Tomato season has arrived. Here’s your guide to Philly’s best BLTs and tomato sandwiches

What makes a really good BLT sandwich? Ask Middle Child’s Matt Cahn, and he’ll tell you it’s the heirloom tomatoes oozing with red juice.

Cahn’s beloved BLT, served at Middle Child’s Center City and Fishtown locations, exclusively uses tomatoes from Urban Roots Farm. At their peak, the heirlooms are big, plump, soft, sweet, and super juicy.

“If you salt one of your tomatoes that you get in a grocery store, the liquid that comes out is kind of clear,” he said. “If you salt [Urban Roots’] tomatoes, you’ll get a bright red liquid — just pure flavor.”

With tomato season officially upon us, BLT sandwiches are flooding the menus of Philadelphia restaurants. Cahn says the sandwich is Philly’s chance to let the area’s seasonal produce shine.

In the summer, “corn and tomatoes in the tristate area are out of this world,” he said.

Tomato season, which usually begins in early July, is late this year, said Yehuda Sichel, chef-owner of Huda in Center City. Sichel looks for tomatoes that aren’t mushy or too hard.

“I’m very selective, and I prefer to go to the farmers market because I feel each one,” he said.

Philly area restaurants are serving the season’s best, even mixing them into caprese cocktails. We’ve compiled a handful of places offering some fire BLT to help you get your hands on the summer favorite.

At Middle Child in Center City and Fishtown, you’ll find three slices of salted three-quarter-inch thick tomatoes colorfully packed in Merzbacher’s rye bread with four to six slices of bacon, arugula dressed in a salted tomato juice vinaigrette, and Duke’s mayonnaise for $14.50. It’s a sandwich Cahn says set the trend for the city’s BLT love. “I don’t think I invented the BLT. But I do think that I hyped it up in Philly,” he said. Sandwich availability begins Friday, July 28, and changes weekly depending on deliveries from the farm — keep an eye on Middle Child’s Instagram for updates.

Cahn gets fancy with BLT at dinnertime at Middle Child Clubhouse in Fishtown this season. Dine in and tie a bib around your neck for an extra juicy BLT with an optional caviar supplement, plus a scoop of basil tomato juice granita topped with Topo Chico mineral water (or champagne) in a frozen glass coupe. Prices are to be announced.

Huda in Center City packs its house-made milk buns with quarter-inch sliced heirloom tomatoes from Rittenhouse Farmers Market, crunchy iceberg lettuce, five to six thin strips of not-too-crispy bacon, and a splatter of garlic and ginger mayonnaise for $14.25. The sandwich will be offered starting Aug. 1.

On South Street and inside the Bok Building, Miles Table stuffs half an avocado inside multigrain bread coated with chipotle aioli, plus four pieces of thick-cut applewood bacon, lettuce, and two slices of beefsteak quarter-inch cut tomatoes. The $12.50 sandwich comes with house-made chips and pickles.

At Midtown Village’s Broth Thyme, customize your BLT for $6. The year-round, butter-toasted sandwich is equal parts Maximucks Farm Market or Blooming Glen Farm tomatoes, lettuce, and medium-cut bacon. Choose the bread, cheese, and condiments of your choice. LeBus Bakery supplies the white, brioche, sourdough, and gluten-free breads.

At the Sidecar Bar & Grill in Southwest Center City, owner Michael Strauss stacks six slices of thick smoked bacon atop Hill Creek Farms’ chunky heirloom tomatoes and lettuce, melding the flavors with salt, fine ground pepper, and a roasted garlic aioli on toasted sourdough from Baker’s Street Bread Co. The sandwich is $17 and comes with side of house-made chips.

Brewerytown sandwich shop Rybrew also offers BLTs year-round. Named the Santa Monica, the sandwich features Giordano’s tomatoes, crunchy lettuce, and crispy bacon. The staff recommends substituting the regular mayonnaise for the house-made chipotle one and adding some roasted turkey for a fuller experience. The Santa Monica sandwich is $11.

At the Landing Kitchen in Bala Cynwyd, the $14 BLT gets herbaceous with a green goddess yogurt-based dressing, meaty slices of heirloom tomatoes, and thick-cut crispy bacon between two slices of whole grain bread. The sandwich will be a recurring special starting at the beginning of August.

Venture into South Jersey for Sweet Amalia Market + Kitchen’s $15 BLT. Chef Melissa McGrath slathers a basil aioli on Baker’s Street sourdough bread, stacks four half-inch-thick slices of heirlooms from D&V Organics in Swedesboro or Jersey beefsteak from Happy Valley Berry Farm in Bridgeton with little gem lettuce and four pieces of crunchy bacon.

Give me the BLT

Middle Child: 📍248 S. 11th St. and 1232 N. Front St., 🌐 middlechildphilly.com

Huda:📍32 South 18th St., 📞 445-544-8025, 🕒 Sunday to Thursday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday to Saturday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., 🌐 hudaphl.com

Miles Table: 📍1620 South St. and 821 Dudley St., 📞 215-651-3040, 🕒 Monday to Sunday 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., 🌐 milestable.com

Broth Thyme: 📍102 S. 13th St., 📞 484-744-3584, 🕒 Monday to Sunday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., 🌐 broththyme.com

The Sidecar Bar & Grill: 📍2201 Christian St., 📞 215-732-3429, 🕒 Monday to Saturday 11 a.m. to midnight, Sunday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., 🌐 thesidecarbar.com

Rybrew: 📍 2600 W. Girard Ave., 📞 215.763-1984, 🕒 Monday to Sunday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., 🌐 rybrew.com

The Landing Kitchen: 📍617 Righters Ferry Road, Bala Cynwyd, 📞 484-434-8765, 🕒 Tuesday to Thursday, Sunday 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Friday to Saturday 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., 🌐 thelandingkitchen.com

Sweet Amalia Market + Kitchen: 📍994 Harding Hwy, US 40, Newfield, 📞 856-839-2478, 🕒 Thursday to Monday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., 🌐 sweetamalia.com