Sub'r Bowl Review: Lenny's Sub Shop

This week's Sub'r Bowl review is for Lenny's Sub Shop, which is actually in the same Division that we hit two weeks ago. We were supposed to be visiting a shop in the "National Chain Over 1000 Locations" Division, but this was actually my fault. I mistakenly thought Lenny's was in that division (and I couldn't be more wrong: only about 200 locations in 20 states), but in the grand scheme of things it's not really that important, and we had a good lunch.

When we originally conceived the Sub'r Bowl, there was a convenient Lenny's location right down the street from work, but they have since closed up shop. Whether they moved or closed the location entirely is unknown, but we found another location not too far away. When we got there it wasn't crowded, but they were doing a pretty decent amount of business considering how late after lunch time it was. Their claim is that they serve Authentic Philly Cheesesteaks & the Deli Fresh Experience™. We weren't there for the cheesesteak, so, true to form, we ordered the cold Italian sub.

You only have the choice of white or wheat bread, but it's of the freshly baked variety. The rolls also quite large, what you might expect of a NY deli hero sandwich. I ordered my sandwich on white. The meat and cheese are sliced right in front of you, and there was plenty of both to balance out the bread. Of course I got everything on the sandwich, including hot peppers.

There is a combo that comes with chips and a drink, which I ordered with the sandwich. The chips are Lenny's branded but otherwise standard deli chips, which include a salt and vinegar kettle chip, my standard choice. Their drinks are Coca Cola products, and, to my pleasant surprise, they had Cherry Coke on tap. Bonus points! The total came in a little over $8, about what we've been spending on average.

The bread was soft, a little chewy and a little crusty, but it tasted much like average white bread. Freshly baked, great tasting white bread, but not particularly a standout compared to other places with really great, freshly baked bread. In my opinion there was a little too much of it, but not so much as to detract from the overall sandwich — just a little too much for my personal preference. On the other hand, this is definitely the sort of bread that makes the perfect party sub, since it will hold up to smaller portions.

There was plenty of meat and vegetables, neither of which overwhelmed the other. The dressing had a nice vinegary bite to it, but there probably could have been a little more to offset the amount of bread. Conversely, there was a little too much mayonnaise for me, as white goop oozing out of a sandwich is a huge turnoff for me. The meat was better than average. Although it wasn't the best we've had, there was a lot of it that you could really taste on the sandwich, and I felt it was a good value in terms of taste and price.

I rated the following categories:

• Bread: 6
• Sandwich Stuff: 6
• Price/Value: 3
• Non-sandwich Stuff: 3
• Bonus points: 2
• Total: 20 points

I don't have a lot to say, good or bad, about Lenny's other than they're a pretty strong competitor in the sub game. One thing I will say, though, is that Lenny's is the only place so far that I felt like I wanted to go back the next day. One of the other reviewers ordered the meatball sub, which he claimed must have been laced with crack because it was so good. That comment alone makes me want to go back to Lenny's again to try it out for myself. That, and the Philly Cheesesteak. And the half pound hot dog. With a Cherry Coke.

See also:
Greg's Review