At the end of a strip mall stands The Original Sandwich Factory, the kind of place everybody wishes they had in their neighborhood. It’s a great place for the whole family. Even picky eaters will find something to like. You can run in for a bite before or after all the kids’ activities.
The interior is one large room. But wooden paneling and sand- and adobe-colored walls provide a warm atmosphere. You have a choice of a table or booth.
Upon walking in, you will see a chalkboard covering almost half of the wall. You can order off the board or grab a paper menu and take your time before ordering up front. You will be given a number, which you place on your table to guide the server bringing out your order.
Warm, friendly and extremely efficient service awaited us every step of the way. Along with the meals we ate there, we added on two carryout orders. How refreshing to be asked whether we would like these prepared toward the end of our meal to keep the carryout fresh and warm. One of the staff even approached us when our plates were almost empty to inquire about preparing these meals.
Potato chip lovers: Run, don’t walk, to The Original Sandwich Factory. The warm, homemade potato chips came highly recommended, and we were not disappointed. We began with the chips topped with melted Cheddar cheese, real bacon bits, sour cream and chives ($4.50). A little more cheese would have been appreciated, but the chips made up for the lack of Cheddar. Warm, crisp, lightly salted with a fresh potato taste … excellent.
The baked onion soup ($3.05) has a nice flavor but a weak broth. More caramelized onions would make all the difference. Rather than the usual crackers, rolls and butter accompany all soups.
All sandwiches, entrees and salads come with a choice of potato chips, French fries or fresh fruit cup. If you bypassed the chips as an appetizer, choose those. The fries are good, not great: full of fresh potato taste but more limp than crisp. Watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew and grapes make up the fruit cup, a refreshing and healthful choice.
Onions sauteed until lightly golden accompany green peppers, guacamole, sour cream, salsa and shredded Cheddar cheese in the fajitas ($8.95), a good basic choice. Meat choices are beef, chicken or a combination of the two. Warm flour tortillas are served on the side.
“Mother Nature’s Treat” sandwich ($5.50) comes stacked high with Muenster cheese, avocado, alfalfa sprouts, romaine lettuce, tomato slices, cucumber slices and mushrooms on an onion bun. The flavors blend well and a mustard-mayonnaise dressing only helps round out the flavors.
You can’t go wrong with a hamburger. Tender and flavorful describes the ground beef in a quarter-pound or half-pound burger ($4.75/$5.75). A basic burger comes adorned with lettuce, tomato, pickles and mayonnaise; cheese costs an extra 20 cents.
Prefer your tuna melt ($5.95) on a croissant rather than grilled rye? That costs a mere 30 cents extra. The tuna salad, made with white tuna, finely chopped tomato and celery, swims in a little too much mayonnaise for our taste. Less mayonnaise and a little onion would take care of the problem. Muenster cheese is melted over the tuna salad to finish.
Take a peek at the dessert counter. If “the richer, the better” is your motto when it comes to chocolate, order the ultimate chocolate cake ($2.50). It looks like a slice of pie but it’s really a cake with seven layers including a chocolate cookie base, creamy mousse, tender cake and a fudgy frosting.
A thick, smooth, New York-style cheesecake becomes a turtle cheesecake ($2.95) with a caramel layer added to the top. This can easily be shared.
If ice cream is more your taste, try the hot fudge sundae ($2.95). Vanilla ice cream is layered between rich, thick hot fudge. Top it off with whipped cream, nuts and a cherry, if you like.
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The Original Sandwich Factory
(2 forks)
6300 S. Kingery Highway, Willowbrook
630-734-9260
Hours: 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Mon.-Fri.
10 a.m.-10 p.m. Sat.
9 a.m.-9 p.m. Sun.
Credit cards: A, D, DC, M, V
Noise rating: Conversation friendly
Ratings key:
4 forks: Don’t miss it
3 forks: One of the best
2 forks: Very good
1 fork: Good
Reviews are based on anonymous visits by Tribune staff members. The meals are paid for by the Tribune.
