Few topics get readers of The Baltimore Banner going quite like Italian subs.

Earlier this month, I postulated on X that a “war of the Italian subs” was heating up with the arrival of ZaVino Italian Marketplace, a new deli at Cross Keys, and received dozens of messages. Then, in this week’s edition of The Banner’s free dining newsletter, I asked you to send me your picks for the area’s best version of the sandwich as I search for the supreme sub.

The number of emails I received made it clear this required a more democratic process. The ultimate face-off is now in the hands of the people: We’re giving you a chance to vote, bracket-style, for the top dog when it comes to cold cuts.

“This is a vital topic for Baltimore,” said one of the email responses to my query. “Kinda surprised it wasn’t brought up in the debate.”

A few trends emerged in the deluge of messages. One is that mayonnaise has no place on an Italian sub: it’s “basically illegal,” one reader said. “Native Baltimoreans seem to like it, but us transplanted Philadelphians are rightly horrified by the mere thought,” another wrote.

Yinzers, I learned, believe in toasting their sandwiches. As one emailer informed me, “Anyone from Pittsburgh will tell you the only way to eat an Italian sub (we called them hoagies) is to heat them in [the] oven to melt the cheese and make the meats all juicy and crispy.”

There are other, more idiosyncratic beliefs: Some said bread should be sliced all the way through. Otherwise, “it’s more like a cold bread taco than a sandwich.”

There is, naturally, a Facebook group devoted to the topic: Hoagie Gurus. Warned a member: “Things can get pretty feisty.”

It’s war, after all.

There can be only one winner. From the 80 or so suggestions I received, I whittled the choices down to 16 participants for our very scientific competition. By necessity, I chose only eateries that had two or more votes. The contenders, which come from a wide geographic swath of the Baltimore area, include your OGs like Mastellone’s as well as newcomers such as Rosie’s Delicatessen.

Who will win the title of best Italian sub? Vote below.