There are sandwiches, and then there are Sandwiches with a capital S. The muffuletta is the latter. It’s essentially a classic Italian sandwich that was invented in New Orleans in the early 1900s. It is now considered an iconic staple for any culinary exploration of this Louisiana city. Cured meats and provolone cheese are piled onto a sesame seed roll that goes by the same name as the sandwich itself, and it’s all topped with a dressing made up of chopped green and black olives, onions, olive oil, and spices.
Like any celebrated regional dish, there have been riffs on the muffuletta across New Orleans and beyond, with local chefs offering their creative and classic takes. While the old adage “if it ain’t broke, don’t try to fix it,” may apply, some versions of this sammy have emerged as best in class among their peers.
To figure out where to go to find standout muffulettas, we asked New Orleans chefs — specifically ones who don’t serve muffulettas at their own restaurants — where they’d send someone who is craving one. Their answers included old-school icons, neighborhood favorites, and a few spots that go just rogue enough on the traditional recipe to preserve the sandwich’s identity while offering a fresh upgrade.
1. Central Grocery & Deli
The muffuletta sandwich was reportedly born at Central Grocery, thanks to Sicilian founder Lupo Salvadore, who saw people shopping for ingredients for it at the nearby French Market and decided to introduce a proper version that included his own take on the sandwich’s signature olive dressing. The shop is now widely considered the OG and benchmark for what a muffuletta in New Orleans should be. But its staying power isn’t just about an origin story. It’s about the bread, the toppings, and the fact that the whole thing checks every flavor box perfectly: salty, briny, dense, and just unruly enough to require a stack of napkins…