Lew's Restaurant
7707 Williamson Rd,
Roanoke,
VA
24019
USA
(540) 563-5332
https://www.lewsrestaurant.com/
Category: American
Price: $$
Overall: | A+ | (4.8/5.0 stars) |
Value: | A+ | (4.8/5.0 stars) |
Atmosphere: | B | (3.5/5.0 stars) |
Service: | A+ | (4.8/5.0 stars) |
Taste: | A+ | (5.0/5.0 stars) |
Presentation: | A | (4.5/5.0 stars) |
Reuben Details
Sandwich Name: Reuben ($10.99)
Menu Description: Available with corned beef or turkey
Included Side Items: Served with chips and pickle
Presentation: The Reuben was prepared on marbled grilled rye bread, with a mixture of sauerkraut and Thousand Island dressing spread against both slices of bread. Between those slices was a layer of corned beef pieces topped with Swiss cheese. The sandwich was cut down the middle and served on a paper liner over a ceramic plate. Next to the sandwich was a pickle spear and a bag of Ruffles potato chips.
Dimensions: 808.5 cm3 (14 cm x 10.5 cm x 5.5 cm)
Bulk-to-Cost Ratio: 74 cm3/dollar
Review - Chris Rowland
Review Date: Sep 24, 2023, 12:05 PM
Liked: Juicy and flavorful
Overall: | A | (4.5/5.0 stars) |
Value: | A | (4.5/5.0 stars) |
Atmosphere: | B | (3.5/5.0 stars) |
Service: | A | (4.5/5.0 stars) |
Taste: | A+ | (5.0/5.0 stars) |
Presentation: | A | (4.5/5.0 stars) |
We arrived at Lew's exactly at noon on a Sunday--which is the time that they open. When we arrived, there were already 3 or 4 other parties lined up on the sidewalk waiting for them to open. The doors opened at 12:05 and we all went inside.
It's clear that Lew's is located in an older restaurant building, and the style of architecture shows its age. The walls were somewhat in need of a new coat of paint, and the doors to the bathroom area definitely showed their age. However, everything was serviceable and appeared clean.
The interior is basically one big room with a high ceiling, and there is a massive pizza oven and hood behind the counter that fills the back half of the restaurant. There are booths along the exterior walls on either side of a television, and then some smaller tables in the middle area. There is also outdoor seating.
Lew's definitely smelled like a pizza restaurant when you walk inside, so I was a little hesitant about trying their Reuben sandwich, which had been recommended by a family friend.
I ordered the Reuben sandwich with corned beef and a fountain root beer. The server mistakenly brought out a Pepsi after she had discovered that the Pepsi dispenser needed to be restocked--an easy mistake to make since she had been distracted by unexpectedly needing to refill the machine.
The Reuben was delivered 10 minutes after it was ordered. It was quite a tall sandwich and looked delicious. As I picked up the bread, I noticed that it was grilled just right, and yet was still a little soft--it wasn't the type that was going to scrape the roof of my mouth.
The corned beef was in little chunks--I wasn't sure if it had been shredded or how exactly it had gotten that way. It had a nice tang to it, and just a little fat in with the pieces, but not overly fatty. The sauerkraut and dressing (assuming it was Thousand Island) had been mixed together pretty thoroughly and appeared to have been spread liberally all around the corned beef.
The Swiss cheese was evident in that several of my bites of the sandwich pulled out some long strands of the melty stringy cheese, which blended perfectly with the other ingredients.
The sandwich overall was superb, and it came across as quite juicy and flavorful--yet the sandwich held up and it didn't become super messy. I really loved this sandwich and was so glad that I had ordered it. I heartily recommend the Reuben at Lew's Restaurant.
Review - Katherine Rowland
Review Date: Sep 24, 2023, 12:05 PM
Liked: Absolutely delicious
Overall: | A+ | (5.0/5.0 stars) |
Value: | A+ | (5.0/5.0 stars) |
Atmosphere: | B | (3.5/5.0 stars) |
Service: | A+ | (5.0/5.0 stars) |
Taste: | A+ | (5.0/5.0 stars) |
Presentation: | A | (4.5/5.0 stars) |
I thought the Reuben sandwich was absolutely delicious. We had a friendly, quick server and quick delivery.
The bread was not over-grilled, and the ingredients were uniformly warm and well mixed.
I had substituted cole slaw instead of the chips for my side item, and it could possibly be the best cole slaw that I have ever had--well worth the substitution up-charge. I would totally come back to Lew's often if it were geographically convenient!