5 Restaurant Chains With the Best French Dip Sandwiches, According to Diners
In case you didn’t know, a French Dip, created by a Frenchman and served on French bread, wasn’t actually invented in France. It was actually created in Los Angeles in 1918 by Philippe Mathieu at Philippe The Original when the owner accidentally dropped a French roll into a roasting pan filled with hot beef juices while making a sandwich for a police officer. Over 100 years later, it remains a favorite sandwich for meat-eaters. It consists of thinly sliced roast beef on a crusty French roll or baguette, served alongside a warm cup of au jus for dipping. Where can you get the most delicious version? Here are 5 restaurant chains with the best French Dip sandwiches.
Houston’s / Hillstone
My favorite French Dip sandwich is at Hillstone and Houston’s, which are basically the same restaurant. Their version comes with super-tender meat served on a soft, warm bun with the most delicious horseradish sauce and au jus I’ve ever had; it is a must-order, especially with the chain’s trademark shoestring fries. According to a former employee, “this sandwich is cut to order from their prime rib on bread that is made in house each morning.” Others agree that it is delicious. “Hillstones is the answer by a mile,” a diner writes.
BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse
The BJ’s Classic Prime Rib Dip, featuring thinly sliced, slow-roasted beef on a toasted hoagie roll with fries, coleslaw, and au jus for dipping, is a top pick from our reviewer, Chris Shott. “Très authentique! The crusty, golden roll, piled with bona fide carved beef, looked like a sandwich you might find in a proper French bistro,” he explains. It tastes “Hearty and succulent. I could tell how juicy the beef was just from picking it up,” he adds. “The bottom of the roll had gone soft, but thankfully, it was not too soggy under the moistened meat. I appreciated the bare-bones approach to this sandwich—no cheese, no onions, no add-ons of any kind—allowing the beefy taste of the tender prime rib to stand on its own, enhanced only by dunks in that savory jus and punchy horseradish.”
Lawry’s Carvery
Lawry’s, the home of all things prime rib, serves a mean and delicious French Dip that diners are obsessed with. “Lawry’s Prime Rib during lunch has great French Dips, and don’t sleep on their house made chips,” one Redditor writes.
Outback
Outback’s French dip-style Prime Rib Sandwich is another delicious option. It is served on a toasted baguette with sliced steak, onions, mushrooms, and provolone, with French onion au jus on the side. “Right away, I was struck by the juicy, medium-rare color of the beef. The baguette, meanwhile, looked beautifully golden brown and nicely toasted. Like the Arby’s Dipper, this one also seeped with melty white cheese. The accompanying cup of jus looked thick and chunky, a major departure from the watery dips of other chains,” writes Shott, adding that it is “Rich and crunchy.”
Arby’s
The Classic French Dip & Swiss is a great fast-food option. “Roast beef. Swiss. Sub roll. French au jus sauce. It’s half the countries in the world on one sandwich,” the brand says. “French Dip and curly fries,” suggests another. “This is the way,” agrees a second. “French dip, mozzarella sticks with bronco berry sauce,” a third suggests.