Tommy Habetz and Nick Wood's Bunk Sandwiches is often cited as "emblematic" of the local food scene: a chef with a fine-dining pedigree goes the rock 'n roll route with inventive combinations between two pieces of bread, and lines soon form out the door (thanks in part to food-TV love from the likes of Diners, Drive-In and Dives). And of all its offerings, Bunk's perhaps best known for its pork belly Cubano, a variation of a ham-and-cheese that features a smoky, appropriate fatty pork belly paired with ham and Swiss. [Photo]

The Big-Ass food cart has drawn long lines for its guilty-pleasure gimmick: create a starch-on-starch lovechild by putting French fries inside the sandwich, between the buns. Adam Richman (of the Travel Channel's Best Sandwiches in America) crowned its roast beef sandwich the "Best in the Northwest," elevating it to new levels of infamy. [Photo]

Editors at Bon Appetit once threw down the gauntlet at downtown food cart Tabor, declaring that compared to the spot's famous Schnitzelwich, "there may be no better sandwich on the planet." (Simplicity is key: the sandwich features a breaded and pan-fried pork loin served with horseradish.) The cart now proudly proclaims itself "the home of the original Schnitzelwich" — accept no imitations. [Photo]

John Stewart's Meat Cheese Bread arguably features a more famous sandwich — that'd be the slightly gimmicky "Maple," featuring bread pudding as its bread — but the one that should hold lasting iconic status is its green bean creation. More hearty and soul-satisfying than the salad-y sum of its parts, it features crisp grilled green beans, bacon relish, soft-boiled egg, and creamy aioli. [Photo]

Since opening in 2007 (and remaining a busy hub for downtown visitors), Kenny & Zuke's has been touted by the likes of the Wall Street Journal for bringing an artisan edge to traditional New York City delis. Unsurprisingly, its house-made pastrami draws more attention, best exemplified on the pastrami reuben, which substitutes pastrami for corned beef on its version of the classic Reuben sandwich.

Cliff Allen's cart was recently revamped and now known as the People's Pig Wood-Fired Grill, but it still retains his signature dish from the old days: a porchetta and arugula sandwich that's cultivated a cult-like following.

Does An Xuyen make Portland's best banh mi? That's probably up for debate, but to choose one representative for the iconic Vietnamese sandwich, An Xuyen — open since 1995 — carries the torch thanks to its perfect bread. [Photo]

Chef Kevin Gibson's leisurely lunch counter offers more small plates and snacks than sandwiches proper. But the critically beloved spot also serves killer sandwiches that deserve more attention — take, for example, the Gallego, featuring spicy sardines and fennel. It's achieved iconic status among those appreciative of the spot's studied approach.