Take note, turkeys! It’s that time of year again and a few of the entries in this year’s seasonal spotlight have been written on my whiteboard since Nov. 29 of last year.
In 2025, that list has now come to light, joining the ranks of Orlando Thanksgiving Sandwich favorites from Se7enbites, Bad As’s Sandwich and Hinckley’s Fancy Meats (all of which are offering theirs this year. But hurry on Se7enbites, their “Nobody Puts Gravy in a Corner” is only on the menu through this weekend.)
I even sampled a new chain offering. Check it all out in the word gravy below.
The Deli Llama’s pressed holiday sandwiches is a popular one that customers request year-round. This year, they’ll have it in a taco version, as well. (Courtesy Deli Llama)
Deli Llama
Brent and Michelle Williams have been “pressing to impress” with their sandwiches since the Deli Llama spun up in Tavares in 2016. But after moving to Mount Dora earlier this year, they’re really in the swing of a busy downtown district — still doing wild sandwiches, still having fun.
“This one’s been around since the beginning,” says Brent Williams, “featuring Michelle’s turkey — which is the best — as well as her stuffing — way too much fontina cheese and thinly sliced red onion — all pressed into an Olde Heart sub roll.”
The cranberry aioli, served on the side, is a must-do, says his wife.
“People love to smudge it onto the sandwich,” she notes. “It’s just incredible.”
Incredibly enough that their phone’s been ringing since the beginning of the month with locals eager to see it back on the menu, which it is.
Best Bakery: 2023 Orlando Sentinel Foodie Awards
“It’s an honor that they remember it all year long,” he says.
I called to make sure they were doing it before its inclusion, as theirs is one that’s been lingering on my board.
The response came swiftly: “People would kill us if we didn’t.”
No murderous rage necessary, folks, it will probably be on the menu well into December.
More: 334 N. Donnelly St. in Mount Dora, 352-508-5044; delillamafl.com
Nana’s Stuffing bagel will be available on Nov. 16 and 26 only at all Jeff’s Bagel Run locations. (Amy Drew Thompson/Orlando Sentinel)
Jeff’s Bagel Run
For all my love of Thanksgiving sandwiches, and the love of a handful of other folks I polled, the truth is that most people’s favorite is the one they make with their own leftovers. For a twist that supports local, consider crafting this year’s leftovers masterpiece on a Nana’s Stuffing bagel from Jeff’s Bagel Run.
“My mother-in-law — all the grandkids call her Nana — makes the stuffing every year. It’s her contribution to the Thanksgiving dinner we enjoy as a family,” says JBR founder Jeff Perera. “And when we were thinking about ideas last year for a new Bagel of the Day, something that could represent the festiveness and the flavors of the holiday, I said, ‘We should make a stuffing bagel.’”
But, he says, “It didn’t have a great ring to it.”
“What about Nana’s Stuffing?” one of his kids suggested.
It was perfect. “Everybody’s got a Nana — or someone in their life who fits that role — bringing a positive, warm feeling and joy into your life.”
Got a pre-holiday hankering? Orlando’s got serious Thanksgiving sandwich game
Made with vegetable broth and poultry seasoning for lots of flavor, it’s a subtle, sagey hit to your sinuses that whispers the word “Thanksgiving” as you take a bite. Toasted with some homespun sage butter, it’d be a dream on its own, but toasted, griddled and piled high with all your family’s favorites? That’s a win.
I’d suggest an open-faced, knife-and-fork variety — or at least lower-profile construction over my own photo-styled whopper of a creation. Unless you can unhinge your jaw like a seasonally inclined snake.
You’ve got two more chances to fill your freezer before they’re gone. The Nana’s Stuffing bagel will be available at all Jeff’s Bagel Run locations on Nov. 16 and Nov. 26. Follow them on social for announcements on other seasonal flavors — like orange-cranberry and pumpkin pie.
More: Multiple locations; jeffsbagelrun.com
The Pastrami Project’s Thanksgiving sandwich is available through the end of the month and even on Thanksgiving Day, when the truck will be open 11 a.m.-2 p.m. (Courtesy Pastrami Project)
The Pastrami Project
Pastronomer George Markward may have a preferred protein, but he does plenty more at his food truck than the beef-injected goodies that got him on Guy Fieri’s “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.” This sandwich uses the same smoked turkey Markward makes year-round and employs the heels of his very own rye bread for the stuffing along with a scratch-made cranberry dressing. (Pro tip: He sells the bread by the loaf, as well.)
It’s the second year for this sandwich, which proved exceedingly popular.
“It outsold the pastrami,” he quips, “I have to be careful!”
His inspiration: Pom Pom’s beloved Mama Ling Ling’s Thanksgiving.
“I did it as an homage to the Thanksgiving sandwich she had on the menu,” Markward tells me, noting that his sandwich isn’t just available for the rest of the month, but on Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 27), as well.
“We’ll be open regular hours, 10-2,” he says. “Everyone’s welcome, it’s a safe space … there’s people who don’t have anywhere to go on the holidays, and so they come and hang out here and get a good meal and relax.”
Don’t want turkey on Turkey Day? Fear not, Markward’s pastrami is ever pervasive.
More: Located Behind Cafe Trastevere: 825 N. Magnolia Ave. in Orlando, 321-804-2686; pastramiproject.com
The Thanksgiving sandwich is a pressed, seasonal favorite at Gotha’s Yellow Dog Eats, one that owner Fish Morgan says customers might see trotted out on the specials menu throughout the year. For now, though, it’s available through the end of the month at the very least. (Courtesy Yellow Dog Eats)
Yellow Dog Eats
Fish Morgan’s quirky Gotha hang has been hosting guests from around the metro for 30 years, but their pressed, panini-style version of this holiday handheld has only been a fan-fave for five, which is when it hit the specials menu. This year, it’s already up and running, luring Yellow Dog’s barbecue die-hards away with its smoked turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy and cranberry sauce.
“We make everything from scratch,” says Morgan. “We’re brining the turkey breast, smoking it, making the potatoes, the gravy, the cranberry sauce, just like your grandma would.”
They use the pork and the turkey fat for that gravy, by the way, so you’re getting some old school Yellow Dog in there, as well as the tart-over-sweet relish, which features a hit of Cointreau, as well. A hint of ginger in the panini’s buttery brush is the proverbial whipped cream on the pie.
Fans love it. So much so that Morgan says the upcoming 2026 specials menu may see it reappearing from time to time throughout the year. That said, if you’re craving it now, get there before the month’s out to lock in your odds.
More: 1236 Hempel Ave. in Gotha, 407-296-0609; yellowdogeats.com
There are few mass-produced Thanksgiving sandwiches I haven’t had, but this year I might have found my favorite of the lot in Arby’s “Gobbler,” which features deep-fried turkey. A gravy dipper would be a great add, if you ask me. (Amy Drew Thompson/Orlando Sentinel)
Arby’s, Deep-Fried Turkey Gobbler Sandwich
Eating local is always my preference, of course, but over the years, we’ve included many a chain-based Thanksgiving offering and 2025 is no exception … exception being that this is one of the better ones in the mass-produced lot.
Arby’s Deep-Fried Turkey Gobbler sounds alluring on its face, what with the whole “deep-fried” thing. Its soft sub roll does a good job of containing its contents: thicker-than-deli-sliced turkey with stuffing and cranberry spread. There’s mayo and Swiss cheese, too, which I suppose are structural/textural ingredients designed to keep it moist and hold it together. I could taste them both, but it wasn’t a deal breaker, perhaps because of the crispy onions, which gave us a hint of green bean casserole feels.
There’s a club-style version of the deep-fried turkey, as well, also limited-time only, if you’re curious but resigned to waiting ’til Nov. 27.
More: Multiple locations; arbys.com
Want to reach out? Find me on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram @amydroo or on the OSFoodie Instagram account @orlando.foodie. Email: amthompson@orlandosentinel.com. For more foodie fun, join the Let’s Eat, Orlando Facebook group.