Peoples Sandwich of Portland
53 Northwest 1st Avenue, Portland, OR
(503) 222-0525
Mon-Thur 10 AM – 6 PM; Fri 10 AM – 3 AM; Sat 12 AM – 3 AM; Sun 12 AM- 4 PM
May 4th, 2011:
It was my first day back to work after my weekend and I was searching for a place close by to satisfy my Sando fix for the day. Luckily there is lots of options downtown and the Peoples Sandwich was one of them. As I entered the building I had a vision of people huddled in the room under the dark of night during the 50’s having a secret Communist meeting. Granted that’s probably not what they thought when they started the shop but that’s just how my mind works. The Communist theme is interesting at best but honestly I cannot make much sense of it. 
The kitchen is wide open with counter seats so you can sit and watch the cooks do their thing while you wait/eat. I’m always a fan of this because its fun to watch how others operate their kitchens. They have plenty of signs up telling where they source their proteins and bread. I’m always very appreciative of shops educating their customers on what they’re actually eating. With that being said, I’m not about to ask what the name of my chicken was (Portlandia fans).
I ordered the Portland Cheese Steak and it came with a side of their house made chips. The chips were thick cut and had a great crunch to them. When they handed me my sando it was wrapped like I tend to find Cheese steaks wrapped, in five layers of paper. This is a good way to ensure that the grease is sealed in or at least has a few extra layers to soak through for the benefit of handling. As I ripped through the final layer of paper and revealed the sando it was stuffed to the brim with meat, peppers, onions, and cheese. Gut bomb was the first thought that popped into my head but then again most Cheese Steaks are. I ate it gladly on the remainder of my walk to work through downtown, enjoying the sun and many sights and sounds of Portland.
Rating:
Bread:
They feature Dave’s Killer Bread, which is a nice brand here in Portland. It was a Hoagie roll that was soft and chewy on the inside and a bit crispy outside. I’m glad to see shops using good bread for their sandos if they can’t make it themselves. At least they’re not just buying from Sysco or another big tasteless brand.
4/5
Filling:
The filling was quite substantial. There was probably about a pound of meat in the sando along with green bell peppers, onions, white American cheese, and Provolone. I tend to like it when the peppers in my cheese steak still have a bit of crunch to them to add a bit of texture but these were quite soft. The other issue is that when I get a cheese steak I like there to be a cheese sauce but in this case they melted the cheese into the rest of the filling. This isn’t bad really but I like having the sauce. I would have liked a bit more seasoning to bring out the flavor of the beef especially since they are locally sourcing their product and not just getting it from a larger faceless purveyor.
3/5
Price:
At $8 I would say it’s a fair deal with the portion you’re getting. I just wish there was a little bit more love in flavor.
4/5
Customer Service, Sides, Drink Selection:
The service was great. The woman who worked the register was very friendly and helpful. They offer sides of fries and you get free chips with any Sando, which is nice since many shops don’t offer a complimentary side at all. They have a nice selection of sodas as well as beers in the bottle or on Draft. Not a lot of places have draft beer so this is a welcome trait to have in a local shop.
5/5
Over all Rating: 16/20 points
Repeat Visit?
Yes. I’d be interested to try another sandwich to see what else they’re all about. The fact that they are open until 3 AM on Friday & Saturday is a big option for me considering I get out of work late those days and sometimes want a late bite.
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