Padow’s Hams & Deli

So, each time I try a new place I order the Reuben. Padow makes a good Reuben, except the bottom slice of rye bread was not toasted, so all of us foodies know what happens when a soft piece of bread is loaded with corned beef, sauerkraut and thousand island dressing, yes its not pleasant. I would have have given 5 stars if it had not been rushed and i got my order a good 10 minutes after the person who was behind me got their order. We had lunch together. This is a place to try again though, the staffs were very pleasant.

Food was great. Homemade Brunswick stew and made to order sandwiches. Fast friendly service. Unique atmosphere with exposed brick walls and a bank vault door.

Great spot on UCI Race day. Yummy sandwich followed by a delicious lemon cake. Fun sitting on sidewalk watching the action. Service was friendly!

Stopped in here during the watermelon festival to grab a quick bite, and was pleasantly surprised. It’s an order at the counter, but they have about every meat and cheese you could want. They also have a lot of snacks (convenient store style) and many of them were unique things that you don’t always find at the grocery store.
My sandwich was great, and I loved that they toast the bread and warm it up. You can order it however you want. Overall, it’s a great deli! A quick and tasty stop for lunch!

Love the chicken salad here. If you’re a chicken salad fan, get it toasted on a kaiser roll, add cheddar, lettuce, and tomato. They put a ton of chicken salad on it, so it ends up being really messy, but it’s delicious. Friendly staff here too.

Great chicken salad sandwich. Good lunch specials too.

I ordered two sandwiches (a rueben for lunch, and a prosciutto sandwich to save for dinner). Both were bad, so bad that I won’t visit Padow’s a second time. I always give places a second chance, but my experience was no better than a convenience store pre-​wrapped sandwich.
First, the reuben… I often order reubens when I try somewhere new. They are predictable: buttered and grilled rye bread, meat, kraut, sauce. The meat and kraut were actually tasty, but the bread was pretty much a soggy mess. I’ve had overly buttered reubens before (which are DELICIOUS but somewhat hard on the stomach). However, this seemed like the bread was just put in a toaster and not completely done. The sandwich was made so fast, totally a rushed job. The bread was so distasteful it just made eating the sandwich unappealing.
Second, the prosciutto ham sandwich… I LOVE prosciutto, and I thought to myself, «This is a deli. They will have awesome prosciutto.» Well, if you also enjoy prosciutto, then you may already be dreaming of razor-​thin meat piled high. Think again! The slices were so think, I often ended up tearing or pulling the meat to take a bite from the sandwich (pretty much like making a sloppy ham sandwich using Easter leftovers). This sandwich was just plain simple: meat, cheese, bread, condiments. It was no better than what anyone can make at home in about 30 seconds.

This place is a joke. If you like waiting 35+ minutes for a sandwich I think you would love Padow’s. My girlfriend ordered the Turkey Rueben and received turkey and cold sauerkraut on bread… no swiss or 1000 Island dressing. She took it back to the counter and was told it would be brought to our table and it was.10 minutes later and doused with dressing. We both really enjoyed watching each other eat. Thanks Padow’s!

Wow. This may have been the worst sandwich I’ve ever had. Got the steak and cheese and, um, yea. Every banana pepper had a steam attached to it so I had to spit every one out. The tomatoes where ice cold and the provolone wasn’t even melted. The bread was soggy, and the meat was like sliced deli beef.

What the hell Padow’s? I’ve been working out of state for quite a while, i come back and expected you to still be decent.
Smithfield ham sandwich, with hot pepper cheese, lettuce, and «just a tad of ranch».
What i got was a sandwich that i believe was actually deep fried in ranch dressing. it was just covered in it, and pouring out all over. my ticket was correct — it said «light ranch».
made the sandwich a giant damn mess and was not pleased as it’s a little walk to my office.
Next time i’ll just open my mouth and you can pour the dressing in.

It’s funny how sometimes you find a good place to eat simply by walking by it unintentionally. I came across Padow’s in this fashion one afternoon when getting a beverage for some evening tennis, and I have to say, I’m a fan!
–Food: Padow’s has a nice selection of sandwiches, salads, and soups, but so far I’ve just tried their sandwiches. The sandwiches are a bit more down to earth and resemble more of a sandwich you could make at home, but that shouldn’t scare you away; they’re delicious!
The first time I went I got one of their specialties, the Padow’s Club. It has, quoted from their site, «Turkey Breast, VA Honey Ham, Bacon, Am Cheese, Lettuce, Tomato & Mayo». It’s a simple sandwich, yet filling and tasty. Everything tasted pretty fresh. I think if I get it again I’ll get it with something other than American cheese, but only because I’m not a fan of American cheese. It was pretty good overall!
The second time I went I got a Tuna Salad sandwich, one of my favorite types of sandwiches, and theirs was spot on. I think I’ll probably go back again and get this at least a couple times. Nothing over the top; just tuna salad on toast.
You can also buy meats at market price.
–Cost: It’s a bit more expensive than what I would probably expect to pay, but it’s not bad. The Club was $ 7.50 and the Tuna Salad was $ 6.50. I will say it’s a couple dollars cheaper than somewhere like Copolla’s down the street, but it does lack some of the more elaborate and high quality toppings that they have too. No complaints though, the meat and overall freshness of the sandwiches has been great!
One really nice thing that people have mentioned as well is that you can get a sandwich here for $ 5, unlike some other delis. They have basic sandwiches that you could get if you weren’t that hungry or just wanted a snack. While I would probably get a larger sandwich every time, it’s nice to have that option.
–Atmosphere: The inside of the deli is very much what you would expect if you were to google something like «inside of a deli». I’m a fan of the simplicity and ample seating.
–Service: The staff were polite both times I went and they bring your food to you. They also offered a cup for water both times, which is nice as some places you have to ask specifically.
–Overall: I’m glad I stumbled upon Padow’s. Sometimes simplicity and a good sandwich is what you’re looking for, and I’d recommend here to anyone wanting a good, down to earth deli.

I ordered the 8″ Italian sub today for lunch. It’s not bad, not fantastic. The meat had flavor which was appreciated, however, I would say the sandwich was mostly bread. You could worse, but you could also do better.

Really enjoyed a stop in this deli for lunch! Thankfully – and unlike a lot of delis – they offer a «lighter appetites» selection. So for $ 4 I could get a plain cheese, turkey, tomato, and lettuce sandwich on wheat. I could eat the whole thing without feeling gross – which is a big plus, because toasted sandwiches don’t keep very well and I don’t like wasting food. The David’s cookies that they sell were amazing as well – two small chocolate chip cookies (they also had peanut butter, oatmeal raisin, and so on). They were really soft. I would definitely stop back by here for a reasonably priced lunch (also their sodas are cheaper than the ones at the other deli across the street).

This is an all around solid deli. I know the owner Paul, and he is a great guy and very personable with the patrons. The meat and veggies are far superior to a large chain (i.e., Subway), plus it’s always great to support a small local business. Definitely a «must try» for lunch downtown.