Potbelly Sandwich Works
Chicago born and bred, Potbelly’s has recently gone from a single store in Lincoln Park to a patiently spreading franchise, throughout Chicago and even into Washington D.C. Why? The answer is in the taste. Offering various—but not too many-made-to-order, oven-roasted subs, complete with so many fixings your mouth will water as they make it front of you, no Chicago business deserves success more. Just thinking about a “Wreck,” piled with salami, roast beef, turkey and ham, sent through the oven and then slathered with mayo and brown mustard, lettuce, tomato, onions, oil, pickles and giardiniera, makes the consistently long lines seem like nothing but a bump in the road to sub-sandwich heaven. Oh yeah, and the price (all subs: $3.59, plus tax) doesn’t hurt either.
2264 North Lincoln, (773) 528-1405
303 West Madison, (312) 346-1234
190 North State, (312) 683-1234
1422 West Webster, (773) 755-1234
520 North Michigan, (312) 644-1008
175 West Jackson, (312) 588-1150
Audience choice: Potbelly Sandwich Works
Best of Chicago 2002