The New Orleans sandwich, an airy Leidenheimer French loaf split, packed with fried shrimp, oysters, roast beef debris or hot sausage, dressed with lettuce, tomato, pickle and mayonnaise.
Where to eat it: 5 restaurants across 1 city.
The po-boy was invented in 1929 by Bennie and Clovis Martin, former streetcar conductors who ran a French Market sandwich shop. When the Carmen Strike paralysed the streetcars, the Martin brothers fed striking conductors free sandwiches on a special long French loaf they had Leidenheimer Bakery develop. They called the workers poor boys; the sandwich kept the name. By 1940 the po-boy had spread to every counter in the city. The two canonical forms (fried seafood and roast beef debris) emerged by the 1950s. Dressed means lettuce, tomato, pickle, mayo. Domilise's, Parkway, Mahony's and Liuzza's are the modern cathedrals.
Common allergens: Gluten, Shellfish
Tip from the editors. Leidenheimer-style bread is the dish. If you can't find it, use a fresh baguette and lightly toast the inside before assembling.
This is the TableJourney editorial recipe, modelled on the canonical bistro / counter version. The first place to try the dish in its city of origin is below.
Domilise's in New Orleans is the 1918 family po-boy counter on Annunciation Street in Uptown, with $13 fried shrimp po-boys dressed on Leidenheimer bread at the corner of Belle Castle.
Try: Fried shrimp po-boy
Tip: Cash and local-card only at the counter; the kitchen closes when the bread runs out for the day.
Parkway in New Orleans is the 1911 Mid-City po-boy room on Hagan Avenue near Bayou St John, with $13 fried shrimp po-boys dressed on Leidenheimer bread plated in 10 minutes.
Try: Shrimp po-boy with debris
Tip: The back garden patio runs cooler in summer; the counter line is faster than the wait staff.
Killer Poboys in New Orleans is the back-of-Erin-Rose Conti Street po-boy counter, with chef-driven po-boys running Friday and Saturday kitchens to midnight and the bar to 04:00.
Try: Rum-glazed pork belly po-boy
Tip: Friday and Saturday kitchen runs to midnight; the bar runs to 04:00, frozen Irish coffee is the bar order.
Liuzza's by the Track in New Orleans is the Bayou St John lunch counter near the Fair Grounds that invented the BBQ shrimp po-boy, $15 with butter-pepper sauce on Leidenheimer bread.
Try: BBQ shrimp po-boy
Tip: Cash only at peak; check the Jazz Fest schedule, the room turns into a circus on festival weekends.
Mother's in New Orleans is the 1938 CBD cafeteria-line lunch counter at Poydras and Tchoupitoulas, with $12 red beans and rice plates and the Ferdi Special po-boy from the menu.
Try: Red beans and rice
Tip: Lines run long; arrive 11:00 or after 14:00 for the shortest wait, the cafeteria runs fast at the counter.
More cities are in research. Want po-boy covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.