MenuPirate:Miami

Below are a few quick reviews of some local independent sandwich shops.

Sub Serious

Located centrally in downtown Coral Gables, Sub Serious offers dine in and delivery service (Very Quick, by the way) to the downtown Coral Gables area. The place has a large menu including salads and other items to break away from the “Sandwich & Chips” model. This place kind of became my default lunch location for a while since they were they only shop that would deliver to my old office, plus their online ordering system is incredibly helpful in getting large lunch order or even regular orders out of the way quickly and brought to you accurately. I recommend the Hot Turkey Sub or Steak and Mushrooms.

Hungry Bear Sub Shop

Great Sub shop. Similar subs to Sub Serious and other indy sub shops but the bread really sets this place apart. Sub Serious’s bread can get soggy if your big into lettuce, tomatoes, etc. but the bread stays crisp here. Hungry Bear has 3 locations;

3399 NW 72nd Ave # 112, Miami, FL - (305) 592-2515
10521 SW 109th Ct, Miami, FL - (305) 595-8385 (Across from MDC Kendall Campus)
10408 Taft St, Pembroke Pines - (954) 704-8800

I’ve only been to the SW 109 ST location across from MDC, in a shopping plaza tucked away behind the Shell Gas Station. Great spot, big lunch time location for MDC students. The shop itself is very small and offers no indoor seating so be prepared for take out or you can take a seat outside on a few picnic tables.

I have a few others I’m gonna follow up on but let us know a bit about your favorite local sub shops… always looking for a new place to grab a sub.

Despite the bright reds and yellows on the weather radar and all of the advice against it, I still felt it imperative to get out on the bicycle yesterday for a 40 some odd miler. Leaving the Gables area with an equally crazy friend around 2 PM we ventured down 8th street, up Biscayne Blvd and across the Venetian Causeway ultimately arriving hungry and soggy on the Beach.

After weaving through the crowds on Lincoln Road and Washington we strolled up on Sandwich Q Bano . I remember seeing this place a few weeks ago and putting it on my snack list, hungry and decidedly against Pizza, I figured there was no better time then now to stop by.

The place occupies the corner unit of a 5 story condo and office building on the corner of Washington and 2nd St. Parking would usually be a hassle but seeing as it was a rainy Sunday afternoon and we were on bikes that didn’t seem to be a problem.

In short the place serves up Cuban style sandwiches in a cleaned up franchise like environment. If your looking for Cuban Coffee or any type of fruit shake or “batido” your shit out of luck here. This took a little bit of adjustment for me at first, the place smelled like new concrete instead of brewing coffee or cigar smoke. There was no water jug outside or window I could order from… I actually had to walk in and sit down after ordering my food and most unsettling of all; there was soccer playing on the giant plasma TV hanging on the wall on not one mention of Fidel within ear shot…

Esto no pasa en Cuba Little Havana.

Once I bit into my Media Noche all those reservations went away. The sandwich itself was very good and on par with most of the stuff you get back on the mainland. Thick but not overwhelming and the bread was nice and fresh. Better still it went down just fine with a Jupiña Pineapple Soda (one of my favorites). The price at about $5 dollars was on par with what you would expect and for Beach lunch standards I would venture to call the place a good deal. The best part of the sandwich itself was the unexpected addition of a garlic “homestyle” sauce which can be seen the in the picture above in the little condiment container. This sauce really makes a difference and adds a unique taste to what would have otherwise been a run of the mill lunch.

The menu includes many other sandwiches among them, a Hawaiian sandwich which combines Pineapple, Ham and Mozzarella cheese on French Bread and a few salads to round off the menu.

Final Verdict : Not one of the best Cuban Sandwiches in Miami, Sergio’s and Sarussi share that honor but if your ever looking for some lunch South of 5th Street around the South Pointe area , it’s worth a try.