This year’s Best Sandwiches prove that chefs around the country continue to push the boundaries of the hand-held favorite. See all the winners >>

Winner: Buffalo Cauliflower Sandwich

Restaurant: The Chickery, Washington, D.C.

Units: 3

Price: $10.55

Ingredients: Fried cauliflower steak spun in Buffalo sauce and topped with green leaf lettuce, tomato and ranch dressing on a sweet potato roll.

What makes it special: The Chickery specializes in chicken sandwiches, but it wanted to provide an option for vegetarian customers. So it looked to fried chicken to create this hearty, meat-free sandwich. The Chickery says even meat eaters will appreciate this cauliflower-steak sandwich. Now the item is gaining fans after debuting on the restaurant’s secret menu.