Deli Sandwich or Sub, and separately named it Best Global Foods Market in its 2024 and 2025 polls. Order a sub built on the house cold cuts, and pick up imported cheese while you are there.
Calabresella's on Park · Park Avenue
Calabresella's on Park is a New York style Italian deli and sandwich shop with a companion import-foods store on Buffalo Road. CITY Magazine named it a finalist for Best Deli Sandwich or Sub alongside Rubino's and Lacagnina's. It is a straightforward counter for a made-to-order Italian sub. Order a cold-cut sub for lunch.