Schlotzsky's Deli - College Park

I thought the sauerkraut and dressing on this sandwich were excellent. The pumpernickel rye bun was very soft and chewy, and seemed to be slightly grilled--it was an interesting and tasty alternative to regular bread. The Swiss cheese was good, and the corned beef was thinly-sliced but they put a huge mass of it in the middle of the sandwich. This was a solid and tasty sandwich that I would love to have again.

Schlotzsky's doesn't have that much parking; we parked behind the Thai restaurant next door. We queued up in line inside the door. While waiting, I could see that this was a typical franchised establishment. There were standard issue tables designed to fit two comfortably, positioned along the wall of the corridor that led to dining areas in the back. It is somewhat dimly lit, but perhaps the grayness of the sky outside took away from the lighting. As I approached the counter to order, I looked at the neon sign on the wall beside the cash register. Some of it was burned out; it read "Schlotz". I ordered and chose the Reuben (of course) and water. We managed to push together a number of tables. There was a larger than normal group this time and we passed the short wait time meeting and greeting the ones we hadn't seen in a while. Schlotzsky's gives you a ticket with a number on it. When your number is called, you go to the kitchen counter and retrieve your order. The PA system could be a little bit louder as I missed my number being called. I noticed that one of our group (who ordered after me) was returning to their seat with a sandwich. I went to the kitchen counter and asked about my order. The kitchen said someone had already picked it. Tip: Listen carefully for your number. Eventually we all ended up with Reubens. As Reubens go, this was a good sandwich. There was cheese on the upper and lower sections. This probably prevented juices from the meat and sauerkraut from soaking into the bread. The meat was finely sliced and tasted mild and juicy. It was shy on sauerkraut, but then I like a little more than normal. A sufficient amount of sauce capped off a great eating experience. If I'm ever in the neighborhood again, I'm stopping in for another.

Schlotzsky's is a pretty typical deli-style fast food restaurant, comparable in atmosphere to Einstein Bros or Penn Station. It was clean and well-lit, as far as I could tell, though the unusually narrowed configuration of the seating area made me feel a bit claustrophobic. We didn't have trouble getting seating, though there were several of us present: we were able to shift tables around and join them as desired. It is loud though, especially with the piped music. This is a stand-in-line, pick-up-your-order-at-the-window type place, but in that context the service was very good, and on the plus side, we didn't have to wait for the bill. We didn't have to wait long for the sandwiches either. The sandwich itself was on an unusually dark but strangely compelling round rye bun, rather than on sliced rye bread. The bread had a nice texture to it: soft and light, lightly toasted. I couldn't taste the caraway at first, but for some reason the flavor was more evident in the second half of the sandwich. The same is true of the sauerkraut, but I think it was just spread unevenly. I never tasted the dressing at all, though I could see it. They used the trick of putting the cheese on the inside of each bread slice, but I think in this case it may have backfired: the cheese ended up dominating the sandwich, even over the beef. The beef itself was available in reasonable quantity, and looked nice and lean, but didn't really have much flavor. From an overall flavor standpoint, the sandwich was pretty unobjectionable, but lacked the delicate balance of conflicting flavors that characterizes an excellent Reuben. The price was reasonable for the size of the sandwich, though there were no side items, and a half sandwich is available for those with smaller reuben cravings. It's been a long time since I've been to a Schlotzsky's, but all the food I've had there was at least good: I remember a chicken pesto pizza with particular fondness. For that reason I could recommend this as a place to get a decent Reuben when you're in a hurry, don't want to spend a lot of money, and maybe have someone with you that wants something else good to eat.

The bread was the most outstanding part of this sandwich. The rest of the ingredients were of good quality, but the bread really stood out. The sandwich was much larger than I expected for something on round bread. I definitely liked the Reuben, but I still prefer their pizza.

Although the traditional Reuben is grilled, I rather enjoyed the Pumpernickel Rye bun. It's messy enough as it is without having buttered and grilled bread to contend with, so the bun was a nice change. The meat was lean and plentiful. I usually ask for more Thousand Island, but this one seemed adequately dressed, even for me.

The longest wait was for placing the order. No sooner do you fill your drink cup and find a place to sit, then they call your order up. This was a real great Reuben. The dark bread was excellent (kind of a flat bun). The meat was some of the best we have had and the kraut had a kick. There was some unidentified white spread on the bottom slice of bread. It looked like mayo, but could not taste it for the primary ingredents. I purchased a pickle. I would advise against it, it was not very good. Tasted like it had not been in the brine long enough (flavorful skin but cucumber inside).

The sandwich was tangy with good flavor, but it needed pickles. A fun experience.

The bread was excellent. The ratio of meat to other ingredients was perfect. The Thousand Island dressing was tangy, cheese was flavorful and nicely melted. Atmosphere was typical of a chain deli.

Good taste, speedy, and a great value.

Creamy, with a good blend of Swiss and sauerkraut. The caraway balances the sweet dressing taste. I thought it would have tasted good with some mustard on it. The sandwich was a little too fatty and sweet in taste for me. The bread was yummy, although not typical German Rye bread. The restaurant was clean, and my first Reuben rating experience was definitely fun!

The rye bread blended well with the taste of the meat and cheese layers. It was soft, too. Overall it was a tasty sandwich. Unlike the Reuben at other places, it was well clubbed together--no dripping cheese or meat.