Everyone in my life knows how passionate I am about food, especially sandwiches. Friends, family, co-workers, you name it. I can't shut up about it. What chain is the best in the sammy game? What's the science between a hot sub and a cold sub? I think a local joint will always stand above the rest because their love and passion are unmatched. I could keep going.
I had a co-worker who had been in my ear for a good while telling me how urgently I needed to go try Hoody's and write a little review on "my Yelp thing." I finally took her challenge last Tuesday and put Hoody's to the test.
Hoody's is inside a shopping center that feels like the United Nations epicenter. There's a Vietnamese and Chinese restaurant, a taqueria, a pizzeria, and a Georgian and Eastern European restaurant. So many different cuisines in one spot. But I had my eyes set on Hoody's.
Inside, the narrow sandwich shop is filled with parallel wooden seats and benches on both sides with a walkway down the middle leading to the counter. The walls are covered with Notre Dame and Philadelphia sports memorabilia.
Once you get to the counter, there are quite a few options of both cold and hot subs sold by the half or full hoagie. The Boar's Head logo sits proudly above the menu if you have any questions about where they're sourcing their meats from. Boar's Head is the best of the best, so I already had a good feeling.
The side wall past the counter is lined with chips from Lays, Miss Vickie's, and Zapp's, and they also have some Tastykakes. On the counter are baked goods from Hoody's collaboration with Paige's Bakehouse.
For my order, I got a half Italian the way it came, a bag of Voodoo chips, a Fruity Pebbles rice krispy treat, and some unsweetened tea.
Zapp's Voodoos are the best chips around, and the rice krispy treat was amazing and tasted very fresh. It had to have been baked that morning or recently because it tasted so fresh.
As for the hoagie, oh my goodness gracious. The meat from the ham, capicola, and salami play in perfect harmony and feel almost incomparable to any other sandwich joint. It puts them all to shame. The peppers add a great kick and flair to the sandwich as well. It's presented more like a Philly cheesesteak than a traditional Italian, but it's so delicious I don't care how it looks. It's purposeful, and with how good it tasted, I trust their science.
Thank you, Hoody's. You made every sandwich I eat in the future feel lackluster in comparison. You saved me.
RIYL: Saying "hoagie" and being called "brother." read more