10 Best-Rated South American Sandwiches

TasteAtlas food rankings are based on how the TasteAtlas audience rates the food. The system has a number of ways to tell who is a real user and ignore bot, nationalist, or local patriotic ratings. It also gives more weight to the ratings of users that the system recognizes as informed. Up until July 4, 2023, 2,304 reviews were made for the “10 Best Rated South American Sandwiches” list, but only 910 were valid, according to the system. TasteAtlas Rankings are not the last word on food around the world. Their goal is to spread the word about good local foods, make people proud of traditional meals, and get people interested in foods they haven’t tried yet.

1. Bauru

Bauru is a Brazilian sandwich that is a true standard. It is made with a crusty bread roll that doesn’t have any soft bread inside. Melted cheese, tomatoes, sliced pickles, and roast beef are put inside. Bauru was made in the 1930s by a law student named Casemiro Pinto Neto, who went by the name Bauru after his city. He was a customer at the Ponte Chic restaurant in So Paulo and asked the cook to make him a special sandwich.

Politicians and football players often ate at the restaurant, and they loved the new sandwich. Because of this, the sandwich became very famous very quickly, and it became the restaurant’s best-selling item. Even now, the sandwich has a huge number of fans and can be made in many different ways. For example, sliced ham can be used instead of roast beef, and sliced bread can be used instead of the traditional French roll.

2. Churrasco Italiano

Churrasco Italiano is a delicious Chilean sandwich made with thin pieces of grilled steak, mayonnaise, tomatoes, and pasta, which is what people in Chile call avocados. All of these ingredients are put into fresh bread rolls. But why is it called an “Italiano”?

It’s because each ingredient adds color to the Italian flag: Palta for green, mayo for white, and tomatoes for red. This sandwich might make a mess when you eat it, so serve it with a lot of napkins.

3. Barros Luco

Barros Luco is a simple Chilean sandwich that usually consists of thin slices of grilled beef steak topped with cheese and served inside different buns and bread rolls. It got its unique name from Ramón Barros Luco, who was the president of Chile and a big fan of this tasty sandwich.

Even though it’s not clear if it came from the restaurant at the Chilean National Congress or the Confitera Torres, Barros Luco is still one of the most famous types of sandwiches in Chile. It is always served hot, and many Chilean places have it on their menus.

4. Arepa reina pepiada

One of the most well-known arepa types in Venezuela is Arepa Reina Pepiada. This kind of arepa is packed and filled with shredded chicken, avocado, lime, coriander, mayonnaise, and peas if you want. Heriberto Alvarez, who ran a stand where people could buy empanadas, came up with the dish.

The name was made up to honor Susana Duijm, who was the first person from Venezuela to win the Miss World title. In those days, women with curves like Susana were called peptides, so Reina peptide, which means “curvy queen,” is a good name for this tasty arepa.

5. Sánguche de milanesa

The popular sandwich sánguche de milanesa comes from Argentina, but it’s also popular in Uruguay. The sandwich is usually made with milanesa, mayonnaise, tomatoes, onions, and chopped lettuce on a baguette or long bread roll that has been cut in half.

Other things that could be added are mustard, chimichurri, ham, or cheese. This sandwich is very popular in the province of Tucumán, where it is sold in shops called sangucheras that are mostly run by families. Some places serve mashed potatoes or fries on the side with sánguche de milanesa.

6. Chivito

The national dish of Uruguay is the chivito, which is a tasty sandwich. The word “chivito” comes from the Spanish word for “little goat.” According to a story, in the 1940s, a cook in a restaurant was asked to make roasted goats, but he didn’t have one. So, he made a sandwich with bits of almost everything he had in the kitchen, and that’s how “chivito” came to be.

The sandwich has thin pieces of grilled or roasted beef called churrasco, ham, bacon, tomatoes, lettuce, melted mozzarella cheese, and fried or sometimes boiled eggs on top. The bread for the sandwiches should be very big, like ciabatta rolls.

7. Arepa

Arepa is a type of cornbread made from either ground corn dough or corn flour that has already been cooked. People in Venezuela, Colombia, Panama, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic often drink it. Arepa is eaten in Venezuela at any time of day, all over the country, and by people from all walks of life.

The golden disks with a crispy, browned top are usually filled with a lot of different things, from beans, cheese, and avocado to shredded beef and onions. The combinations seem endless. For breakfast in Venezuela, people usually eat arepas with a cup of strong coffee and hot chocolate to dip them in.

8. Choripán

Choripán is the best Argentine street food. It’s a sandwich made of chorizo sausage, a crusty bun, and a range of toppings. It is mostly sold at street stands in Latin America, so most people eat it on the go.

The name “choripán” comes from the words “chorizo,” which means “sausage,” and “pan,” which means “bread.”

9. Sandwich de lomo

This is an extreme form of a steak sandwich. It has thinly sliced lomo steak, tomatoes, onions, lettuce, mayonnaise, chimichurri sauce, ham, cheese, and a fried egg. It is called a sandwich de lomo or lomito.

But you can change up this tasty sandwich in any way you like. Instead of steak, you could use pork, add aubergine slices, or anything else that comes to mind. It’s popular in both Argentina and Uruguay, and you can find it easily at many street carts all over the cities of both countries.

10. Butifarra

Butifarra is the most famous Peruvian sandwich. It used to be made with jamón del pas, which is a spicy ham flavored with garlic, salsa criolla, lettuce, onions, and chili. Over time, some things were added and some were taken away.

Jamón del Pais, which is made from boiled pork leg, garlic, oil, aj chili, and red peppers, is the most important part of this sandwich. People think that the first time butifarra was sold was at Bullfights in Lima when it was still a republic. Today, the sandwich is a standard at birthday parties and is often served at breakfast in Peru.