Hamden sandwich shops have come and gone, but there are two big competitors: Ray & Mike’s and Corner Deli. They have their differences: Ray & Mike’s is open every day from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., and is right on Whitney Avenue. Corner Deli is on the corner of Dixwell Avenue and Evergreen Avenue and closed on Sundays with shorter hours. But the question isn’t which one is more convenient; the question is which sandwich shop makes the better sandwiches. We have three self-proclaimed sandwich experts weigh in and test three classic subs and evaluate which one is better.

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Chicken Parm:

Sarah Harris:

I had to choose Ray and Mike’s because Corner Deli’s was too soggy for me. There was definitely not enough cheese on the Corner Deli sandwich either.

Matt Eisenberg:

There was no bad choice here, but the sandwich at Corner Deli had the perfect combination of sauce and cheese. The one at Ray and Mike’s was very consistent, but the Corner Deli’s sandwich stood out. -ME

Andy Landolfi:

Ray and Mike’s had a sauce that was far superior to the Corner Deli’s. This being said, the Corner Deli had more meat and was all in all a more complete sandwich. I give the Corner Deli, my new chicken parm paradise, a narrow edge over Ray and Mike’s here.

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Buffalo Chicken

Definitely Ray and Mike’s for the Buffalo Chicken. There was way more buffalo flavor and Corner Deli had a little dab of ranch on it. Ray and Mike’s had just the right amount of sauce. -SH

Ray and Mike’s was clearly the better sandwich here. There was plenty of buffalo sauce and bleu cheese, and it was very flavorful. Corner Deli, on the other hand, skimped out on the sauce. -ME

The Corner Deli gave it a nice try, but Ray and Mike’s buffalo chicken sandwich trumped the Corner Deli’s. Ray and Mike’s had enough sauce to give the sandwich a kick, but not too much that it overpowers your tastebuds. The Corner Deli’s was almost sauceless. -AL

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Steak and Cheese

The steak and cheese at Corner Deli for sure. There was way too much cheese on the  Ray and Mike’s sandwich. The steak and cheese at the Corner Deli was amazing and I am not even a big fan of steak and cheeses. The steak even seemed to be a better quality in the Corner Deli sandwich. -SH

This one was real, real close. The peppers and onions on the Ray and Mike’s sandwich had more flavor, but the Corner Deli had the right amount of cheese. You can’t go wrong with either, but I picked the Ray and Mike’s sandwich. -ME

This was a close call, but I would have to give the Corner Deli a slight edge here. The meat used at the Corner Deli had a bit more of a bite to it than Ray and Mike’s did, and also had just enough cheese to give the sandwich a creamy texture. -AL