Worden’s Market and Deli – Ageless Wonder
Without Worden’s, there is no “Best Sandwich in Missoula” list. There may not even be a Missoula at all! Worden’s is Citizen Kane, Stairway to Heaven, the Mona Lisa, no comparison is too dramatic when it comes to properly ranking this edible art.
I remember vaguely the first time that I stepped foot into Worden’s, one of the incredibly friendly beacons of light who tend to work there mentioned something to me about Abraham Lincoln stepping foot in Worden’s once. Or maybe it was Adam and Eve? After a quick bout of research, the dates don’t quite line up to where either of those scenarios make sense to me, but my foggy recollection of that person’s point remains unchanged. Worden’s has been a staple in Missoula for a long time.
A Complete Experience
Somewhere along the way Worden’s decided that part of its historic, and welcoming pastel identity would include a deli counter that inaugurates the most complete and best sandwiches in Missoula, if not for hundreds of miles. The experience of eating at Worden’s is as naturalistic as you’ll feel when you’re there. There’s an ease and flow to the building, and you approach the counter in your own time. Better yet, there isn’t a line behind you of fifty people tapping their toes and sending hate towards the back of your skull with arms folded as you frantically scan the menu for something with a word you like. Instead, you get to wander the store and check out multiple refrigerated walls that are studded with hundreds of beverages, and enough shades of beer to qualify as an art exhibit. When you’re ready you make your way to the counter. You could flip a series of coins, or throw a dart at the board, and whatever you order is going to be better than you imagined it could be.
Wordens’ Wonderful Sandwiches
Worden’s sandwich menu is vast. Their collection of bread is otherworldly, and bread is one of the most crucial elements of any sandwich, especially one that aims to make a case for being the best sandwich in Missoula. Worden’s baguettes, Italian, rye, ciabatta, and their local breads from Le Petit are always soft and fresh. Their cold sandwiches are cohesive and refreshing. The TBLT is made with crispy wafer-like bacon. The Balsamic Chicken Salad Sandwich introduces a tanginess that’s hard to find elsewhere. The Firebird delivers on both the fire and bird with tender turkey and pepperjack cheese, horseradish and banana peppers. There are enough reasons to try every single sandwich on the menu, but the hot sandwiches really stand out.
The Philly and the Cuban sandwiches are classics done right, with bread that’ll crunch on its way to tenderness. My personal favorite is the Tuna Melt, which captures the creaminess that makes a tuna melt so delicious while also reaching further with the sourness of the bread and spice of the sauce. For someone looking to eat something then take a nap, the Louisiana is so good that you may get stuck ordering it forever once you try it. It’s a toasted baguette with andouille sausage sliced lengthwise, provolone, spicy mayo, sauteed peppers and onions, and banana peppers. It gives you a little kick in the rear but then loops back around with its lingering creaminess to assure you that it’s all going to be okay. Worden’s lends this level of complexity to each of its sandwiches, helping to cement the very real possibility that the best sandwich in Missoula, if not the state of Montana, comes from Worden’s.
Worden’s and the Imaginary Spurs
You step into Worden’s and you have to look down to see if you imagined the jingling spurs on your shoes. Worden’s transcends a portal to the past, though it is that too in a way. But there’s a fusion with newness and rejuvenation in the maturity of the setting. What doesn’t feel like it’s straight off the set of a Clint Eastwood western, feels like part of the newer advancements in American culture. Worden’s is a tye-dye clad market and deli, where smiles are the default garb. Step into Worden’s and you’re stepping through your own front door.
Market on Front – Contemporary Sandwich Workshop
Market on Front is a powerhouse of calorie delivery methods in the city of Missoula. Distrust any list that does not mention the glorious sandwiches at Market on Front. Market in Front is in vogue, presenting itself as a cross between a hip neighborhood coffee joint, and a bright, sleek deli with sandwiches that you should absolutely flaunt in your case to anybody who you’re trying to convince of Missoula’s edible excellence.
Breakfast Sandwiches
Market on Front begins the day with a stellar breakfast menu and coffee bar, featuring some of the best breakfast burritos in town. And they get a head start on serving the best sandwich in Missoula with creative breakfast sandwich options like the Fruity Pig. The Fruity Pig comes on a croissant or wheat bread, and is filled with scrambled eggs, ham or bacon, monterey jack and cheddar, spinach, garlic-herb aioli, and date preserve. It’s savory complimented by the right kind of sweet. The Market BLT features scrambled eggs, goat cheese, bacon, tomatoes, spinach, avocado, and the incredible garlic-herb aioli. There are also vegetarian and vegan options, making it a safe bet for any crowd that’s up before 11 am on weekdays, or 1 pm on weekends.
Creative and Intensely Delicious
Moseying into the lunch and dinner hours, Market on Front only picks up steam. With far too many choices to go into depth on each one, they offer familiar favorites like a Cuban Pork Sandwich, Reuben, Market Philly, Avocado BLT and Vegan Avocado BLT, and an incredible Spicy Tuna Melt. I’ve found tuna salad to be divisive but as a side note for my fellow tuna salad lovers, Market on Front is one of the good ones. Also, keep in mind that though I’ve chosen not to elaborate on each and every one of those sandwiches for some ancestor of brevity, they’re nothing to gloss over. They each come with supplemental additions to what you’re picturing that enhance the experience beyond what you might expect. For instance, the BLTs contain goat cheese. Pure brilliance.
Every Market on Front sandwich is served on some kind of bread so good that it will make you paranoid you’re being pranked. No king or queen in our species’ history has taken a bite of bread as good as the bites you’ll take at Market on Front. Some of the rolls are as outrageously deep in texture and taste, as they are aesthetic. Every sense you have will appreciate these sandwiches all the way through. If you’re measuring for the best sandwich in Missoula by bread, Market on Front pulls ahead.
New and Vibrant Ideas
Market on Front has some wild stuff for the untamed digestive systems out there. I’m of the camp personally that tends to order menu items that are unusual or that I haven’t seen elsewhere. Market on Front is out in front in this domain as their name suggests. Try the Chicken & O’s which fills ciabatta that’s too good to describe with smoked chicken, brittle bacon, caramelized onions, spinach, and chipotle aioli for a sweet, soft, experience of multilayered crunch. Migrate into lunch with the Fruity Bird, served hot in a hoagie and stuffed with smoked turkey, bacon, swiss cheese, red onion, spinach, garlic-herb aioli, and date preserve. The only reason I’m going to stop here is because I could write another hour about Market on Front, but add this to your bucket list. Even if you’re only in Missoula for a day, Market on Front is a great choice to get a sense of the best sandwich in Missoula.
Doc’s Sandwich Shop – Missoula’s Most Trusted Doctor
Doc’s Sandwich Shop is located in the heart of downtown Missoula, and remains an important contributor to the incredible atmosphere of the strip. Step inside of Doc’s and there’s some intangible force which assures you that whatever you order is going to be good. My theory is that it’s the expert way Doc’s seems to fuse the clean, bright, and shiny qualities of a progressive business with the time-tested and greasy credentials of a place that’s made people happy for over 25 years. And if you were trapped in a time loop while in the city of Missoula, you’d be best friends with Doc’s by the end of your Groundhog Day trials for their monumental menu. Doc’s could feed a food lover for centuries, so let’s dive into their universe of options.
The Most Important Meal of the Day
Doc’s Sandwich Shop gets a head start on their quest to whip up the best sandwich in Missoula with breakfast all day. The Breakfast Sandwich tastes like America, with perfectly buttered sourdough toast and melted cheddar dripping over fried eggs, chipotle mayo, and a choice of meat. The breakfast wrap is hearty and dense, with eggs, hashbrowns, cheese, sausage, chipotle mayo, and gravy. Doc’s also sells incredible acai bowls if you’re wanting to cool down with something sweet.
Doc’s Extraordinary Sandwich Menu
I’ll begin to tackle the impossible task of relaying Doc’s expansive menu to you with the disclaimer that this article would take you longer to read than The Epic of Gilgamesh if I mentioned everything that Doc’s offers. The Doc Holiday bestows the taste of Thanksgiving with its cranberry sauce, turkey, and stuffing contents. The Doc Brown balances the spice of Salami with the cool characters of turkey, provolone, lettuce, tomato, and pesto mayo on toasted sourdough. Doc’s offers a dozen spins on simple classics, such as the Dr. Grey, which contains ham, cheddar, lettuce, tomato, mayo, and honey mustard. Doc’s is also one of the only sandwich stops in town to offer the trifecta of salads from the land, air, and sea in sandwich forms: egg, tuna, and chicken.
As far as hot sandwiches, Doc’s Sandwich Shop offers some of the MVPs of the entire city. Their meatball sub, the Doctor Strangelove, is spicy and uninhibited. The French Dip and Chicken Bacon Ranch sandwiches are filling and delicious. The Dr. Hawkeye Pierce features roast beef, monterey jack, green chilies, grilled onions, and horseradish on a toasted french roll. Furthermore, believe me when I say that I’ve tried every tuna melt in Missoula, and Doc’s has the best.
Order This For Your Own Good
My friends, I saved the best for last. This one stands alone in its own paragraph within an article loaded with sandwiches vying to be the best sandwich in Missoula. Docs sells delicious soups that you can pair with any sandwich in countless combinations, but they showcase their deep understanding of the human condition by featuring only one premade combination on their menu: The Bacon Grilled Cheese Combo. The sandwich oozes with melted provolone and cheddar on grilled sourdough. The entire thing is complimented texturally by the crunchy bacon, and flavorfully by the fattiness that drips and fuses with the cheese. Then you dip the entire thing into the creamiest and tangiest tomato basil soup you’ll ever have. It’s so good that it’s a relief to know the Doc is on standby.
Wheat Montana – Superior Carbohydrates
Wheat Montana is a staple of Missoula life. You can’t avoid their delicious bread and baked goods around town because their superiority is so widely accepted. The value of what you’re getting when you order at the Wheat Montana deli is unmatched, and the prices are incredible. They specialize in everything they offer. Whether you’re ordering sandwiches, soup, breakfast, or baked goods, you’ll get more than what you pay for.
Unbeatable Value
Each sandwich at Wheat Montana is served with chips and a pickle and ranges between $9.95 and $10.95. They offer an incredible sack lunch combo which also includes an apple, drink, and cookie for only $14.50. The assortment of sandwiches feature an impressive variety, ranging from Pulled Pork, BBQ Roast Beef, and delicious BLTs, to Tuna Melts and French Dip. Wheat Montana really shines as a sandwich builder, because of the quality of each individual element on their menu. It’s very fun to construct the best sandwich in Missoula directly at the source of the most perfect bread in town.
I haven’t ordered a single thing at Wheat Montana that I didn’t love, and I expect it’ll always be that way. The pride and care that goes into their bread is readily apparent like the taped over bullet holes in the RV door from that pivotal scene in Breaking Bad were not. The attention to detail, the warmth of the ingredients even when not in a literal sense, and the always wonderful service make a sandwich at Wheat Montana feel like a bright spot in any day.
Baked Goods? More Like Baked Greats!
Wheat Montana can and will appear on any future lists about the dominant dessert options around town. Their cinnamon and caramel rolls should run for president, and any other baked good you order from them will shatter expectations. The brownies are so rich, and the cookies so soft that it’s very possible your main takeaway from this list about the best sandwich in Missoula should be how great the desserts are at Wheat Montana. Maybe that’s a failure on my part, but maybe it’s the most valuable direction that I have to give.
The Dining Room Feels Like a Vacation
Wheat Montana is a haven on the bustling road of Reserve, where you pull off and step inside a homey atmosphere that characterizes Montana. The rounded dining area adds a fluidity and feelings of freedom and privacy that are missing from many other restaurants. My most loved one and I frequent this restaurant for the top of the line carbohydrates, but just as much for the valuable and welcoming atmosphere that you’ll notice I didn’t make a point to highlight in many of the other entries on this list. They’ve designed the space in such a way that even when it’s extremely busy, you’ll feel calm. The employees at Wheat Montana greet you with the warm enthusiasm of a loving grandparent, and they have cookies. It’s a special place, and Missoula, let alone its food scene, would not be the same without Wheat Montana.
Notorious P.I.G. – Shortcut To Happiness
Missoula’s original barbecue is central to the city’s cultural identity, and popular among locals, their dogs, and out-of-towners for great reason. Selling out for the day almost daily, Notorious P.I.G. brings St. Louis barbecue out west, but delivers a fusion of the nation’s greatest hits within the diverse cuisine. The exuberant meats are the star of the show, but the sides scheme in the background like Brutus. A list about finding the best sandwich in Missoula that doesn’t mention Notorious P.I.G. is missing the entire point of being alive.
If The Earth’s Spinning, Meat Is Being Smoked at Notorious
The versatility of the meats doesn’t require that they be enjoyed in a sandwich format, but for the purposes of this list it’s what we’ll focus on. The brioche buns are cakey and yielding, but they soak up the drippage with resilience and integrity. The barbecue sauces are stationed at each table so that you can drizzle or dip to your preference. The process of bringing the sandwich to your table and setting it down in front of you to enjoy, began early in the morning when the meats were prepared and the smokers were loaded. So when it comes to choosing a filling for the sandwich, you can relax knowing there’s no wrong choice.
The pulled pork is tender and buttery from basting in its own fat. The brisket is sliced on a deli style slicer and dipped in au jus on its way to your sandwich. Each slice is a microcosm of the whole, smokey and decorated with a fatty cap and coated along the edge with Notorious’ famous seasoning blend. The Tri-tip is tender and juicy, and introduces a slightly sharper, tangy edge than the smooth jazz of the brisket. The turkey overwrites whatever concept you have of poultry, with its impossible moisture and crumbling softness. In its own way, Notorious asks the more typical sandwich joints on this list, “you call that a turkey sandwich?”
Meat Candy
As is my proclivity, I’ve saved the best for last. To be able to try the burnt ends on your sandwich, you’ll need to call ahead and have some set aside for you, or you’ll need to beat the rush by heading in on the earlier side of the day. But you’ll be rewarded if you do. Easy on the incisors, the burnt ends are the fattiest part of the brisket, with a brittle shell encrusting the outside, and silky meat splitting from the inside. Frequently and accurately described as “meat candy,” the burnt ends at Notorious P.I.G. make a compelling case for being the best sandwich in Missoula. Take pity on those who haven’t tried it yet, for they know not what they do.
Where Else Is The Sideshow The Main Event?
Nowhere else on this list can you interweave bites of your sandwich with a viscous scoop of the world’s best baked beans. Spicy and thick like molasses, the beans are armed to the teeth with the restaurant’s entire arsenal of meat. The smoked gouda mac and cheese is a great and popular choice, and you can only enhance it by trying it with the Fancy ‘Sturd or Caroline’s Vinegar sauces. The Fire and Ice Pickles are truly one of a kind. If you can handle the sour patch kids dynamic, you’ll be rewarded for your endurance through the spiciness by a glaze of sweeping sweetness. Bite for bite, there’s hardly a more interesting flavor to be tasted in Missoula.
Be Comfortable When Eating Comfort Food
The Southside location of Notorious P.I.G. and the downtown locations are both staffed by incredibly friendly and spirited folk. At each location, you can sit outside at nostalgic wooden picnic tables that cast a sentimental light on any meal and recall the levity of childhood. Inside you’ll feel the familiar Montana intimacy that keeps us in this wonderful city. That’s the sensation of entering an incredible smelling bubble of heat in the winter months that warms you to bone. During the other half of the year, Notorious P.I.G. extends a vibrancy with its food and environment that recharges any summer day.
Notorious P.I.G. also throws inspired main courses and sides as specials onto their roster with great frequency. Keep an eye on their social media pages to be sure you don’t miss out on some of their most exciting offerings, like the pulled rib sandwich.
Bridge Pizza – Oven Baked Dopamine
Sooner or later there’ll be a post on this site reviewing the best pizza in Missoula, Montana, but I feel that it would be irresponsible for me to wait until then to tell you about Bridge Pizza. Take my word for it, this establishment could just as well be named Bridge Sandwiches. It makes a concise and compelling case for having the best sandwich in Missoula. The list of sandwiches to choose from is not extensive, but what the pond lacks in diameter it makes up for with depth- punching straight through the crust, mantle, and core of the Earth before emerging on the other side of the planet. As with this list of the best sandwiches in Missoula, every roster needs a couple of role players on it to really shine.
How And Why Are They So Good?
The chicken and bacon sandwich is rich, acidic, and creamy. Topped with eccentric additions like arugula, fresh mozzarella, lemon aioli, tomato, and red onion, the sandwich brings some funkiness to the traditional flavors of the oven baked pizza parlor sandwich.
Do you know the feeling of trying to describe the way that you feel about someone you love to a third party? The feeling of the futility of your words to possibly encapsulate how much that person means to you? That’s my experience with the task laid in front of me to describe the Meatball and Basil sandwich to you. The meatballs are soft and herby, and made from scratch. Making bold claims like “it’s the best sandwich in Missoula” cannot capture the emotional significance of such a sensory experience. The sandwich is packed with pepperoni, tomato, large leaves of basil, delicate provolone, red onion, and marinara between some of the highest quality, house-made focaccia that money can buy. But poetry cannot convey the feelings you’ll get when you take the first bite. I’m telling you, Missoula would not be the same without this particular sandwich in it. Toss it onto your bucket list and thank me later.
Tagliare Delicatessan – When In Doubt, Pinky Out
Tagliare Delicatessen. Sandwiches. Quality. Fine Dining. A sandwich from Tagliare Delicatessen offers an intense level of quality and attention to detail that could help its resume get moved to the top of any pile. You have to know the ingredients are going to be special at a sandwich shop that doubles as a wine and charcuterie dealer. The bread is sourced from the wonderful local Le Petit bakery, and their menu offers an impressive amount of quantity given the high quality. In the quest to find the best sandwich in Missoula, Tagliare Delicatessen is a necessary stop.
Sandwich Artistry
The presentation and ingredients of these sandwiches manages to feel exotic, as if the fastest route to Italy is through Tagliare Delicatessen, rather than the Missoula airport. For a powerful package of piquant flavor, try the Zeppelin. The Zeppelin is a masterpiece of turkey, dry salami, pastrami, provolone, greens, balsamic marinated onions, and oil & vinegar. For a caustic spiciness, try The Misfit. The Misfit is a turkey sandwich with hot sopressata, spicy garlic aioli, fig walnut chutney, swiss cheese, pepperoncini, and spinach. At the Higgins location, you can try the Journey, a smoked salmon sandwich with caper cream cheese, onion, and arugula.
Vegetarian Sandwiches To Show To Someone Who You’re Trying To Convert
Tagliare Delicatessen offers delicious vegetarian options. The Sound Garden is a grilled portobello sandwich with fresh walnut pesto, olive and red pepper tapenade, smoked mozzarella, tomatoes and spinach. The Pixie is light and tangy, with goat cheese, pickled beets, carrots, arugula, and mustard vinaigrette.
There’s a beauty to the Tagliare Delicatessen experience that you need to try if you’re living in Missoula. There’s a romance to the sandwiches and the pristine atmosphere on the higher end of casual. If you’re a person who demands excellence in every component, and a mastery of layered flavors, then the best sandwich in Missoula for you is probably made here.
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Thanks for reading about the best sandwich in Missoula! If you want more info about life in Missoula, check out my other posts. If you have any questions or comments, you can reach me on the contact page.
As a disclaimer, I used to work at Notorious P.I.G. With that being said, I’ve worked in food service at close to a dozen places, and I have no intention of writing glowing reviews about the other 11. Although there’s immense value to constructive criticism, I do not plan to write content for Meander Missoula that’s focused on negativity. The sole purpose of Meander Missoula is to point people in the direction of experiences that are worth having. Things that are going to be included will be included because of their value and merit, as is the case with Notorious P.I.G, an unquestionable candidate for the best sandwich in Missoula. To exclude a necessary place from this list precisely because of how wonderful I find it to be is nonsense. On the flip side, I’ve included restaurants on lists that haven’t been kind in correspondences, and that hasn’t swayed my desire to include them either.
The Best Sandwich in Missoula Montana – Top 7 List – What’s the best sandwich in Missoula? From the great Worden’s Deli to the upscale Tagliare Delicatessen, this list contains the 7 best sandwiches in the city.