We have talked about Penn Station a few times (just type it in the search box on the right side) and I have tried just about every sandwich on the menu.  I love the Italian, I like the Pizza sub just fine and my wife usually gets the Chicken Teriyaki.  

Btw, I can’t even mention chicken teriyaki without yelling  ”chicken teriyaki boy!”  You are not going to get that unless you watch “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” and if you don’t watch that show, we are not friends anymore.

Back on subject.  This is the signature sandwich of Penn Station, the Philly Cheesesteak.   Now, until I convince my wife that a trip to Philly just for cheesesteaks makes sense (10 hours), then I am not going to be the best person to review this.  However, I have had plenty of imitations in my day.

What I Ate:  Philly Cheesesteak; right around $7.00.  Penn Station can get pricey once you add fries and a soda pop, so expect to pay around $9.00 for a combo.

As far as the taste…honestly, it is not very good.  I ordered mine with mushrooms and onion and there were a ton of onions on this ‘wich.  There was a thin layer of mozzarella and I found it to be dry.  Pictures can be deceving because it looks like there is a lot of gooey cheese, but it didn’t really affect the taste.

Also, it looks like there is a lot of fries, but they creatively spread them out in the basket to cover real estate.  The fries are the standard hand cut and fried in peanut oil.  I like their fries, I just wish they would give me the hook up!

Would I Buy It Again?  Cheesesteak, no.  Penn Station, sure.  The signature sandwich just might be their worst, except for the artichoke and that sounds terrible.  I think that I will stick with the Italian as I can’t find anything else on the menu that I like.

-wibia

Penn Station
http://www.penn-station.com

Overall, I like Penn Station.  They are known for their Philly Cheesesteaks and honestly, it is the worst sandwich there (well, maybe artichoke).  I prefer the Italian or Pizza sub.   Wanting something a little different, I ordered a medium (nine inch) Reuben for roughly $7.00.

It is kind of a stretch to call this a Reuben.  They use their regular sub roll in place of rye bread.  There was a ton of sauerkraut and Thousand Island on the sandwich and both really masked the corned beef and the swiss cheese.

Would I Buy It Again?  Umm…probably not.  This Reuben was poorly assembled, but if I want a Reuben, it has to be on rye.  New rule:  when at Penn Station, I am going to keep ordering the Italian or the Pizza sub.

Also, the guys from the Reuben Realm agree.

This is a great website and I signed up last year to be part of their crew.  I don’t receive e-mails anymore and considering their last review was in September, I think they are finished.  Guys, if you are reading this, please re-unite the band and get the website going again!

-wibia

Penn Station has been advertising its five new cold subs all over the place so I decided to give their Italian a try. I ordered a large Italian cold sub and the employee asked me if I wanted it toasted. Since the idea they are promoting is “cold subs”, I was surprised by the question and said no to the toasting. When I unrolled the sub, it looked huge and stacked full of ingredients. However, after taking one bite, it tasted like it was the same old Italian they make on their regular menu, just not grilled and toasted.  After checking their menu online, I was able to confirm that the ingredients of my cold sub matched the hot sub exactly.  So, the cold subs at Penn Station do not seem to be new, just not toasted/grilled.

As for the sandwich itself, it had one thin slice of ham across the top and 2 rows of slices of salami over all the lettuce, tomatoes and red onions. Although I like the bread at Penn Station, I found the non-toasted bread to be doughy with a tendency to stick to the top of my mouth.

Would I Buy It Again? No! The Penn Station meat was similar to what you find on a sub at Subway, just twice the price. In comparing the $10.16 large Italian topped with ham and salami at Penn Station with the $9 large Italian at Jersey Mike’s topped with ham, prosciuttini, cappacuolo, salami and pepperoni, there really is no comparison. In addition, the Penn Station Italian is topped with oregano while the Italian made “Mike’s Way” at Jersey Mikes includes salt/pepper and vingergar/oil combo that makes their Italian slide down. If your going to Penn Station, stick with an Italian hot sub they do well.

-EatHSE

Penn Station Cold Subs

I’m starting to feel like Walter Cronkite with all these news posts of free food and new menu items, but now comes word that Penn Station will begin selling cold subs in addition their traditional hot subs.   Take a look at the picture above for their offerings and let us know what you think!

-IndianapolisEater

Penn Station East Coast Subs
www.penn-station.com

Started in 1985 in Cincinnati, Ohio Penn Station has found a niche market…  hot subs.  Competing against Subway, Quizno’s, Lenny’s, Jersey Mikes, Jimmy Johns…Penn Station’s bread and butter are hot subs and they used to leave the cold deli style to the competitors until they launched the “Cold Deli Classics”.  In the last few years, they’re menu has expanded from subs and added wraps and salads.  You also can order fresh squeezed lemonade and fresh cut fries.

What I Ate: Italian Sub – Small.

Smoked ham, salami, pepperoni, provolone, lettuce, tomatoes, red onion, banana pepper, olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper, oregano and mayo.  Nutrition facts are on the website, but we are looking close to 800 calories once you add it up.  Yikes.

As far as the taste, it is pretty good.   Actually, really good.  It is a greasy mess topped with mayo and olive oil, what do you expect?!  The salami and pepperoni make it pretty salty at times.  They have a nice white bread, it is soft throughout and it is smooth on the outside.  No flakey crust here.  What puts this sandwich over the top is the amount of red onion.  They are thinly sliced and there is a good amount of it.  When I get home, my wife can tell when I had this for lunch.  If you get heartburn easily, you may want to steer clear.

Would I Buy It Again: Yes and Chain Recommended. It is my favorite sandwich at Penn Station.  The fries here are awesome (taste the same as 5 Guys).  However, the Philly Cheesesteak is their flagship, but IMO, not very good.

-wibia

Yes, that is right old friend…it’s over.   I used to like you when I lived in a small town of 30,000 people and you were the new kid on the block about a decade ago.  Now that I am older and live in the capitol city, it’s a new ballgame and you are getting trounced by the likes of Penn Station, Jersey Mike’s, Lenny’s Sub Shop and I will even say that Quizno’s is better.

Your catchy “$5 dollar foot long” song will have no effect on me in the future.  Btw, $5 foot long is just an ok deal.   At normal price, a foot long BMT is $6.39.   If I saw a $1.39 coupon in that circular, I am not sure that would make me go.  What does BMT stand for anyway?

Also, you are a tight wad on your toppings and meat.  Taken from the nutrition facts.
Look at grams alone Subway V Jersey Mikes:
Subway BMT: 12 inch= 484 grams
Jersey Mike’s Regular: #13: 7 inch = 482 grams

You add 5 inches of bread and the sandwich weighs the virtually the same?  Why, because there is no meat!  Let’s not even talk about the quality of the meat either. Speaking of meat, why did you put the meat on top and all the toppings on bottom? (pic above)  Come on, the order of assembly is in the word… toppings.

You are far better at marketing subs than making them.  You should consider a career change.  Also, the Jared Fogle campaign is played out.  He is from Indiana, went to Indiana University so I should like him.  Note to Jared: channel your inner fat man and start endorsing products that actually taste good.

Because of all the reasons above and a million more, consider us broken up.  And no, not even if you were the last sub on earth.

-WIBIA