Soulwich (Evanston)

Tiny little sandwich shop on Orrington, very close to Northwestern Campus.

Southeast-Asian inspired (mainly) sandwiches. Fillings are pre-cooked and then microwaved to order before being stuffed into their decent crusty roll and topped with the fresh veggie toppings. My Burmese coconut curry (pork) was tasty and well-seasoned, but what really made the sandwich was the very nice matchsticks of raw carrot and daikon and the really nice fresh herbs and thin-sliced raw jalapenos, giving the sandwich kind of a banh mi kind of a feel. Nothing revelatory, but I felt that it was worth the nine or so bucks that I paid for it. Came with a kind of napa cabbage slaw that was pretty tasty too.

Service was good. Ash, the owner, took my order and made my food, and he was very friendly and chatty. Interesting beverage choices as well (coconut water, unfiltered ginger beer). I hope they succeed.


Soulwich
1634 Orrington Ave
(between Davis St & Elgin Rd)
Evanston, IL 60201
(847) 328-2222
www.soulwich.com

When I see "fillings are pre-cooked and then micowaved" I generally assume the food wouldn't be very good. Does that make me a food snob? Is there a place for the microwave other than popping popcorn and heating up left overs?

bnl wrote:When I see "fillings are pre-cooked and then micowaved" I generally assume the food wouldn't be very good. Does that make me a food snob? Is there a place for the microwave other than popping popcorn and heating up left overs?

dehydrating

When I see "fillings are pre-cooked and then micowaved" I generally assume the food wouldn't be very good. Does that make me a food snob? Is there a place for the microwave other than popping popcorn and heating up left overs?

I'm generally in the same camp, but this place is clearly working within the parameters of the storefront. There's no hood in front, so they are limited in their options. Microwave for re-heating fillings and ventless fryer for making the chips. It's not ideal, but long-cooked stewed type preparations actually do just fine this way. Often, these types of dishes have better flavor the next day and they don't suffer from re-heating. So, sure, it's not the best, but as long as the person writing the menu understands the limitations and works within them (as they appear to have knowledgeably done here), it's not a deal-breaker (for me, at least).

elakin wrote:Tiny little sandwich shop on Orrington, very close to Northwestern Campus.

Southeast-Asian inspired (mainly) sandwiches. Fillings are pre-cooked and then microwaved to order before being stuffed into their decent crusty roll and topped with the fresh veggie toppings. My Burmese coconut curry (pork) was tasty and well-seasoned, but what really made the sandwich was the very nice matchsticks of raw carrot and daikon and the really nice fresh herbs and thin-sliced raw jalapenos, giving the sandwich kind of a banh mi kind of a feel. Nothing revelatory, but I felt that it was worth the nine or so bucks that I paid for it. Came with a kind of napa cabbage slaw that was pretty tasty too.

Service was good. Ash, the owner, took my order and made my food, and he was very friendly and chatty. Interesting beverage choices as well (coconut water, unfiltered ginger beer). I hope they succeed.


Soulwich
1634 Orrington Ave
(between Davis St & Elgin Rd)
Evanston, IL 60201
(847) 328-2222
http://www.soulwich.com

You really are a good guy. This place is practically across the street from you and you even suggest a sandwich of a restaurant that many would see as a competitor-- since you also serve sandwiches . I'm so glad we ate a lovely relaxed lunch there on Saturday afternoon.

I can't wait until I start eating dessert again for a milkshake. I was very glad the chocolate with chili wasn't on the menu, that could have made me weep.

aw, shucks.

there's plenty of room in the Downtown Evanston market for another high quality independent operator. As a consumer and person interested in food, I root for high-quality independently-owned places with well-thought-out concepts to succeed, regardless of whether they're competitors.

anyway, the only reason I posted about it here was because I felt like it was worth people's attention. Soulwich is very similar to GNR Zenwich in Elmhurst.

elakin wrote:Soulwich is very similar to GNR Zenwich in Elmhurst.

Funny, as soon as I read your original post, this was the first thing that came to my mind. I was going to mention it myself until I scrolled down. I'll have to check this place out soon.

Ha, I've been working on a long post comparing some recently-opened places in Evanston -- scooped by Edzo! So let me drop the purple prose and cut to the chase.

This place is all about local, organic, natural, etc., which would be fine but irrelevant if the flavor wasn't there. But the flavor is there. Quality ingredients (e.g., bread is by Labriola) and interesting curries. I've tried the other Asian *wich place and liked it okay; this is better. The heat level will probably not be enough for some (including the owners), but, hey, this is Evanston. And heat isn't everything. Like I said, the flavor is there. Try the fig and goat cheese sandwich and tell me it needs something else.

Among the meats, pork (=shoulder) is the clear winner. Great vehicle for the Burmese curry. Coleslaw is decent but missing something to make it really sing. Stick with the chips.

They're still working out some kinks and service can be slow when it's just the owner putting everything together (I think his wife cooks in the back room), but they seem to have hired extra staff. Budget some time anyway.

I just talked to Ash to find out hours, hoping to pick up a sandwich when I swoop into town for class tomorrow. Hours are: 11-8 M-Th, same on Sat but possibly later (they haven't been getting business after 8pm), closed Sundays. Correction: Ash works for his wife. She's the owner.

He sounds really passionate about small businesses, said some very nice things about elakin.

What about Friday?

scottsol wrote:What about Friday?

Oops. I got distracted when we started talking about how people don't go out at night in Evanston. They're open Friday, just didn't hear those hours.

Cilantro, thanks for the recommendation. I stopped in and tried the Paneer Fig sandwich today and it was awesome. The Labriola bread is perfect for soaking up juices and the sandwiches are totally overflowing with beautiful fresh veggies.


Paneer Fig Sandwich / Soulwich by TrackBelle, on Flickr

I had the slaw as a side and rather liked it. It's pre-boxed and refrigerated and had a nice crisp tang.

I'll add my endorsement. My wife had the fig paneer and loved the combination of cheese, onions and sweet fig. I had the Singapore tikka with pork and really enjoyed the shredded, flavorfull meat set off against the crisp carrots and other pickled vegetables. The sandwiches have a bahn mi feel, but with different fillings and a softer, chewier bread.

We found the sandwiches a bit too big for a meal, but that means 99.9% of America will like the size and find this place a good value for the dollar, considering that $8 gets you a hefty sandwich with a small side of chips or slaw.

The owner was very friendly, really seemd to care about his product, and gave us an infused tea for free just to try. (too sweet for us).

To finish this mid-afternoon meal we walked down the block and had a salted caramel shake at Edzo's.

Jonah

Jonah wrote:We found the sandwiches a bit too big for a meal, but that means 99.9% of America will like the size and find this place a good value for the dollar, considering that $8 gets you a hefty sandwich with a small side of chips or slaw.

I actually agree (don't see how much I just ate at Chief O'Neill's). Still, I liked my Burmese curry pork sandwich very much. I plan to make this place a once-a-week stop until I try everything.

Jonah wrote:We found the sandwiches a bit too big for a meal, but that means 99.9% of America will like the size and find this place a good value for the dollar, considering that $8 gets you a hefty sandwich with a small side of chips or slaw.

happy_stomach wrote:I actually agree (don't see how I just ate at Chief O'Neill's). Still, I liked my Burmese curry pork sandwich very much. I plan to make this place a once-a-week stop until
I try everything.

Now I feel like a glutton....

Sloshing around downtown Evanston yesterday I developed a craving for tacos. Not thrilled with my local options I was about ready to brave the trek to clark street. Fortunately I saw this place instead. While it's clearly not a taco joint I recalled reading this thread a few days ago which piqued my curiosity enough to postpone my fix.

After sharing my desire for pork Ash recommended the Indonesian Ginger BBQ sandwich. How they prepared it didn't really matter to me. It was a delicious sandwich filled with tender flavorful meat, savory cooked vegetables and a generous helping of fresh carrots, cucumber and cilantro. Chips on the side were not notable except that homemade was a nice touch. My ignorance about the challenges of food service not withstanding I wonder if mixing something like sweet potato chips in with regular would make them more memorable. On Ash's recommendation my meal was paired with infused tea. I opted for the pomegranate tea which on its own was good enough but it complemented the sandwich perfectly.

It's good to have another great restaurant to add to my rotation. It is situated on a block that it is
easy to get to but also easy to miss so hopefully they can get the word out. If you like the place as I do please don't keep it to yourself. Ash would appreciate shout outs on Y--- [other public food related forums] as well.

-Eli

If you like the place as I do please don't keep it to yourself. Ash would appreciate shout outs on Yelp as well.

This probably isn't the best Internet forum on which to suggest that. . . . Just sayin'.

sundevilpeg wrote:

If you like the place as I do please don't keep it to yourself. Ash would appreciate shout outs on Yelp as well.

This probably isn't the best Internet forum on which to suggest that. . . . Just sayin'.

LMFAO? I missed that whole interchange. Point taken. It wasn't really an endorsement of another forum which shall not be named as much as passing on a request. It is even funnier on account of my unsuccessful attempt to edit my previous post to minimize the risk of offense. Apparently I am young enough to know my way around html but not young enough to know how to strikeout text in a forum post.

Moving along. Nothing to see here.

ekaudio wrote:

sundevilpeg wrote:

If you like the place as I do please don't keep it to yourself. Ash would appreciate shout outs on Yelp as well.

This probably isn't the best Internet forum on which to suggest that. . . . Just sayin'.

LMFAO? I missed that whole interchange. Point taken. It wasn't really an endorsement of another forum which shall not be named as much as passing on a request. It is even funnier on account of my unsuccessful attempt to edit my previous post to minimize the risk of offense. Apparently I am young enough to know my way around html but not young enough to know how to strikeout text in a forum post.

Moving along. Nothing to see here.

LOL, don't sweat it. Plenty of people here read both sites and since your goal is to support an operator in whom you believe, there's absolutely no harm in mentioning it.

Thanks,

=R=
for the moderators

I just ate here yesterday after reading the comments.

Ash took my order, too, and recommended the #1 (Coconut Curry) with pork. The thing came loaded and the toppings (pickled vegetables and cilantro) were bursting out of their seams. I normally find this to be a good thing since I'm getting more bang for my buck, but it was a bit difficult to eat as it was, so I decided to discard some and eat the veggies with my fork as a side. The slaw was interesting--had a ginger/nutty flavor, and it's definitely not the typical American slaw I was expecting.

I was able to try both of their house-made drinks: the jasmine green tea and their pomegranate herb-infused lemonade. The green tea was a little sweet for me, but my date enjoyed it. I really liked the lemonade, though. You could really make out some strong notes of basil in it. The finish reminded me of a really good Bloody Mary. It's not for everyone, though--my date took a sip and nearly spit it out. It's more of a savory drink, in my opinion, and you've got to like that kind of flavor in your drink.

Anyway, Ash was a great host. He was very welcoming and we chatted about some of my friends who had already stopped by there (he remembers people's names quite well, amazingly), and the experience was great, all in all. I'll be coming here a decent amount the next 5 or so years!

Soulwich is great, and has already racked up many 5 stars reviews from first time and new Yelpers, deservedly so, a place like this will able to deliver no matter where or what the source of the stars is from. So the owner should relax and continue to follow his dream which matters more than anything else for his success, you know the old fashioned way.

Another great meal at Soulwich. I tried the chicken wasabi teriyaki with infused caramelized onions and while it was a very tasty sandwich, there is no discernible wasabi flavor. Ash explained that they incorporate the wasabi into the sauce, and the sweet teriyaki just overpowers it. He mentioned something about maybe trying wasabi pickles, which I think would be a fantastic addition. For today, about halfway through my meal, I dusted some wasabi powder that they use for their wasabi chips on my sandwich and that offered a nice contrast to the sweet teriyaki.

I also tried their Green Jasmine infused herbed iced tea for the first time, since it's a relatively balmy winter day. It totally hit the spot, I loved the subtle herb flavors and it's not too sweet at all.

Here are a couple photos, although all of their sandwiches pretty much look the same, since they pile 'em all so high with fresh crunchy carrots, daikon and cilantro.


Chicken Wasabi Teriyaki Sandwich / Soulwich by TrackBelle, on Flickr


Green Jasmine Infused Herbs Iced Tea / Soulwich by TrackBelle, on Flickr

For the record, the saladboxes on the menu are not yet available.

A little late, but just so no one else is disappointed like I was today:
Soulwich is closed for vacation until August 24.

I have to take issue with the OP, even if he is the Milkshake King. On my first visit to Soulwich today, I found my sandwich revelatory.

As others have said, the pork here is quite something. Moist, tender, smoky . . . wow.
Good bread, tons of fresh veggies (thin slices of cucumber inside the sandwich in addition to the carrot and daikon already mentioned). More healthy veggies provided by the slaw.
I was a good LTH soldier and ordered the #6, Spice Grill, which had not yet been discussed in this thread. "Spice" does not refer to heat, which is as low as it is in the other sandwiches, but rather to a blend of spices. I was a bit mystified by the online menu's stated ingredients: Chinese eggplant, tamarind, and onion were not discernible. I'm guessing they are cooked down so far that they serve a thick sauce that is partly absorbed into the pork.

Working in Wilmette, for me, having lunch in Evanston has meant a trip to Evanston Chicken Shack or GNR Al's Deli. Not anymore.

FYI: The already difficult parking situation in downtown Evanston has been made worse by major construction along several blocks of Church Street. Parking a block north of the restaurant on Orrington north of Church might be your best bet if driving.

TomInSkokie wrote:FYI: The already difficult parking situation in downtown Evanston has been made worse by major construction along several blocks of Church Street. Parking a block north of the restaurant on Orrington north of Church might be your best bet if driving.

Good info.

Parking in the city garages is free for the first hour, which may be enough for lunch. (Otherwise it's $2 for the second hour.) There's a garage on Davis on the north side of the block west of Sherman/Orrington. To avoid the construction on Church getting there, from the north (like Tom), you can get there by taking Emerson to Sherman (via Elgin Road) to Davis. From the south, take Lake east from Ridge to Sherman, then turn left to go north on Sherman, and turn left at Davis. (Grove, the street between Davis and Lake, is closed at the el viaduct.)

TomInSkokie wrote:Working in Wilmette, for me, having lunch in Evanston has meant a trip to Evanston Chicken Shack or GNR Al's Deli. Not anymore.

No love for GNR Edzo's??? Tsk, tsk! (You can park in the same parking garage on Davis to go to Edzo's.)

Okay, okay. In appreciation to Eddie for starting this thread, I will be getting a peanut butter milkshake to go with my next Soulwich. Top that for a one-two punch.

Reading the raves here about Soulwich, I can only surmise that eating in is a much more enjoyable experience than carrying out. We had lunch from here recently and there were several issues, the main one being that the sandwiches were all extremely mushy by the time they reached our office 20 minutes after our order was picked up. Whether it was a function of the travel or not, I thought the bread could really use an upgrade. It was bland, spongy, chewy and dense. Being a fan of Nhu Lan Bakery, I've come to appreciate their flavorful, light and crusty loaves, which are an integral part of the enjoyment. Soulwich's bread wasn't even close to as satisfying. I know that Nhu Lan is a bakery that bakes its own bread, so maybe the comparison is not entirely fair. Still, I wish that Soulwich's bread was at least sourced from a better outside bakery.

For my palate, most of the sandwiches (we tried several) were way too sweet. There was one I really liked, which I believe was the #6 Spice Grill with Pork. The pork was flavorful, tender and moist. But even then, I ended up taking the insides out and eating them without the bread. On other sandwiches, the chicken was uniformly overcooked and dry. The steak was tasty but had the unfortunate texture of a portabella mushroom. I wasn't a fan of the Asian slaw either, which I thought was bland and mushy but I did enjoy the Wasabi Caesar Chicken Salad, except for the dry, overcooked chunks of chicken. Potato chips were ok but neither the wasabi nor the Burmese varieties delivered noticeable amounts of their billed flavors. By sheer coincidence, a business associate sent us some bags of Route 11 chips that arrived on the same day as our Soulwich lunch. Soulwich's chips sat mostly uneaten while folks at the lunch table repeatedly got up to take more of the Route 11 chips.

I was really excited to try this place but I came away pretty disappointed. Have folks who've dined in and also carried out noticed significant differences between the two experiences or did we just catch them on an off day?

=R=

The last time I carried out here, Ash advised that I eat the sandwich soon, so your point is well taken.

After many visits here, perhaps I can be of some help:

1. The bread that I raved about above inexplicably changed after the first week of operation, from long, thin, and crusty to flat and squishy, much more reminiscent of that Gonorella stuff you guys eat around here.
Why you'd want to pay a premium for Labriola to imitate that crap is beyond me, but it seems like an intentional choice on the owners' part.

2. Partly because of Point 1 and partly due to the copious amount of veggies and sauces that top each sandwich, the sandwiches need to be eaten within about 5 minutes of being assembled. Any longer, and what you have in your hands is a soggy, disintegrating mess.

3. The beef tastes like dog food.

With the above in mind, my suggestions are a) stick to pork or goat cheese and fig for the filling; b) eat it there, or very soon after purchase; c) apply Sriracha if you must have some heat. Doing so will still result in a very enjoyable sandwich (on shitty bread).

cilantro wrote:After many visits here, perhaps I can be of some help:

.......the sandwiches need to be eaten within about 5 minutes of being assembled. Any longer, and what you have in your hands is a soggy, disintegrating mess.

3. The beef tastes like dog food.

Sounds like we have ourselves a GNR nominee in the making for sure.