21 Best Leather Sandals for Men 2023: Slide In, Strap Up, Vibe Out

By Reed Nelson

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When it comes to the highly official summer footwear rankings, the best leather sandals for men boast all the makings of perennial contenders, at least on paper: they’re (mostly) comfortable, they keep foot sweat to a minimum, and they tend to look exponentially cooler than your tired white sneakers. But for a number of reasons—some good, some not—sandals, and leather sandals in particular, don't always receive the love they deserve, often overlooked in favor of less “high-maintenance” kicks.

But, dear reader, we might be at a turning point: not only has the Overton Window of men's footwear expanded dramatically—mules, clogs, and Mary Janes have all entered or re-entered the chat recently—but the sandals piquing our interest right now are more gloriously leather-clad than ever.

We’re not just talking about Rainbows here, either. (Though, yes, you'll see a pair or two of those stalwarts below.) Sandals are approximately 10,000 years old, which means brands have had most of human history to iterate on the concept. All of which, we'd argue, has led us to this this point: a golden age of leather sandals far more varied and fun than the slide-to-flip-flop pipeline would have you believe.

In their Platonic form, leather sandals aren’t just a vacation proposition: a solid pair can go anywhere shoes with covered uppers can—and offer an unexpected way to punctuate a summer outfit in the process. And yet, despite the style's long and winding history, the journey to finding the right pair isn’t as well-trodden as you might expect. So we took the liberty of aggregating our favorites, a definitive, superlative-driven guide to the strappiest, strapping-est, and all-around sexiest best leather sandals for men on the market today.

Birkenstock Arizona SFB suede sandals

Zappos

Shoes designed for uniform wear normally have, at the bare minimum, covered toes, and for good reason—weather, hygiene, lack of proximity to swimmable water. But there is at least one sandal up to the task, regardless of your location (or occupation): the Birkenstock Arizona SFB. Brass tacks: Two adjustable suede (or leather) straps across the top of the foot, a buckle on each, a suede-lined cork midsole and a rubber outsole, and that’s pretty much it. Nothing else—because nothing else is needed, of course. The comfort provided by soft footbed Arizonas is as close to a narcotic as is legally allowed in most states; they get better the more beat up they get; they look great with socks, without socks, with short shorts or knee-length ones, with cropped pants or pants with a break, whatever. They've been been in circulation longer than every song on Rumors, and they're not going anywhere any time soon.

Paraboot Pacific sandal

End.

Gladiator Lows. Grill-Star Specials. Grown Jellies. Call 'em what you want, but fisherman sandals trace their origins back thousands of years to the actual Roman Empire, with more recent iterations teased out to provide fisherman some underfoot protection without trapping water (or sweat) up top. The result is a burly woven sandal that exists somewhere between—yes—gladiators, Mary Janes, and jellies, and that requires exactly zero fishing experience to appreciate. The Paraboot version is also designed to handle the rigors of the Chartreux monk lifestyle (read: walking obscene distances and standing while stationary), and they boast a rippled rubber sole for grip and comfort, while retaining the classic T-Bar leather construction up top. There are other leather sandals worth a look (obviously), but the Pacific might be the most versatile around.

Saint Laurent Culver leather sandals

Mr Porter

This is a hard award to determine, but that’s probably a good problem to have on balance (and maxing out your RAM with, like, 64 open windows is a small price to pay). Do you prioritize execution or innovation? Curb appeal or construction? It all can get a bit dizzying, but dizzying in a fun way. That being said, Saint Laurent's Culver sandal manages to slow the room down, at least just a bit. Featuring four leather straps that criss-cross for a variety of effects, these gladiator lite joints thread the elusive WTF-OMG needle—never veering too far into Maximus Decimus Meridius territory but also capable of venturing through. Those stacked leather soles will last you for years, and the supple uppers will get better with wear. And if you’re thinking these are a bit spartan…literally, well, most good sandals are.

Gianluca L'artigiano del cuoio Franciscan sandals

Amazon

Italian-made leather sandals should cost enough to give you second thoughts as to whether the hit to your bank account is worth a week or two of instant ramen. Gianluca L'Artigiano del Cuoio's sandals defy all logic—they're undeniably dashing, they're made in Italy using premium vegetable-tanned leathers, and they're just $120. Not only that, you can really only find them on Amazon. So if you've got a last-minute swanky beach day on the horizon, that Prime shipping will make sure you show up to the sandy shindig real fly. Molto bene!

Adidas Adilette premium slides

Adidas

When it comes to the Mount Rushmore of Comfortable Sandals (the most unnecessary of the hypothetical Rushmores), it’d be damn-near impossible to leave off the Adidas Adilette. For more than 50 years, Adidas has been at the forefront of Giving Your Feet a Break, and the brand doesn't show any signs of slowing down. In fact, it diversified that category to now include a leather version of the iconic Adilette, one with a cork midsole and a suede strap across the upper, which still features the embossed three-stripes logo, albeit in a very subdued fashion. Are these more comfortable than the originals? Who cares—compared to other leather sandals, they're nearly impossible to top.

Suicoke KAW-VS sandals

Mr Porter

If Suicoke's signature slip-ons look slightly orthopedic or, for that matter, intergalactic, your eyes don't deceive you—that's a huge part of their appeal. Along with flip-flops, slides are the most ubiquitous of all sandals, but we’re not talking Nike's Benassis or Adidas' Adilettes here. We’re talking about the bulbous, padded, foot-enveloping slides—more post-op chic than student athlete schlubby. And though there are some beloved hits around—Visvim Christos have their acolytes and Kapital makes an OD fringe one that reliably sells out—the Suicoke KAW-VS is about as good as it gets. The sole takes a second to break in but can handle serious wear, the upper locks down the foot just right, and the silhouette as a whole can handle an unexpected array of pants, shorts, or whatever else you feel like wearing, all at a fraction of the price of other category stalwarts.

Nisolo huarache sandals

Nisolo

Are huaraches sandals? For our purposes, sure! They don’t cover the whole foot, they have woven uppers, and they trace their origins back hundreds of years, all benchmarks of the genre. Besides, why get caught up in semantics when a shoe this lightweight, this versatile, and this refined is begging to get subbed in for your sweaty loafers as temperatures climb into News Alert territory? Huaraches date back to pre-Columbian Mexico, when they were made from thin strips of leather and plopped atop a leather sole. In the 1930s, huarache-makers started putting rubber from tires on the soles, an innovation that stuck around ever since. (The rubber, not the tires.) Nisolo makes some of the best around thanks to their handwoven, water-resistant leather uppers, no-slip rubber soles, and comfy foam midsoles—in other words, a shoe that’s actually meant to be worn sockless.

Grenson "Quincy" suede sandals

Matches

Supple, wheat-colored suede is easy to wear with anything, with or without socks.

Ancient Greek Sandals Orfeas leather sandals

Matches Fashion

Jil Sander padded sandals

SSENSE

The insane proportions on these inflated sandals might inflate your ego, but, like, appropriately so.

Jacques Soloviére Paris round-toe textured sandals

Matches Fashion

Just familiar enough to go with everything and just weird enough to stand out among anything.

Maison Margiela Tabi sandals

SSENSE

Hereu Dira mules

Matches

Indie shoe brand Hereu is making hard-bottom shoes cool again. That said, the brand knows how to make a totally laid-back pair of vacation-ready sandals, too.

Vinny's strapped suede mule

Mohawk General Store

The Row Fisherman sandals

Shop at

SSENSE

The most honorable of honorable mentions, The Row's fisherman sandals are about as perfect as it gets—not a frill in sight, and every detail matters.

Rainbow Sandals 301ALTS0 sandals

Amazon

Todd Snyder Tuscan leather double strap sandal

Todd Snyder

Take your feet to Italy, even if the rest of you is stuck somewhere else.

Chamula Cancun huaraches

Huckberry

Isabel Marant braided suede sandal

End.

Auralee x Foot The Coacher belted leather sandals

Tres Bien

Leather sole, spaghetti-thin nylon upper, and nothing else. Or, an unimpeachable strappy sandal.

Officine Générale "Fidel" 003 sandals

SSENSE

It turns out that taking the doors off a fisherman sandal is a great move.

Birkenstock Gizeh sandal

Todd Snyder

It might not be as ubiquitous as the Arizona, but the Gizeh manages to harness all its sibling's orthopedic opulence via a thong style that plays just as hard on the beach as it does on the streets.