- The sandwich market is massive in the United States.
- From actors to musicians, many celebrities have been open about their favorite sandwiches.
- Some favorites are bread-and-butter staples, while others can't exactly be ordered at a deli.
At the intersection of American food, culture, and business, the sandwich stands above all else.
Subway has more locations than any other fast-food chain in the US. Chick-fil-A's and Popeyes' chicken sandwiches are the companies' best-selling items, and debates on the best chicken sandwich are always raging on social media.
Jersey Mike's, amid rapid growth, is targeting thousands of new locations in the US, and as of this week, took the first step towards becoming a publicly traded company, Reuters reported.
Beyond fast food, Americans are always making sandwiches at home. A 2024 study found that the average American eats about six per week, Fox News reported. And as we'll see, the sandwich craze reaches celebrities, too.
In interviews and sometimes their own cookbooks, celebrities have shared their favorites. Stephen Colbert's "Colbert Questionert" poses the sandwich question, sometimes provoking some revealing answers. Jeff Daniels went viral for his answer in February: a combo including peanut butter and sour-cream potato chips.
For some, even though their celebrity status allows them to get any sandwich in the world, they often stick with a childhood favorite or an unbelievably basic combination of ingredients. One of Frank Sinatra's go-to choices, for example, was scrambled eggs on toast, per Far Out Magazine.
Here are 10 celebrities' favorite sandwiches.
Jeff Daniels went viral in February for his odd ingredient combo.
On "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert" in February, Daniels listed the ingredients to what he called his "personal favorite." The sandwich calls for pita bread, a ¼ inch of creamy peanut butter, crushed-up cheddar-and-sour-cream Ruffles potato chips, and barbecue sauce.
The actor quipped, "It's like visiting three countries at once, and they're all in your mouth."
After the clip gained traction on social media and viewers took to trying the sandwich themselves, Daniels told the Detroit News he was "stunned" by the internet's response.
He added, "I'm not a foodie, but I am a connoisseur of things that taste good."
Meryl Streep's favorite is a New York classic.
Meryl Streep's favorite sandwich reflects her upbringing in North New Jersey. She told Colbert she likes the Jewish deli classic, a staple of the New York City area.
Ringo Starr's choice is unbelievably simple.
While the former Beatle got his nickname for the flashy rings he'd wear on his fingers, his favorite sandwich is anything but outlandish.
Starr told Colbert that he prefers a simple cheese sandwich, with a crucial requirement. Starr, a vegetarian, said the sandwich's sole ingredient has to be specifically goat cheese, arguing that "the molecules are so big" in typical cow cheese.
Elvis Presley put his own spin on a bizarre Colorado specialty.
The King only discovered what would become his favorite sandwich about a year before his death in 1977. Per Southern Living, Presley stopped to eat at the Colorado Mine Company restaurant after a concert, where he was served a sandwich made from sourdough bread, a jar of peanut butter, a jar of jelly, and an entire pound of bacon — known as the Fool's Gold Loaf.
Once, when he had a craving for the giant sandwich, he was flown to Denver on a private jet, and the restaurant's owners gave him about two dozen. When the nearly three-hour flight wasn't feasible, he made his own version at home: peanut butter, bacon, and banana fried in a skillet.
Elton John likes a "plain" sandwich.
Despite being known for glamorous and showy clothing, Elton John told Colbert, "I'm a plain guy."
His favorite sandwich consists of cheese and tomato on whole-wheat bread, without a Ruffles chip in sight.
Snoop Dogg's sandwich is a childhood favorite.
Throughout his career as a chart-topping rapper, Snoop Dogg has been outspoken about his love for food. On one occasion, he recalled preparing a meal to rave reviews from his guests.
"I put together some short ribs, some rice, some gravy, some corn, and corn bread," Snoop Dogg told Business Insider. "And DMX and Swizz Beatz damn near ate the tray, they couldn't believe how good it was."
The rapper's favorite sandwich is a bit less elegant, instead harkening back to the days of his childhood when he'd raid the fridge in his home. The sandwich calls for fried bologna, mustard, and barbecue potato chips, all fried in a skillet.
Snoop Dogg immortalized the recipe in his cookbook, in which he called the sandwich a "certified hood classic."
Lady Gaga prefers two simple classics.
When Colbert asked Lady Gaga the question, she wasn't able to limit her answer to just one choice. Both options were classics: an Italian sub and "un sandwich au jambon et fromage," or a ham, cheese, and butter sandwich on a baguette.
John Krasinski likes his sandwich for both the taste and availability.
John Krasinski answered with another Italian staple. Though a ham-and-cheese sandwich was Jim Halpert's favorite on "The Office," Krasinski prefers a classic meatball sub in real life.
The actor told Colbert, "You can get a meatball sub anywhere, anytime, and they're delicious."
Tom Hanks prefers another humble choice.
Like others on the list, Tom Hanks values moderation when it comes to food. He told Esquire in 2006, "Eating everything you want is not that much fun. When you live a life with no boundaries, there's less joy. If you can eat anything you want to, what's the fun in eating anything you want to?"
The Oscar winner's go-to sandwich highlights this humility. Hanks told Colbert he prefers a ham and Swiss cheese sandwich with lettuce, mustard, and no tomato.
At times, Hanks takes his simple approach to food to the extreme. On the YouTube show "Last Meal," he said his preferred midnight snack when he has a sweet tooth is a spoonful of sugar-free maple syrup, straight from the bottle. Hanks added, "It tastes like candy to me."
Anthony Bourdain applied his deep culinary knowledge to a basic sandwich.
For a celebrity synonymous with food, Anthony Bourdain's favorite sandwich is simple yet reflects his cooking expertise. The chef, author, and documentarian outlined his favorite sandwich in his 2016 cookbook, "Appetites."
A slight step above other celebrities' simple ham and cheese, Bourdain's sandwich consists of the Italian cured pork mortadella, provolone, a Kaiser roll or sourdough bread, mustard, and mayonnaise.
Food & Wine outlined his preferred way to prepare the sandwich, which calls for five or six slices of meat, frying it in a skillet with olive or canola oil, and toasting the buns.
In "Appetites," Bourdain referred to the recipe as "a beloved heap of oozing awesomeness."
