AP Deli, Chicago

When A.P. Deli opened its doors on the south side of Chicago in 1984, corned beef sandwiches were a side business for the corner store. But when one of the owner's sons, Joe Eddy Battee, perfected a recipe for flavorful corned beef, the sandwich became the shop's bread and butter, with customers coming from all over Chicago just to try it.

Then, in 1996, the Battee family began expanding into multiple locations devoted to deli food, with their signature corned beef sandwich as a cornerstone. Since then, they've also grown their menu—it now includes double cheeseburgers, Polish sausages, and other deli sandwiches like Reubens and pastramis.