Original Sub Shop provides upgraded lunch fare

The Original Sub Shop & Deli in Toledo is a simple restaurant — most of the menu consists of sandwiches, as the name suggests, and it’s only open during lunch hours from Tuesday through Saturday — but that doesn’t mean it’s not worth a visit.

The ambience inside is very welcoming, with plenty of artwork, plants, and a surprising amount of seating for such a small building. It manages to feel busy without being overwhelming or crowded, and the layout allows most of the tables to stay out of the way of the steady stream of people grabbing to-go orders.

Overall, it’s a nice place to be. But the most important thing about the place is its sandwiches.

Original Sub Shop & Deli

★★★★

Address: 402 Broadway St., Toledo

Phone: 419-243-4857

Category: Sandwiches and deli food

Menu: Subs, salads, soups

Hours: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday

Average price: $

Credit cards: MC, V, D, AE

Website: originalsub.com

Most of the menu can be had on their All Crumbs Artisan Bakery sub bread, but can also be ordered on rye bread or as a panini. The sub bread is good, not great, but definitely serviceable. And, more importantly, it’s sturdy, able to handle whatever they stuff in it without falling apart or spilling toppings everywhere.

The first thing I tried was the meatball sub ($9-$11), which is filled with Italian meatballs, provolone, and pizza sauce. Tomato and onion can also be added on request. The meatballs were nice, and obviously provolone pairs well with this sort of thing. The flavors were all there, but my dining companions and I agreed that the entire sub could be more saucy — the added messiness would be more than offset by the added flavors.

My dining companion opted for the tuna salad ($9-$11), which she said had good flavor, and the tomato really stood out to add some juiciness. She was not the biggest fan of the bread, but said that could just be a matter of personal preference. She also ordered the potato salad ($3), which had excellent dressing, but the large chunks of hard potatoes and raw carrots were disappointing.

The chicken salad sub ($9-$11) is the same as the tuna salad sub, just with curried chicken salad. My dining companion said it was good, and she liked to see them try something more unique than a standard chicken salad, but it definitely wasn’t the best she’d had. Additionally, this sandwich also had chunks of carrots, which we agreed was perhaps not the best choice for a sandwich filling.

We also had the Italian sub ($9-$11), which comes with hard salami, smoked ham, and turkey, along with lettuce, tomato, onion, provolone, and Awesome Sauce (their “secret” sub sauce). I did think it could’ve used more sauce, but the meats were excellent, and the veggies provided a nice contrast in every bite.

On my second visit, I opted for the Happy Goat ($10-$12), filled with turkey, peppercorn goat cheese spread, locally made jam, and grilled onions, along with lettuce and tomato. The sweetness of the jam paired well with the creamy goat cheese spread, while the rest of the ingredients worked to prevent the sandwich from being too sweet. Turkey, I think, is a good meat choice for the “Goat” line of sandwiches, as it is subtle enough that the goat cheese and jam are still the stars of the show.

We also got the turkey sub ($7-$9), which is simply turkey with lettuce, tomato, provolone, onion, and Awesome Sauce. It was a very normal turkey sandwich, but again it allowed the quality of the ingredients to be the stars of the show.

A Reuben sub ($11) came with pastrami, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese, and Thousand Island dressing. It ordinarily comes on the shop’s All Crumbs rye bread, but they were out of it on our second visit and it had to be on the sub bread. While making a Reuben without rye bread could be considered conceptually offensive, this sandwich was undeniably pleasant — quality ingredients, good serving-size proportions, and served steaming hot.

One thing I think everyone should be sure to try is the strawberry rhubarb bread pudding ($4), which was absolutely incredible. It’s topped with a crumble and fresh whipped cream, and the flavors are simply lovely. Not sure what more there is to say about it other than its very, very good, and everyone should go buy it.

All in all, The Original Sub Shop & Deli is a great place to stop in for lunch if you have a sandwich craving. It’s not perfect, but the combination of the atmosphere, the service, the food, and the convenience will definitely have us coming back for more.