DiSo’s Italian Sandwich Society Makes Some Delicious Stuff, But The Wait’s Still Long…

When DiSo’s Italian Sandwich Society‘s bright red truck started parking in Midtown in June, the lines were long and the temperatures outside were HOT. On the first day of business in Midtown, Lunch’ers were commenting that the sandwiches were delicious, but wait times were up to 45 minutes with the truck running out of bread by 1:45. Since then, we’ve gone back a couple of times for a closer look…

The first time I went back after the first day, I picked a rainy day and called my order ahead of time to be picked up at 2pm. DiSo’s was kind enough to fill my order (I only ordered one sandwich), but typically if they’re really busy, they only take orders of 10 or more by phone. This not only helped with the wait, but also allowed me to choose the sandwich of my choice from their extensive menu in the comfort of my cubicle rather than outside in the rain. First up: the Joey Shakes on Foccacia!

This sandwich is an AMAZING, and I think probably the best sandwich the truck has to offer. It has everything an Italian sandwich lover wants! As someone who used to frequent Graham Avenue Meats & Deli when I was living close by, the Joey Shakes is bold enough to compete on the same level as Graham Avenue Deli’s Godfather sandwich.

I picked the Joey Shakes on Foccacia (at the time $8.50, now their menu says Focaccia half for $7.50), which added some extra flavor, as the bread itself was topped with cherry tomatoes and some rosemary and onion flakes. With meats and cheeses selected from Di Palo’s, the Joey Shakes features three different kinds of meats (proscuitto, capicola, and salami).

On top of the meats is a layer of sweet cherry peppers, which were not that spicy, and freshly shredded parmigiano reggiano. Then add a thin layer of provolone cheese. The top piece of foccacia was smothered with a glazed balsamic dressing, with the bottom layer smoothed over with an herbed ricotta spread. Somewhere in between all of this was fresh arugula. I was in complete heaven. The sandwich stayed together so well – no mess to be had here – and the fresh ingredients from DiPalo Selects really makes this sandwich shine.

The second time I went back a week later and I was in the mood for a saucy chicken parm, but unfortunately found that it’s just not the way to go at DiSo’s. I ordered a half Big Pauly ($7) which was described as “breaded chicken cutlet parmigiano” with fresh mozzarella, homemade marinara, shaved parmigiano reggiano, grilled Italian shallots, and fresh basil. This time, I ordered at the truck, and waited a solid 10 minutes to get my sandwich, which sometimes feels like an eternity when you’re starving close to 2pm. While I was waiting, the truck again ran out of bread. Granted it’s close to 2pm already, but you have to get to DiSo’s early to guarantee your top picks.

When I finally was ready to delve into my sandwich back at the office, I realized I was given a whole Big Pauly instead of a half (woo!), but the chicken was grilled and not breaded, which made for really dry chicken. There also wasn’t nearly enough marinara sauce for this parm, so between the dry chicken and the lack of marinara, the sandwich was just ultimately too dry, and not packed enough with flavor compared to the cold cut sandwiches.

DiSo’s Italian Sandwich Society knows their cold cuts and you should probably just stick to ordering anything on the menu in the Italian Combos section with heros at $11.50, half heros at $8 and foccacia halves at $7.50. The lines are long, but if you can round up coworkers and order in, that’s your best bet at beating the wait!

The + (What somebody who likes this place would say)

  • These Italian sandwiches are the real deal!
  • The menu is so extensive that I can keep going back for different things for probably a few months
  • The ingredients are fresh from Di Palo Selects

The – (What somebody who doesn’t like this place would say)

  • The wait is still too long
  • If you’re craving a sandwich other than cold cuts, it might not be very good
  • You have to go early as they tend to run out of bread by 1:30

DiSo’s Italian Sandwich Society, Usually at 47th and Park on Thursdays (Flatiron on Mondays), Check Twitter & FB for locations

7 Comments

  • Diso’s is decent, but 1) they are slow and 2) I would still say graham ave deli kicks its ass for an italian sandwich. The Spicy Willie at Graham Ave deli is MUCH heartier than anything diso is cranking out. And it’s cheaper too. I like diso’s food, which i’ve had twice, but their sandwiches are not exactly stuffed to the brim like Graham ave or sal kris and charlies in queens. Considering i would usually hit diso’s on a half day friday when they are in flatiron, i find it much more worth it to hop a train to Graham Ave or SKC.

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    Maybe that’s why they keep running out of bread.

  • User has not uploaded an avatar

    Slow is an understatement. I noticed that they actually try to speed things up by batching orders. They hold the tickets in the front cab, then when they get enough orders, make a bunch of the same sandwiches.

    The problem is that they are also super slow at assembly. It doesn’t help that they bust balls, crack jokes, and goof around, which can be entertaining for the first 5-10 minutes. It also seems like there is always one person leaving the truck for whatever reason.

    I waited 48 minutes for a sandwich, then asked for my money back. My ticket wasn’t even in the queue yet and they weren’t even real busy…

    It’s too bad. I have been there 4 times and still have not had a sandwich. The first time they were out of bread, the second time they didn’t get a meat delivery, the third time there was a huge line, so I didn’t even bother, and I described the 4th time in the last paragraph.

    I really wanted to try a sandwich…

    Maybe next time I’ll tell you how I really feel.

    • Agree with goats…dont even bother giving them your time and effort (and money) if thats been your experience thus far. 0 for 4? i would have thought that last trip would have been enough for you to stay away for good.

      • I only say that b/c i’ve had it several times. It’s good, but nothing to write home about or to keep trying to get. There are much better options out there….and if you have the time, graham avenue destroys it. So does SKC.

  • joer…don’t bother if you’ve already put in that much time. It’s just not worth it. IT’s not THAT good. IF you have that kind of time, I suggest taking a quick trip to graham ave off of the L or the train to astoria ditmars on a weekend to SKC. You will never miss Diso with either of those options.

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    I was just venting. The first 3 times didn’t cost me any time. The first two times, they were efficient in turning away people and I didn’t even bother the 3rd time when it was obvious that they were in the weeds. The 4th and final time made me realize that I won’t ever go back.

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