Woody’s Family Restaurant

Reuben Menu Description

Reuben ($7.99): Corned beef stacked with sauerkraut and Swiss cheese on grilled rye bread served with 1000 Island dressing on the side.

Included Side Items: Cup of today’s soup and fries

Reuben Sandwich Metadata

Presentation: The Reuben was prepared on grilled rye bread with Swiss cheese lining each slice of bread. Between the cheese was a generous amount of sliced corned beef and sauerkraut. The sandwich was cut slightly diagonally down the middle and served on a china plate with a small plastic cup of Thousand Island dressing on the side.

Reuben Sandwich at Woody's Family Restaurant, El Paso, IL

Delivery Time: 19 minutes

Dimensions: 750 cm³ (15 cm x 10 cm x 5 cm)

Bulk to Cost Ratio: 93 cm³/dollar

Review Date:

Reviewer:

Ratings:

  • Overall: A+ (5/5)
  • Value: A+ (5/5)
  • Atmosphere: B (3.5/5)
  • Service: A (4.5/5)
  • Taste: A+ (5/5)
  • Presentation: A (4.5/5)

When we walked into Woody’s Family Restaurant, it was clear that this place is popular. It was super busy. We asked the hostess running the cash register and seating guests how long she had worked there, and she said that she didn’t work there at all. She was in fact a neighbor of the owner who had just come in to help out. That alone gives you an idea of the hometown feel of Woody’s in El Paso, Illinois. The restaurant is located conveniently at an exit on I-39, so it’s a good stop for travelers, also.

The dining room was in reasonable condition—certainly it couldn’t be described as elegant, but everything was clean and in pretty good shape. The dining room was packed and everyone was enjoying their meals.

Woody's Family Restaurant, El Paso, IL - Interior

It had been quite a while since I ordered a Reuben sandwich that came not only with a side item, but also a cup of soup. I’m not much of a soup connoisseur, but it was not just me but everyone in our party raved about the small cup of vegetable soup that came out before the meal. It really hit the spot. Instead of the regular French fries, I substituted hash browns as my other side item with no change to the price of the meal.

The Reuben arrived about 20 minutes after we ordered, and it was amazing! There was a lot of delicious corned beef folded and tucked into this sandwich. The Swiss cheese and sauerkraut did well in their supporting roles, and the bread was grilled just right. I really appreciated the Thousand Island dressing being on the side, so that I could dip my sandwich into it. It seems lately that Reubens I’ve sampled at other establishments have been so sparing with the addition of Thousand Island to their sandwiches, that it was nice to be able to dip the corners of each bite into the little dressing cup so I could taste just the amount of the super tangy and good dressing in each bite.

Overall, this sandwich was amazing. I don't give a lot of A+ values for taste, but this one got an A+ for taste and value, and I ended up giving an A+ overall for the entire experience. If you're ever just north of the Bloomington/Normal area on I-39 about lunch time, I heartily recommend that you stop at Woody’s to enjoy this delectable Reuben and see why it is so popular.