Midtown Lunch

I know a lot of you are hardcore devotees of Potbelly Sandwich Shop, so I thought I’d bring you this PSA that they’ve added a new sandwich to the lineup. It’s called the Mediterranean and involves hummus, pepper and feta, and it’s vegetarian. I would guess you can get this not only at the shop on Maiden Lane where the above sign was spotted but also at the newer one at Broadway & Chambers.

I know there are many of you who love Potbelly Sandwich Shop, and I have some good news for you. After an “oven warming” on Monday and Tuesday, according to the sandwich chain’s Twitter feed, that would logically mean the store at 280 Broadway (btw. Chambers & Reade) will be opening later this week. I’ll keep you posted when that day/time is posted. That means you can get A Wreck with some of those delicious pickled peppers without heading down to the Financial District.

If you know anyone who’s eaten at a Potbelly Sandwich Shop in the Midwest or anywhere outside of New York City, they’ve probably told you about the “underground” menu with different combos of sandwiches than is on the regular menu. A tweet from Potbelly about one of these new underground sandwiches led me to call the Maiden Lane location to confirm that they actually will do this menu tweaking and I was confidently assured by the man who answered the phone that they absolutely sold these items. So I rounded up a friend and headed over to wait in the always-insane line, excited to order one of the five underground sandwiches that I found after some careful research online. Click through for the outcome of this experiment.

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When I first heard that Potbelly Sandwich Shop was opening its first New York City location just down the street from my office I kind of rolled my eyes and uttered a “meh.” To me it was just another addition to what I like to call “Chain Row” between Water St. & Gold, and really, why would I get excited about another sandwich chain? Well, the store opened yesterday and of course I had to go check it out even though that meant waiting in a line that stretched down the block. It wasn’t until I unwrapped my lunch that some of my skepticism dropped away.

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There was a line stretching down the block when I walked toward Potbelly Sandwich Shop on Maiden Lane (nr. Gold) today during prime lunch time. They were handling things well, though, passing out menus and water and once you got inside a guy with a less techy version of an iPad took your order. All you had to do was tell the people at the counter if you wanted additional toppings on your sandwich . I think I waited less than 20 minutes in line – not bad for an opening day! How was the food, though? Check back tomorrow to see what I ate and a for a little advice in the toppings department.

Attention Potbelly Sandwich Shop fanatics: You’ll be happy to know the store on Maiden Lane (nr. Gold) starts serving food at 10:30 a.m. tomorrow as I found when I thought they were open today, but instead found it was an invitation-only friends and family event. If you’re not familiar with the Chicago-based chain they sell sandwiches, shakes, soups and salads along with fresh-baked cookies. I’m eager to check it out to see what all the fuss is about, but one thing they have going for them is sandwiches top out at $5.80. Also, if you have any recommendations on what to eat here let us know in the comments.