Founded in 1977 in Chicago, Potbelly has become one of America’sfastest-growing sandwich chains.
No, the chain was actually named after potbelly stoves, known for their round appearance.
The shop started out as an antique store where the owner refurbished these old stoves.
Photo: Potbelly Sandwich Works/Facebook. Design: Eat This, Not That!
The smallest skinny size came out to $6.09.
The look:A sub sans meat is an unusual site.
The taste:Like a salad on crusty bread, and not a very tasty one at that.
Photo: Megan Hageman/Eat This, Not That!
Between the tomatoes, lettuce, avocado, and even the rare mushrooms flavor is a scarce resource.
Spoiler: their zing and crunch weren’t quite enough to atone for the rest.
Imagine the sad little sub it would be without them.
Photo: Megan Hageman/Eat This, Not That!
The taste:Yet again, Potbelly let me down flavor-wise.
Plump and juicy, the chicken didn’t offend.
Your taste buds will thank you.
Photo: Megan Hageman/Eat This, Not That!
Mediterranean
Like the two before it, the Mediterranean sub at Potbelly comes on multigrain bread.
But, unlike those options, I ordered this one as is with no vegetable additions.
The skinny rang up at $6.99.
Photo: Megan Hageman/Eat This, Not That!
The look:There’s no order to this sandwich.
Tiny feta cubes adhere to one side of the bread and orange hummus to the other.
Luckily, this aroma doesn’t carry over into the taste.
Megan Hageman/Eat This Not That
Instead, the zesty hummus provides the lion’s share of flavor with a mild spice kick.
Cucumbers add some crunch and the feta provides a creamy tang in nearly every bite.
More poultry and a heftier smear of hummus could have made a Mediterranean Sea-sized difference here.
Photo: Megan Hageman/Eat This, Not That!
As one would guess it is comprised of both hand-sliced turkey breast and fresh-sliced avocado.
The look:A handsome hoagie.
The taste:Simple yet lackluster.
Photo: Megan Hageman/Eat This, Not That!
The taste, though, ended up being rather pleasant.
After this sub, I also realized that all sandwiches served on multigrain bread landed in my bottom four.
The look:It doesn’t look like a wreck.
Photo: Megan Hageman/Eat This, Not That!
It’s actually quite orderly.
Lettuce and tomato were then tucked into the middle.
The sandwich offers a decent flavor all aroundveggies includedit’s just nothing outstanding.
Photo: Megan Hageman/Eat This, Not That!
The modification has to do with the “A” at the end, which stands for avocado.
The look:Concerning.
The three bulky bacon strips appear to be burned to a crisp.
Photo: Megan Hageman/Eat This, Not That!
Shredded lettuce, avocado slices, and tomatoes do nothing to conceal their blackened edges.
It’s peppery and charred on the perimeter in the best way.
At its core, it’s just fatty enough to melt in your mouth without being offputting.
The auxiliary ingredients are just that: auxiliary.
They’re really just there to support the bacon, and that was A-okay with me.
The only downside is that everything still becomes stifled by the bread’s stocky nature.
Grilled Chicken Club
All-natural grilled chicken meets applewood-smoked bacon and cheddar cheese on this Potbelly chicken club.
It’s pictured on the chain’s website with nearly every topping available from pickles to hot peppers.
I paid $6.99 for a skinny size of the double meat special.
In real life, they look like they could have been boiled instead.
But, at least they’re coated in mayo and cheese in this sandwich to make up for it.
It’s much flimsier with a ham-like consistency and lacks those peppery fringes.
All things considered, I would give the sub a thumbs up.
The cheddar and mayo offer mild and creamy notes.
And, the lettuce and tomato round it out with a touch of freshness.
These are then topped with marinara sauce, provolone cheese, and a sprinkle of Italian seasoning.
I didn’t dare tinker with this finely crafted recipe and paid $6.69 for the skinny.
The look:Three meatballs seem customary for a sub.
But, I didn’t expect them to be severed in half like they were.
The taste:The meatballs could stand alonejust like soul food straight from Nonna’s kitchen.
My one request is more sauce and cheese, yo.
In mouthfuls with all three, the sandwich is near perfection.
The look:Nothing terribly special.
Lettuce and tomato are cluttered in between and my local location went light on the oil and vinegar.
The taste:This coalition of meats is superior.
The savory quartet flows together seamlesslymuch better than the four thrown together for the Wreck sandwich.
But, had higher hopes give the fact that its ingredient list is wildly different.
This one goes all out in the meat department throwing on pepperoni, old-world capicola, and meatball crumbles.
Everything is then covered in marinara, provolone cheese, and Italian seasoning.
Plus, don’t forget the mushroomsthe sandwich’s only ingredient crossover with the Veggie Melt.
The skinny sub costs $6.69.
The look:Again Potbelly, where’s all the sauce?
There’s barely enough to make a red stain on the white bread.
The remaining ingredients are ample though.
It’s meaty, overloaded with complex umami tastes, fulfilling, and, most importantly, nostalgically comforting.
Do I still think it needs more bright tomato sauce?
I understand that Potbelly wouldn’t want to make it soggy, but also don’t be stingy.
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