Duluth Sub Sandwich Shops
Charley’s Subs is opened in the Mall. I always appreciate a new business, even if it’s a franchise. Where is the best sub sandwich in town?
Charley’s Subs is opened in the Mall. I always appreciate a new business, even if it’s a franchise. Where is the best sub sandwich in town?
Best Sub for me is also the Cheapest…Subway!
They might not qualify as subs, but Northern Waters Smokehaus probably has the best sandwiches in town, in my experience.
I can tell you though, that at lunch time, the lines for Subway are out the door, much to the detriment of the other food places in the Skywalk. I suspect that many of those “upper” priced places are going to go out of business.
Unfortunately, I see the “ethnic” Asian restaurants closing first. Simply because, much of the food now is too overpriced for the actual value you are getting. I also made it a point that the only eating places that are going to do well in this hard economy, are the places that cater to the homeless and socially displaced.
So bye bye fancy restaurants with expensive 10 dollar lunches. I think 10 dollars is too much for a lunch and 20 is too much for dinner. What are you eating anyway? Over 100 hundred people in a 3rd world country can eat for week on 10 dollars. (It would be hard to cut a 6-inch sub into that many pieces, too.)
This post is an interesting juxtaposition with the previous post.
Northern Waters is indeed a little on the pricey side, but well worth it. Fabulous sandwiches! The Sitka Sushi is my favorite. Sure wish there was somewhere I could get a good banh mi in this town (Viet Namese subs).
Is Schlotskys still open? I’ve always enjoyed them.
Hot and toasty, Quiznos.
Not really subs, but I like the sandwiches at Amazing Grace if you can get past the ungodly lines.
Muffeletta at Italian Village is pretty darn good. The Rebel at Beaner’s is also quite good.
Irony: Liberals complaining about rich people’s greed spending $10 on a gourmet sandwich.
If you want to save money, pack a sandwich. Any prepared food purchase is a decadent luxury.
If size does matter than I suggest Hugo’s II in Gary New Duluth.
Erbert & Gerbert’s
I agree, if you’re trying to save any money whatsoever pack your own lunch. I do it almost every day… if I do decide to go out for lunch I’d rather find somewhere that serves decent food with a special or look around online for coupons than spend $5 at “Subway” since they are not anything close to being “fresh,” but every once in awhile it’s cheap and convenient.
I’ve had Charley’s before at the MOA and it is super good if your down for something greasy and covered in cheese! Not much of a cold sandwich option, but lots of salty, fatty goodness with their special fries for a side.
Hugo’s subs are incredibly huge, probably since their main customers include the Steel Foundry workers. None of them are gourmet by any means but if you’re looking for cheap and excessive amounts of food they have a pretty large menu. Make sure to ask for no Miracle Whip if you don’t want it though, because they put it on EVERY sub… even the Philly Cheese!
It’s not a sub, but I love the simplicity of the Greenery in the Holiday Center!
It’s time to get technical and define what a sub sandwich is. According to Wikipedia, a submarine sandwich “consists of an oblong roll of Italian or French bread, split lengthwise either into two pieces or opened in a “V” on one side, and filled with various meats, cheeses, vegetables, seasonings, and sauces.”
I guess the main point of contention would have to be — how oblong is oblong enough? The sandwiches at Schlotzsky’s, the Italian Village and Northern Waters Smokehaus tend to be on bread that is sort of roundish. So even though they might be the best sandwiches in town, do they really meet the submarine definition?
We could argue about whether varying the list of fillings affects sub status, but I think it’s safe to say all the sandwich shops in town offer a sandwich that contains all of the listed ingredients. (If it has no meat is it no longer a sub? That may be a valid question based on the Wiki definition, but it’s probably not relevant here.)
Subway likes to draw people in with their $5 footlongs (which are largely that size due to the bread, rather than the content of the sandwich). If you’re looking for a cheap sub that’s good, you can’t beat Jimmy John’s or Erbs and Gerbs. And WAY shorter lines than Subway.
@BeastofBurden – HAre Krishna! chant and be happy- stay away from the meatball subs…seems like you are gettin them confused….
French river dip at the lighthouse and buffalo pastrami buffalo sandwich at scenic cafe ers and gerbs flash with guts and beer cheese soup and amazing hippsters has good food but $
BeastofBurden: My attitude is that, not only should the rich be able to enjoy a $10 gourmet sandwich, but that **everyone** should be able to enjoy a $10 gourmet sandwich if they so wish.
The best sub ever is not to be had in Duluth. It is from the Big Ten in Stadium Village in Minneapolis. I know people from Chicago who make pilgrimages to the Big Ten.
Hugos in West Duluth (Gary New Duluth). Hands down best, biggest, cheapest, plus Ma and Pa operation! Thats a win win win win situation.
I’ve never had a sub from Hugo’s. I live in West Duluth, and after hearing for years how great Hugo’s is, we decided to get a couple pizzas. It was quite possibly the worst pizza I ate in my life, and the three other people I was with agreed. So I guess I’ve kind of been hesitant to go back to them for anything.
Well, obviously people have different tastes, because Hugo’s is my favorite pizza in town. What’s yours, Tom?
As a long-time Northern Waters Smokehaus employee (and menu collaborator), I can tell you that we have some sandwiches on hero roll (rectangular), though I always thought a true sub needed to be extra long, like at least 7 inches. However, if you want to talk bang for your buck (and I realize the phrases “extra long,” “7 inches,” and “bang for your buck” have all been fruitlessly wasted here on a post about sandwiches), then I have to shamelessly root root root for the home team, N.W.S, which really goes the extra mile, quality-wise, and has prices ranging from $6 – $9 (roughly) per sandwich. Also, Italian Village is perfection, especially the Spicy Hot and the Hot Meatball, and Sample Saturday is a glorious addendum to a sandwich pig-out.
@Claire, Chester Creek Cafe has a rather ritzy Banh Mi sandwich, and I believe it falls into the aforementioned “gourmet $10” category.
I had lunch at Charley’s a couple of weeks ago and was not overly impressed. I used to eat at Steak Escape about once a week. Charley’s had a good taste, but they were incredibly slow, offered no apologies for the slow/poor service.
I understand that they’re new, still learning how to make the stuff. That’s fine, but at least a “sorry for the wait” would have been nice.
I found them to be slightly cheaper than Steak Escape but noticably less food as well.
I’m beginning to wonder if I just had a bad experience at Hugo’s or something … everyone else seems to love it. When I went there, the crust was very, very dry. It kinda made the whole pizza seem tasteless.
I’m big on pizza though … maybe I just have weird standards. If I had to pick a favorite, I think I’d go with Proctor Pizza (which will always be Casino Pizza for a lot of us). I could eat that pizza every night of the week.
Mary, I know all about CCC’s banh mi and ordered it several times (without the ham pate) while it was on the menu. Alas, it is no longer on their menu… maybe it’ll return someday. It truly rivaled the Sitka Sushi for delicious goodness.
I agree Amazing Grace has the best sandwiches. However it is also true that they’re not subs.
Italian Village totally fills the Grinder sandwich void left by every other sandwich shop. They’re great.
Amazing Grace has OK sandwiches (some great bread, average ingredients), pricy though for a half and soup, and Sir Ben’s has similar for a little less, but overall, some of the best and cheapest sandwich combos ever come from the Greenery.
A $10-12 lunch vs $6. (for those of you on a budget)
Heck, you can have a whole lunch for $6.05 (incl side, beverage, and tax).
A side can be either: soup, chips, fruit, or a cookie.
Beverages include: pop, coffee, or milk.
PLUS: they offer a sandwich card – 10 punches = 1 free sandwich, and double punches on Mondays. Beat that biatch!
Not to mention, the Greenery Girls ARE AWESOME!
Dine in, take out, and call ahead if you’re in a hurry – these girls will have your order ready, always have a smile and even know your preferences.
You’ve not lived until you’ve tried the Grilled Turkey and Swiss on Cranberry Wild Rice Bread with Cranberry Horseradish Mayo. Or the Turkey and Cheddar on Black Bean Bread with salsa… or or or…the wraps, hotdishes, and salads.
Or Grilled Salmon…
Or…OMG
I can’t wait til next week!
Just save this link and check each Monday for the week’s offerings.
Plus, the soup can be a side, and they have some soups to die for that NO ONE else in this town can touch: Mulligatawny, Avgolemono, Italian Wedding, Russian Noodle, Beer Cheese w/Popcorn, Super Creamy Chicken Wild Rice, Sweet Potato, and Thai Butternut Squash to name but a very few.
Wait. I don’t want any of you to compete with me for lunch – they might run out.
Nevermind.
Carry on.
Subs wut?
Northern Waters is the best place in town for a sandwich of any kind, period. The bison pastrami is out of this world, all of the folks that work there are top notch in my book.
If only Fichtners was still around! I was so depressed when they had the fire and didn’t rebuild. Tough to beat their $2.50 sandwiches.
Anyhoo, not much in the twin ports can hold a candle to Northern Waters for a good sandwich. The lunch sandwiches at the Scenic are really good as well.