That may not be how the saying goes, but when I was in Baltimore for Otakon, this sandwich shop kept me well fed for three days, and for a place to keep me coming back everyday, it must be delicious!
Jimmy John’s was established in 1923, by the fellow with two first names which the franchise is named after. Now I don’t want to bore you with the history, so let me get straight to the point. These sandwiches are down-right delicious.
Unfortunately, there is no Jimmy John’s in New York, so this was my first time seeing the establishment, and I know if I ever see one again in the future, I’ll be stopping by to pick up a sandwich. The location I visited was right next to the convention center, just across the street, and part of the Hilton Hotel right in the Inner Harbor district. You would think with such a primo location, and the words “Gourmet” plastered all over it’s logos, this would be an expensive lunch. Thankfully, once I entered, I was pleasantly surprised by the very affordable prices, starting at about $4.95 for an 8-inch sandwich on French bread made fresh every day. And if you were a little extra hungry, they also sold yesterday’s bread for just 50 cents.
The first day I went to Jimmy John’s, I had the “Pepe” sandwich, which was an 8-inch French bread sub with real applewood smoked ham, provolone cheese, topped off with the basic lettuce, tomato and and mayo. Sounds like a very modest sandwich, right? How good can this be? Well, let me tell ya, when I took the first bite out of that sandwich, I realized that this was the place I would be eating lunch at every day while in Baltimore. Not only is the meat delicious, but the freshness of the vegetables and bread just make this sandwich top-of-the-line. If I had any evidence, I’d almost say they put crack in it. It really tasted that good.
But obviously, I would not stop there. The next day, I decided to go for something a little bigger, and I ordered off the “Giant Club Sandwiches” menu which was a dollar more. This time I ordered the “Ultimate Porker” which was on the same 8-inch French bread, also with applewood smoked ham, lettuce, tomato, and mayo, but this added strips of bacon to the sandwich. Now I like bacon, but I’m not as in love with it as some other people, but I respect the desire for others to put bacon on everything. So when I say the bacon on this sandwich was perfect, I definitely mean it, and it was an awesome addition for an already delicious sandwich. It was very crisp and delicious, without feeling greasy and fattening, in other words, it was phenomenal.
However, that day after ordering, my friend was talking about how he wished there was a sandwich with all different kinds of meat on it, and after another look at the menu, we noticed, “The J.J. Gargantuan” for only about $7.95. We decided that this was the sandwich to finish off our convention. And so on the final day of Otakon, we headed into Jimmy John’s with no reservation, strolled up to the register, and ordered our Gargantuans. This sandwich, also on the delicious 8-inch French bread was jam packed with genoa salami, sliced smoked ham, capicola, roast beef, turkey, with provolone cheese, topped off with fresh onions, lettuce, and tomato and for even more flavor, mayo and their special homemade Italian dressing. I wish I took a picture, because this thing was pretty epic. Do I even need to explain how delicious this sandwich was? I don’t think so.
All in all, I personally have Jimmy John’s as my second best tasting sandwiches I’ve ever eaten, only behind the Earl of Sandwich franchise. However, at the price, the quality, and the convenience of Jimmy John’s, this might actually now be my favorite sandwich establishment. Their lines also move very fast, and they even have delivery available at various locations! Can this place be beat? Now, I just need one here in NY!
The Jimmy John’s I visited is located at 401 West Pratt Street, Baltimore, MD and their website can be visited at jimmyjohns.com.
