This is Alabama’s best sandwich, according to Yelp

The classic Cuban sandwich at Kool Korner Sandwiches in Vestavia Hills is the best sandwich in Alabama, according to the online restaurant review platform Yelp.

Yelp included Kool Korner – the beloved sandwich shop founded by the late Ildefonso Ramirez and now operated by his son, Bill Ramirez – as Alabama’s pick on its list of the Best Sandwiches in Every State.

“Fans flock to this family-run spot for a classic Cuban sandwich they call ‘the real deal,’” Yelp said of Kool Korner. “The sandwiches are made with the recipe of late founder and family patriarch, Ildefonso Ramirez, who perfected the menu favorite after emigrating from Cuba in the 1970s.”

To compile the list, Yelp identified businesses in the sandwiches category with a large concentration of reviews mentioning “sandwiches,” then ranked those spots using several factors, including geographic location and the volume and ratings of reviews mentioning the keyword.

To see the complete list of the best sandwiches in all 50 states, plus the District of Columbia, go here.

Ildefonso Ramirez reopened Kool Korner Sandwiches in Vestaiva Hills in 2009 and continued to run the shop into his late 90s. Ramirez died in January 2024, just a few days shy of his 101st birthday. This picture is from 2016.(Tamika Moore/[email protected])

From Cuba to Alabama

Ildefonso Ramirez, who left Cuba in 1970, and his wife, Lucia, started selling their Cubanos at Kool Korner Grocery in Midtown Atlanta near the Georgia Tech campus in 1985.

For several years, the Kool Korner Cuban sandwich won “Best of Atlanta” awards from Atlanta Magazine, and Garden & Gun magazine later included it on its list of “100 Southern Foods You Absolutely, Positively Must Try Before You Die.”

After his wife died in 2003 and the property owner sold the Kool Korner building three years later, Ildefonso Ramirez eventually moved to Birmingham to be closer to his only son, Bill.

The father and son reopened Kool Korner Sandwiches in Vestavia Hills in 2009 and moved into the current location seven years later.

Ildefonso Ramirez died this past January, just six days shy of his 101st birthday, but his son continues the Kool Korner legacy.

Kool Korner Sandwiches is at 1360 Montgomery Highway in Vestavia Hills, Ala. The phone is 205-822-4406. Hours are 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays. For more information, go here.