Fat Man’s Guide to Eating at ‘wichcraft for Under $10

Yes, I am fat.  Yes, I am a big fan of quantity.  Yes, I love all you can eat buffets- and value is important to me.  But I am not a savage animal.  Not all of my meals must be eaten off a mobile truck parked on a sidewalk.  And it doesn’t always need to be an obscene amount of food, for a ridiculously low price.  I like good food… and I don’t mind paying extra for something special, or super delicious.  As long as there is value.  But value means a lot of different things to different people.

I’ll complain that charging $10.35 for a burger, fries and soda combo is too expensive, or $11+ for a sandwich is just plain stupid.  But then, over the weekend, I’ll spend twice that amount on an appetizer at one of my favorite restaurants (sweetbreads at Prune?  Hello!).  Value is about expectations and balance.  It is feeling that what you sacrifice in quantity, you gain in quality, and the whole thing works out so that you are charged accordingly.  And while for me, Goodburger and FreeFoods NYC have priced themselves just outside that value threshold, I can’t help but think that a place like ‘wichcraft teeters right on the edge.

There is no question alot of the menu will leave you hungry, and feeling ripped off, but with some clever ordering I think you can feel like you had a quality lunch, for an expensive, but acceptable price.  Plus, I love Craft, really like Craftsteak, love Tom Collichio, and even though my first trip to ‘wichcraft, ended with my wife being hungry (and angry we paid so much for such small sandwiches), I vowed to give the place another shot.

Basically what I’m saying is this.  If you are a fat man (like me) and enjoy quantity (like me), ‘wichcraft is overpriced for what it is:  tiny sandwiches that leave you hungry in the belly, and lighter in the wallet.  But if there is that small part of you that occasionally likes to trade a little quantity for quality (mixed in with a dose of celebrity chef), there is a better way to order at ‘wichcraft, to get you out for under $10, and feeling satisfied.

A breakdown of the menu, after the jump…

So right off the bat, let me say- there is no filling sandwich at ‘wichcraft, no matter what you order.  There is no big.  Only small, and really small.  But if you are looking for quantity, there are definitely some heartier choices and they don’t necessarily mean a higher price.

Sandwiches for the Super Skinny (aka Fat Man Beware)…

  • Most of the Cold Sandwiches.  If it says that it is on “bread”, it means sliced bread, and sliced bread almost always means small.  You are going to do a little better with “Baguette” or “Ciabatta”, but all of the cold sandwiches on bread are pretty tiny.

 

  • The Grilled Cheese Sandwiches.  The Fontina is by far the worst at $9.50.  There is no question that black trumpet mushrooms with white truffle fondue is a delicious combo, but if you are looking for filling, you’ll want to stay away from expensive ingredients like this.  They cost more, but don’t fill you up as much.  The other two grilled cheese sandwiches are tiny as well, but at least they clock in at $5.50 and $6.50 respectively, leaving you a little room to fit some more eats under the $10 cap (a soup or side dish perhaps?).

And now for us fatties… once again realize that none of these sandwiches are going to leave you stuffed- but they are heartier choices than the ones listed up above, and will leave you feeling slightly less ripped off.

  • Roasted turkey ($9.50) – Meat is going to be a huge help in getting more full, and they give you a decent number of layers, in addition to a couple strips of bacon, and some avocado- another big plus.   And while the ciabatta roll is not huge, it’s heftier than then the sliced bread.
  • Chicken Breast ($9.75) and the Meatloaf and Cheddar ($9.50) – I didn’t get to try these two sandwiches, but I’m assuming the same concept applies as in the roasted turkey sandwich.  Meat = More Filling

  • Slow Roasted Pork ($8.50) – You know how I get about pork.  Photo says it all… although the pork sandwich at Sophie’s/Tina’s is a much better value (that thing is ginormous), you may feel better about yourself after the ‘wichcraft one.

 

For a decent middle ground, go for the hot marinated eggplant sandwich ($8).  Without meat it’s a little less filling, but it’s on ciabatta, so it’s bigger than the cold sandwich options.

In the end, the most filling option may be the soup and sandwich.  $8.50 will get you half a cold sandwich, plus a soup which can be pretty filling (it also comes with two little bread stick cracker things).  But I think the real winner may be to order the $5.50 whole grilled gruyere sandwich, with the $4 cup of soup.  $9.50 + tax, and the most food for your money.

Or you can just do what most people that eat at ‘wichcraft do.  Get a job that pays six figures so you don’t mind ordering two sandwiches, and spending $20 on lunch!

‘wichcraft, multiple locations in Midtown

  • Bryant Park Kiosks (40th-42nd St. on the 6th Ave. Side)
  • Rockefeller Center Concourse (on the West side of the concourse, near the bathrooms on the way to the Post Office)
  • 555 5th Ave. (on 46th St. btw. 5th & Madison)
  • 245 Park Ave. (near 47th St.)
  • 34th & Broadway (*Coming Soon*)

16 Comments

  • Good job- wichcraft is actually really good, but priced at a “once in a while,” level. That slow roasted pork sandwich is tremendous. At some point I’ll have to mix and match like you suggested here.

  • Nice work, Zach. In my experience, Wichcraft is good food and great people, but just too expensive to satisfy my raving hunger.

    But I really can’t say enough about the people that work there, specifically at the one on 46th b/w 5th and Madison.

    The breakfast sandwiches are tasty as well, but if you’re not spending $13 on lunch, you probably won’t spend $7 on breakfast.

    P.S. I gave Park Italian’s chicken parm a second chance yesterday and it sucked. End of story.

  • The turkey sandwich really is filling. Also, if you want to go the grilled cheese route, the $6.50 grilled cheddar sandwich (with ham and pears on some sort of nutty, fruity bread) is the best thing on the menu–and it is pretty heavy and filling for its size.

    Also, best mid-afternoon it’s-after-lunch-but-I-need-to-leave-the-office-again-before-I-scream break: the ice cream sandwiches.

  • Oh one other comment–the marinated eggplant sandwich, while good in theory, does NOT work in practice. It falls apart and gets really soggy. I was a mess after eating that thing.

  • I too have noticed Park Italian’s chicken parm going way downhill over the last 6 months, I don’t bother anymore.

    Is there verdict out on Sakae yet?

  • I actually prefer Starwich better. More selection and they do all sorts of great things to customize it for you. Maybe they’re just nicer since it’s never as packed at ‘wichcraft, but just a nicer experience.

    For example, we went in there and one of us ordered the chicken pomigranite sandwich, which is good but not really filling. Another ordered the duck salad, which is also good, but not really filling. She saw us trying to decide what we wanted, offered to give half of each on separate plates, which was just so shocking. Ended up giving us way more of the salad between the two of us than the normally give on our own, so it was a perfect meal.

    They also give you chips for free if it’s your first time there.

  • Yum, ‘wichcraft is great. My favorite thing about it are the bags of Tim’s Cascade potato chips. As far as I know, ‘wichcraft is the only place you can get them in NYC. I’m such a fiend for these chips that I have my parents mail me boxes every couple months.

  • I need something to compare the sandwiches to in the pictures. Maybe a shot with sandwiches in your meat fists.

  • I worked at ‘wichcraft for three months last summer. Part of the pay is one free sandwich per day, of which almost everyone takes advantage. So, on a poor girl’s salary, I managed to eat my way through the whole menu a few times. Bliss! The meatloaf sandwich was very, very filling, and my stomach is not a small one. It’s DENSE. The Fontina and black trumpet muchroom sammy is delicious but ‘way overpriced. The soups–all soups, especially the cold ones–are magnificent and fairly filling. My favorite sammy was the soft-egg-and-anchovy. Also, you can get any sandwich on a bed of greens. This is not so great for the PBJ, but splendido for the others. A nice vinaigrette is also included. This might, for the ladies in particular, make you feel like you are eating more. Another tip: One sandwich cookie is so flavor-packed, unless you obsessively crave sweets you’ be satisfied with one, and they’re only a dollar.

    I have to point out as well that they fired me one week before they would have had to have started paying benefits for me. Yes, I know most restaurants don’t even offer benefits, but that stil doesn’t make it right.

  • Why were you fired?

  • Uh, because I had come dangerously close to the point where they would have to pay for my benefits. They called it “downsizing”.

  • The breakfast sandwiches are good bets. You can add tomatoes to the fried eggs bacon, gorgonzola & frisée on ciabatta roll and get a good meal and a good deal. ( Idon’t work for him, I just like the food). The other thing they are very good at is substitutions. If you don’t like the bread, change it. I’ve never had problems with substitutions and additions.

  • Hey Zach – ditto the creamwich cookies and the breakfast sandwiches with egg which are on hand all day.

    I triple dare you to eat $4 worth of creamwich’s after the fried egg ciabatta sandwich and not feel slightly nauseous. You’ll be over by 25 cents.

  • I never had anything that I liked off they menu, their food is just tastes TERRIBLE, the quality has been really uneven between burning toast, leaving out key ingredients plus the sandwich and salad taste like there at least a week old, if you get a sandwich made on the spot it taste like it’s couple-day-old stale bread, and I seen them take the juice for a gallon and bottle it in to a 8oz bottled so it’s not even fresh juice like they say. what disgusting is that the sandwich are made 1st thing in the morning and left to sit at room temperature until you order one to go and its reheated halfway. If I am paying gourmet prices I would at least like a LITTLE LESS ATTITUDE really the quality of their service is so disappointing their all confused, causing long wait and as is it usually takes too damn long to make anything you order, and their delivery service is an endless wait. Plus their service is just TERRIBLE as well. The quality of their service by phone is also TERRIBLE it difficult to actually talk to a person and if your lucky to get anyone on the other end of that phone well that person is really cold hearted their are in desperate need of training. The quality of their food and their service is any indication that their cutting major corners. This is the worst I’ve experienced in all my life so far. Wichcraft is TERRIBLE and need to be canned especially the one located at 1 park avenue on 33rd street their never a manager anywhere around it like their do what ever they like your best to saying that this location run is safe to the grand.

  • the Tuna is tbest I’ve ever tasted if it was cheaper I would go there more often
    Thanks for a chance to win

  • You could always go with a breakfast sandwich + soup (or GRITS WITH HAM AND CHEESE…yum)

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