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Buffalo Deli
Categories: Restaurants Delis Restaurants Sandwiches Delis, Sandwiches [Edit]
2123 1st AveSte B
(between Lenora St & Blanchard St)
Seattle, WA 98121
Neighborhood: Belltown
(206) 728-8759
- Hours:
Mon-Fri 10 am - 4 pm
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- No
- Price Range:
-
$
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- No
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch
- Alcohol:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Loud
- Has TV:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
58 reviews for Buffalo Deli
Review Highlights
"Roast beef on weck - that's one awesome sandwich."
(in 6 reviews)
"The hot pastrami on rye + dejon is heaven on bread."
(in 9 reviews)
"I feel like I'm back in New York."
(in 10 reviews)
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58 reviews in English
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Review from Don B.
WA
10/30/2011
Love this place. The beef on weck reminds me of home back in Western New York and the owner is super friendly.
Can't wait to stop by again! -
Review from Boris C.
Mercer Island, WA
1/23/2012
I could live on the roast beef on Kemelwick...make sure and ask fo rthe au jus on the side because they dont povide it automatically. Subs are great also and well worth the 1-2 bucks more than you pay at a chain like subway.
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Review from Kristin T.
Seattle, WA
12/28/2011
Love the subs. Loaded with ingredients. You can customize the hell out of your subs and they are totally flexible. Friendly staff. Can get quite busy at times.
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Review from Tyler S.
12/10/2011 1 photo
The perfect compliment to the chilly weather of Seattle, Buffalo New York Deli offers the meanest hot roast beef sandwich around. The beef is soaked in a savory warm au jus and piled onto soft kimmelweck bread slathered in sharply flavored horseradish mayo. The beef is so ridicuclously tender and juicy, a person with no teeth would have no trouble devouring this sandwich. Naturally, traditional Jewish options like matzo ball soup and crisp kosher pickles are abundant, and a pretty extensive list of Italian and American subs are also available. The inside of the restaurant is no bigger than an average Seattle studio apartment, with just enough room to order your sub and elbow up to the eating counter. The walls are adorned with local flyers, rave cards, and off beat posters, giving full effect to the ambience of the city. There are a few tables outside as well, but make sure to bring a hearty jacket and beanie with you. Great prices, awesome food, and strong Seattle flavor make this place one of the best in my book!
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Review from Benny B.
Seattle, WA
10/10/2011
Favorite sub sandwich spot for lunchtime in Seattle, if you're a simple sand person, their regular sub with tons of toppings is the way to go especially if you want to save a buck. If you want a crafty gourmet sandwich and splurge a little bit, they have a huge selection of items including a good buffalo chicken sandwich and good meats and bread. I still haven't been to a lunch spot that beats Buffalo in terms of quality & value. Highly recommend.
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Review from Henry S.
Seattle, WA
3/6/2011 4 Check-ins Here
My coworker suggested that we should try this place. After reading some reviews on yelp, I was sold right away. Damn right this place rocks!
Roast beef on weck - that's one awesome sandwich. Definitely worth every penny and will definitely be coming back for more.
I also tried their pastrami on rye. I think it's good though not as mind blowing as their beef on weck. However, be warned as they're very generous with their spicy mustard.
They accept credit cards but they charge 40c, so bring cash! -
Review from Ryan S.
Seattle, WA
7/5/2011
Great lunch spot in Belltown. I had the Buffalo Chicken sandwich, and it was very good. The chicken is deli meat seasoned with buffalo seasoning, but it definitely picks up the flavor well. They top it with a bleu cheese mayo which is the bomb dot com. The waitress behind the counter suggested a kaiser roll rather than the wheat I ordered (kaiser wasn't listed on the big menu) and it was an excellent suggestion. It was great! The sandwich was huge, however, and I was only able to eat around half of it. You can order half sandwiches, and I'll definitely do that instead next time.
It's a tiny place with a cool, friendly ambiance. The only seating indoors is a counter with four chairs, and they have a few tables outside. It gets pretty crowded during lunch time, so you may want to get it to go.
My only complaint about Buffalo Deli is that they're closed on weekends. I live around 3 blocks away, but I work too far away to make it here for lunch regularly during the week. -
Review from Adrienne S.
Seattle, WA
10/13/2010
So whenever I'm obsessed with something (lately it's Mad Men) I Google it like crazy. After eating their Roast Beef on Kimmelweck sandwich at Buffalo Deli, I'm OBSESSED with kimmelweck. When I lived on 1st Avenue in 2001, I loved their turkey sandwich and was excited to check up on them to see if Buffalo Deli is still as awesome.
http://en.wikipedia.or...
The roll, soft and tender, slightly salty and dusted in caraway seed, originated in Buffalo, New York and it's no surprise Buffalo Deli serves it proudly. From their website: "Thinly sliced sirloin beef, dipped in hot au jus, served on a Kimmelweck roll with horseradish mayonnaise."
OMFG. It was absolutely FABULOUS. I don't really like crust..I don't really like bread that much...I don't really like the ends of sandwiches. But at the glorious end...when I couldn't eat anymore and there was more bread in my hands...I succumbed to the Kimmelweck.
http://www.practically... -
Review from Rebecca S.
Capitol Hill, Seattle, WA
I have been wanting to try Buffalo Deli since last fall when I worked next door and ordered food from them for my coworkers daily. I can never justify going there though considering I live so close, but I only have half-rotten produce at my house at the moment so today seemed like a good day to try it.
I decided to gorge myself and order half of the buffalo chicken sandwich and a cup of matzoh ball soup. The buffalo chicken sandwich was delicious, other than the cheap sub bread that made it leak everywhere and ruined the last few bites. The buffalo chicken was actually chicken deli meat with buffalo seasoning on it, and they put spicy blue cheese mayonnaise and lettuce and tomatoes on it. I only ordered a half, but it was huge!
The matzoh ball soup wasn't such a winner though. The broth is really oily and it's filled with nasty dark meat chicken chunks. After picking those out, I have a few carrots, onions and celery and one giant matzoh ball. The matzoh ball tastes more like a tortilla mushed into a ball though. Disappointing, but luckily the sandwich filled me up.Listed in: Lunch in Downtown Seattle, Belltown, Lunch in Belltown
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Review from Stuart A.
Cary, NC
It smells good in here. The synaesthetic reds and browns of cooking pastrami waft into my nostrils. There is a cute, frenetically talkative waitress behind the counter who reassures everybody that everything they have ordered is just *wonderful*. Well, I beg to differ a bit.
The Sandwich-smith's craftsmanship is a little lacking. I mean, I got a pastrami on rye, and it was just kinda uninspired and uninspiring. No toasting, nothing really other than bread and a bolus of pastrami with the slightest hint of mustard, which left my mouth a little dry. I felt the need for my vestigial nictitating membranes to kick in just so I could swallow each bite. For the price, this place just isn't worth it.
It's also kinda cramped, with more outside, on-the-sidewalk seating than there is inside. This place filled my belly for lunch, but in no particularly memorable way. -
Review from Glenn D.
Tacoma, WA
10/21/2010
Whoa! What a line! I feel like I'm back in New York.
I met my wife here for lunch one sunny summer day and there was a line about 15 people long. That's a pretty good sign, right?
So after a decent wait, we finally got inside and got a chance to look at the menu. To be fair, they had a girl coming out and taking orders before you could get to the register so that helped speed things up. I decided on egg salad because, well, yum. We were lucky enough to get seats inside and sat by the window and watched all of the craziness.
Our food came 5-10 minutes later and it was just what I expected. Super good egg salad on some great bread. No complaints at all about the food. Really good stuff.
My biggest complaint though would be the wait. I have an hour for lunch and I really only had about 10 minutes to eat my food and enjoy the company of my wife. The rest of the time was spent waiting in line or waiting for food. We typically go to Belltown Cafe Market down the street. The food is better and the wait is MUCH shorter. -
Review from Michael E.
Pittsburgh, PA
6/3/2010 1 Check-in Here
I can't believe it. So bittersweet.
I've lived near Buffalo Deli for like, 2 years now and I've never been in. Always struggled to find it for some reason, is it between Lenora and Blanchard, or maybe it was over by Stewart St. Regardless, this time I was going to find it. (Thanks Yelp mobile)
So I expected a normal deli, turkey, etc. But oh no, they've got meatloaf, they've got Matzo ball soup. Buffalo Deli, I've been looking for you! And you've been right there the whole time. I'm upset and sadden that our relationship has only just begun. -
Review from Brandon C.
Brooklyn, NY
11/19/2010
I walked in seeing boars head and customers enjoying sandwiches in the window. The first sandwich on their menu caught my eye, the chicken sandwich with Bacon.
After a few minutes my order was ready to go.
I've been told that the pickle at a deli tells you a lot about the rest of the food and the pickle was excellent. The first bite of the sandwich was so good that I finished half of my meal to get my phone and start yelping this message.
Enjoy!
Fast, hot, great service and fun! -
Review from K H.
Seattle, WA
Nice little deli. Nice service. Terrible sandwiches.
They use bad bread and they don't even toast it, so the sandwich gets all mushy and it sticks to the roof of your mouth. Ick. I spend a lot of time trying to pick the mushy bread out of my... well, you get the picture.Listed in: Sandwiches!
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Review from Jodi S.
Seattle, WA
3/3/2009
A co-worker suggested we stop by here for lunch today. What a great idea! Just walking into this place made my mouth water. Everything smelled so good! I asked what in particular smelled so wonderful but they couldn't nail down the exact food because they prepare everything fresh, using Boar's Head meats.
My co-worker swears by the roast beef kimmelwick, which honestly looked and smelled amazing. he says it's the bread that sells him. I can see why, yum! I got the Pastrami on Rye which was warm and melty and delicious! I couldn't have asked for a better, more fulfilling, lunch. I got a soda made with cane sugar, which being the first soda I've had in a long time, was quite yummy. My other co-worker got a BLT and the bacon looked amazing!
I can't wait to go back and try something new! I think I ate a little too much, however, so be warned - you will get full! -
Review from Abby H.
Seattle, WA
10/22/2007
The plane ride from New York to Seattle is quite a long one, especially when you are sitting next to the most New York New Yorker I've ever met. But I learned some amazing things. I learned the difference between schmaltz and schmuts; how to use an "oy"; and all of the best eating places. Pretty impressive for a young shiksa like myself. His favorite: Katz's Deli.
I'm a vegetarian, and have been for some time. But, as of late, I have decided that if I were to ever eat meat again, it would be from here.
Modeled after the infamous Katz's Delicatessen in New York, the Buffalo Deli is quick and it's quality. Look, this place is simple: you pick your bread, you choose your cheese, you select your sides, and you maneuver the menu to find your meat.
There are a few specialty sandwiches, but, really, you can make anything you want.
My boss is completely addicted to a hot ham and cheddar with bacon. They serve a side selection of fruit or tuna salad, chips, cans of soda. They offer quintessential deli meats freshly sliced and made, dressed up any way you want.
The service is quick, the place is always warm and inviting. Give it a shot if you're in a hurry, or just want to nosh and wander the streets a bit. -
Review from Peter A.
12/25/2008
Being from Buffalo, NY, I am always looking for a little piece of Buffalo heaven wherever I go. A traditional Buffalo food, in addition to chicken wings, is beef on kimmelweck. I found that at the Buffalo Deli and it was great.
It is a really small deli with limited seating, so you may have to wait a short while. There sandwiches and soups are worth the wait and the beef on weck is the best in Seattle. Of course that is by default since they may be the only beef on weck "dealer" in the area.
If you are looking for a New York Style deli this is among the better in the area. -
Review from Kenneth S.
Seattle, WA
6/25/2008
I'm not sure how other people had such a different pricing experience, it's five dollars for the reasonably sized sandwich or 7.50 for something bigger than a Subway footlong. My girlfriend and I ate here for 13 dollars (including a bag of chips and one drink - sugar cane sweetened glass bottle of soda) and had way more food than we could eat. She had the egg salad and I created my own sandwich.
For us the service was fantastic. The guy taking our order sounded like he might own the place - for example we asked him if the egg salad was dry. He said something like "I made the egg salad this morning and I only use enough dressing to make sure everything sticks together so you should get mayo on the sandwich if you like it creamier." He knew everything about what we wanted and was extremely helpful.
Some people below complained that the menu is too small. Yes, they have a small menu of fixed items but they also allow you to build your own from a list of *all* the ingredients they have. What's more variety than 'pick whatever you want and we'll put it on a sandwich for you'?
The only complaint I have about this place is that they have terrible hours. In the winter they are only open 10-4 on weekdays and so I'd never been in the two years I had lived in Belltown. They happen to be open 10-5 on Saturdays during the summer so I finally visited and I can't wait till I go back. If only they were open on the weekends year round!
The more I think about it, I'm going to try and make it up there today...Listed in: Top Restaurants
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Review from Joshua B.
11/22/2008
One of the few sandwich places I can whole-heartedly recommend. Sure, there's plenty of places to get a servicable combination of meat, dairy, veggies and bread, but that's just sustenance. The sandwiches at Buffalo deli actually taste good, and the ingredients at least don't appear to have come directly off the Sysco truck pre-packaged into sandwich-inserts.
I second what the other reviewer said about Matzah Ball soup - much better than Goldberg's on the east side, and better than pretty much anywhere else in Seattle.
Tiny seating area (both inside and out), which is why I deduct a star, but otherwise, this is one of the best places to get sandwich or soup in Seattle (if you work in Belltown, make this your cafeteria).Listed in: Downtown Seattle
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Review from Rob B.
Redmond, WA
6/11/2008
I liked these guys. I stopped by here and had a pastrami on rye with swiss, warm. They slathered it with horseradish mustard (so freakin' good) and a spicy mayo too. The pastrami was a pretty high quality, virtually no fat, sliced good and the grain was right. I would have liked a toasted sandwich to be honest, and the swiss was just so-so.
The price for a sandwich? 7.50. Cheese? .50. Drink? 1.85. Chips? .99.
12 buckish for a sandwich lunch just strikes me as dirty, though. -
Review from Sarah B.
Seattle, WA
5/8/2006 1 photo
Decent sandwich, decent price. They make a good, honest sandwich. Lots of meat, good bread, good fixings, nice side salads and or course buffalos! I really do like when I can arrange time to come here especially for their roast beef sandwich.
I love the roast beef here, all Boar's Head, with horseradish on a salted roll. Damn it's good. And you get a pickle on the side, YUM! And they carry Nantucket Nectars!
I do think it might be cash only or at least I always pay cash because I can never remember. So have a few bucks on you just in case.
Quick service, nice staff, an easy in/out when you want to grab a sandwich. Also, really close to the nice lawn near Pike Place. So you can grab a sandwich and sit on the lawn for a bit. -
Review from Lanny B.
Spokane, WA
1/14/2009
Get the Roast beef sandwich with horseradish. It is to die for. Also, it is huge. I can eat half in one sitting and wrap the rest for dinner.
I am not a major fan of their matzo ball soup... or their odd hours.
They are not open after four or on weekends. There's typically a line out the door - at least in my experience.
I came here for the first time in the heat of the summer and ate their hot chicken matzo ball soup. It was like 95' out, and i'm sitting on the sidewalk, slurping a bowl of soup. I know what I want, man!
Thing is, the soup is greasy and a bit bland. It has huge chunks of chicken in it (which is how I make it at home) but is served with a flimsy, disposable spoon. (This is not how I serve it at home) The spoon's density (minimum) combined with the heat of the soup (maximum) makes it next to impossible to pick up the chicken. It's probably in the patron's best interest to hoard thicker flatware in purses, pockets, and satchels of various sorts.
Chicken grease aside, the sandwiches are brilliant. I am in love with them. I really want one right now. Too bad it's after four... -
Review from Vanessa F.
Seattle, WA
8/4/2008
The hogie bread is good....soft, doesnt destroy the roof of your mouth. Ive mostly had subs here....the pastrami is good...they know how to assemble a real sub.
The teens and the one woman who is usually working when I go are ultra nice. Helpful, cheerful, but not too cheerful. -
Review from Timmmaahh W.
Seattle, WA
9/5/2008
All I could say when I got the bill was, "that is pretty expensive."
All I could do was say "damn that is a sandwich" when I got it in my hands. It weighed like 5lbs. HUGE. Totally worth the price. Would have liked more bacon but, it was thick and covered with pepper. TASTY. I will be back to this joint. -
Review from Jeff B.
Seattle, WA
5/2/2010
This place is good, it is not Epic, Phenomenal or Life Changing. It's simply a good lunch spot in Belltown.
I'm updating this review after I just had their "Beef on Weck" (Order it as such so you look like you know what the hell you're talking about. It is the sole Sandwich to come out of Buffalo, NY. Get it? Buffalo Deli.)
The Beef on Weck was good. Seems like they're taking some pride in this one. It looked & tasted as if the beef wasn't lunchmeat but house roasted sirloin dipped in some au jus, the roll was nice and salty and the horseradish mayo wasn't overpowering. This sandwich will get me coming back more. If everything was as good as this sandwich I'd give it 4 stars, but unfortunately it's not.
My pastrami on rye was boring. There's so little to a pastrami sandwich, meat, bread & mustard so unless everything is top notch it'll just seem boring. My suggestion, start making this in house too & get some local bread.
The Italian sub was decent, but was on an almost white bread styled roll. Bad bread'll kill a sandwich every time.
The Good:
They are using Boar's Head Meat which is good to see.
Kathleen who owns the place and runs the counter is really, really nice and for a neighborhood deli that'll get me to come back every time. -
Review from Sarah G.
Fullerton, CA
9/4/2009
I am not a huge sandwich fan but I am a fan of Buffalo Deli. When I am picking up lunch for the bosses or meeting people who want a good sandwich, this is where I go. I would come to Buffalo Deli over Jimmy John's any day.
The owner is super friendly, the rest of the staff are nice and quick :)
They also offer tasty, basic salads and soup. -
Review from John B.
Eugene, OR
7/25/2010 1 Check-in Here
Cool New York style deli in downtown Seattle. The Mixed Italian meat sandwich I had was good and quite filling, although I'm not sure if it justified the price premium over say, a Subway or Quizno's.
One feature of the deli that will primarily appeal to the earthy/tree hugger crowd is how there are bins for recycling and compost, not just the traditional trash bin. I know this is a plus for people that like to frequent businesses that take efforts to be more environmentally friendly. -
Review from Andrew C.
Seattle, WA
9/9/2009
I had a pretty awesome meatloaf sandwich here. You have to make sure to select the correct mustard option. The "deli mustard" means the spicy, grainy mustard. That's the one you want.
I was also able to use the rare and delicious Dr. Brown's Black Cherry Soda to bring to the surface some memories of good Jewish delis back in New Jersey and New York.
Next time I will try the Matzohball soup. My only complaint is that there will probably never be a next time because this place is not open on the weekend. C'mon Seattle.... what's with the lazy commerce?? -
Review from RT P.
Burien, WA
4/18/2009
Popped in for lunch yesterday and decided on the "New York style" Pastrami on Rye. It included deli mustard, horseradish mayo and melted swiss cheese- sounds yummy right? It bordered painfully on mediocre. I asked for it warm and warm it was - however when you microwave (or however they heated this up) a sandwich where the bread isn't grilled or toasted all you're left with is a spongy soggy mess. The horseradish mayo was also plastered on so thickly that I ended up removing the mushy bread and munching on just the pastrami itself. The ingredients themselves were all good - it was just the execution that was the problem.
If I end up there again, I will try the roast beef or buffalo chicken just to give this place another chance. Will post again when I do.
For now, my opinion is that if a real New Yorker was to see that sandwich called "New York style" they'd be mortified. -
Review from Shanti M.
Whidbey Island, WA
10/22/2009
Walked out of the surplus store, looking for lunch, and there it was, looking me right in the eye: Bufflalo Deli, with the words "New York Style" right there in the window. I was hooked!
But.... even though the staff was great, and Kathleen and I had a nice and interesting talk, I was disappointed - I associate NY delis with killer bagels, and fresh sour dough rye. (Is it just me?) All else was super. Substantial and interesting tomato soup and the big deli pickle wedge they served me with my cheesy bread was the best! -
Review from Brian C.
San Francisco, CA
9/10/2009
Love Buffalo Deli & Kathleen Haggerty.
I finally migrated to San Francisco, but when I lived in Seattle, I went to the Buffalo Deli from the time it opened till the time I left. Kathleen is a great chef and I have eaten, and would eat everything/anything she ever made.
Every once in a while, I will be going to work and I think about how great it would be if Kathleen opened a Buffalo Deli in San Francisco! -
Review from Stacy L.
Kenmore, WA
2/11/2011
Buffalo Deli's beef on weck sandwich is a transformative experience. It is my new official favorite sandwich in the world (really, it's the inaugural winner of this newly established made-up award of mine).
I cannot speak to the quality of any other sandwiches there, but the sodas are cold, the Tim's chips are never crushed, and the cookies are tasty, though they seem to be shrinking in size lately. Service has been consistently friendly and efficient over the half dozen times I've visited.
Definitely go if you can to try the beef on weck, even if you're not a huge fan of horseradish. -
Review from Laura C.
Seattle, WA
10/1/2009
Fantastic food -- all made in the Deli by Kathleen and her great staff.
This place rocks the lunch scene!
Have to correct Andrew C. --- the deli IS open on Saturdays. So - all you sleepy heads - you should start your Saturdays off with some yummy lovin'. -
Review from Boom S.
Seattle, WA
8/13/2007
Good sandwiches, but I didn't think they were great. Especially not great enough to be priced so high. With prices like that I thought the sandwich came with a TV. Definitely worth a try though.
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Review from Bill E.
Seattle, WA
1/11/2009
This is the best deli in town, and once again, correct me if I'm wrong! The roast beef kimmelwick is EPIC, so is the Italian sub...
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Review from Denice M.
Seattle, WA
8/7/2007
I have very mixed feelings about this place. My office has a deal with them where we can order from a limited menu every day and they deliver. So, if you forgot your lunch and you are busy (or its rainy outside), it's easy. The salads are great--very large for the price. The sandwiches are ok. There are other places in the same area that have better. Their sides vary--both the potato salad and the roasted veggies rock. The macaroni salad...not so much. In a pinch, it will do. But as others have pointed out, they are expensive. I'd keep walking.
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Review from Adam W.
Seattle, WA
6/25/2010
I love you Buffalo deli. In a way I've never loved another deli. I'm sitting at my desk with your philly in one hand typing with the other. The quality of the meat and bread is phenomenal and the jalapeno spread gives it a zing other phillies lack.
Your Roast beef kemmelweck warms my heart with its horseradish mayo companion. And I even like your chilli...even though it's vegan. That surprises me.
And you top it all off with a super friendly group of folks working in the deli that makes it easy to come in, even when it's busy.
Kudos to you! -
Review from Becky W.
Seattle, WA
11/19/2010
As many other reviewers have noted, the Roast Beef on Kimmelweck Roll is absolutely to die for. Probably the best sandwich I have ever had in my entire 48 years. I only get them twice year though so as not to let the magic wear off.
My only complaint with this place is that, if you sit inside at the bar looking out the window, you must (sometimes) endure the manager (I think) yammering on and on and on and on ... to all her regular customers. So tedious to have to hear her talking about nothing. -
Review from AJ R.
Edmonds, WA
11/14/2008
I stumbled across this place today in a pinch to find something. It makes me stressed going to a place I know nothing about, or have had read any reviews. It was a nice surprise. Now, I am known to go way out of my way for good food (even had the urge to drive to Centralia for Burgerville), this place I wouldnt do that, but if your near by youll be happy with your sandwich. It is pricey but its HUGE- you can totally share it or get a half. I had the club, while they dont put enough meet on it, it still was pretty tasty.
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Review from James J.
San Francisco, CA
11/5/2008 1 Check-in Here
nothing East coast about this place. their bread is weak and their sub rolls are the cheapest i have ever seen. the condiments they use are super cheap as well.
sub par service by distracted employees who do not care about your food
tastes about the same as a freshly made sandwich you would find in shrink wrap at 7-11 on a vending machine
the pickles are OK
