Props to Subway for going all in on Thanksgiving for the first time this year and for being the largest fast food chain to take a risk by debuting not one, not two, but three holiday-themed seasonal sandwiches.
The “Festive Feast” collection, which rolled out nationwide on Nov. 13, includes the TurHamKen, with turkey, Black Forest ham, rotisserie-style chicken, stuffing and cranberry; the Festive Turkey, with oven-roasted turkey, cranberry and stuffing; and the Festive Chicken, with sous vide rotisserie-style chicken, cranberry and stuffing.
Related: Here’s where to get a turkey, stuffing and cranberry sandwich in Colorado
As a longtime aficionado of turkey, stuffing and cranberry between two pieces of bread, I say, the more the merrier.
But as a Denver resident, I’d rather support local businesses, especially now when so many restaurants are struggling to stay afloat, which is why I’ve drummed up a list of three of the best locally made Thanksgiving sandwiches in town.
Music City Hot Chicken
Thanksgiving sammich: Music City Hot Chicken, which was founded in Fort Collins and opened a window inside the former TRVE Brewing in Denver in 2021, has recently taken over the brewery’s entire space. For November, it is serving its beautifully breaded and fried chicken thigh with waffle stuffing, gravy and cranberry sauce (with “hints of vanilla and orange,” MCHC says). Customers can order the sandwich with any of the restaurant’s standard flavors, including green chile, Nashville and Southern.
227 Broadway, Denver; mchcco.com
Tessa Delicatessen
The Grateful Turkey: This seasonal sandwich has returned for November, with some small changes. It boasts oven-roasted turkey, cranberry compote, a homemade stuffing recipe, Swiss cheese and burnt scallion mayo on a ciabatta roll. This one holds together really well, even with all of the disparate ingredients, and each bite is pure holiday joy. Tessa expanded this year and now has a second location inside the Edgewater Public Market food hall.
5724 E. Colfax Ave., Denver, and 5505 W. 20th Ave., Edgewater; tessadenver.com
Yampa Sandwich Co.
The Pilgrim: This Steamboat-founded company has five metro-area locations and has been turning out Thanksgiving sandwiches for several years. Even better, The Pilgrim is a year-round offering. It’s made with roasted turkey, Gouda, seasoned stuffing, cranberry chutney, romaine lettuce and mayo on sourdough slices. It’s a straightforward sandwich that satisfies the soul in May or in November.
1617 Wazee St., Denver, and other locations. yampasandwichco.com