The Beloved Delaware Sandwich That's Basically An Entire Thanksgiving Dinner

If you somehow leave Thanksgiving dinner without a doggie bag full of leftovers, you don't have to feel like you're missing out. Instead, you can get your fix by heading to Capriotti's Sandwich Shop for its beloved sandwich, the Bobbie. The handheld is piled high with slow-roasted turkey, cranberry sauce, stuffing, and mayonnaise, all on a freshly baked roll. The best part is that you don't have to wait until Thanksgiving to enjoy it — the sandwich is available year-round.

The sub was created by and named for Capriotti founders Lois and Alan Margolet's Aunt Bobbie, who piled her Thanksgiving leftovers onto a sandwich. When the Margolets opened their first store in Wilmington, Delaware's Little Italy in 1976, which specialized in fresh, whole-roasted turkey, they honored Aunt Bobbie by putting the sandwich on the menu. And she wasn't the only relative to whom they paid tribute. The shop was named for the duo's grandfather, Philip Capriotti.

Fortunately, you don't need to live in Delaware to enjoy the Bobbie. The sandwich — which you can now order either hot or cold — is available in 175 Capriotti's company-owned or franchised shops across the country.

Capriotti's likes to boast about AOL naming the Bobbie "The Greatest Sandwich in America" in 2009, but back in 2014, we also named the Bobbie the sandwich of the week. It has a huge fan in President Joe Biden, who attended the grand opening of a D.C. location in 2013. He was even quoted in HuffPost as saying that he's been "going to Capriotti's on Union Street [in Wilmington, Delaware] for the last 40 years." During Biden's 2013 visit to the D.C. location, he bought the Bobbie, as well as several other sandwiches for himself and President Barack Obama.

Consumers have noticed one Thanksgiving staple that's missing from the Bobbie, though: mashed potatoes and gravy. The shop did offer it as a limited-time side dish in 2023, but it hasn't announced whether or not the potatoes and gravy will ever return. Of course, if you're lucky enough to get that doggie bag, you can create your own Thanksgiving leftover sandwich and perhaps include those mashed potatoes. If you're lucky, you might even snag some of that pumpkin or sweet potato pie.