Well, I’ve made it out of Ohio, took a quick trip home for the 4th of July, and now I’m back in Atlanta. I’ve only got a few posts from Ohio as most of the area around me was populated with casual dining chains. One chain that I found and loved, however, was Penn Station East Cost Subs.

Penn Station

Penn Station is a sandwich chain that started in Cincinnati, OH in 1985 and now has 200+ locations across 12 states. They’re known for their cheesesteak, and I tried one on more than one occasion, along with their vegetarian Grilled Artichoke sub (among other things. I visited a lot.):

Cheesesteak

Grilled Artichoke

I won’t even pretend that these subs are healthy, but they are crazy delicious. The cheesesteak is tender and juicy, and they’re generous with the meat. I was getting mine with grilled onions, mushrooms, and mayo, but Penn Station also offers a ton of other add-ons for the cheesesteak. The bread, baked in-house daily, was soft and perfect for soaking up grill juices.

I think I may have liked the meatless grilled artichoke sandwich even better than the cheesesteak though. With artichoke hearts, mushrooms, provolone, oregano, parmesan, and mayo, it’s a quite hearty sandwich. I know that grilled subs are far from fine dining, but you could really taste the Parmesan come through in every bite. The artichoke hearts are obviously canned but still retain a great meaty texture, even buried under provolone cheese.

Penn Station does not currently have any locations in Georgia, but I would urge anyone visiting any states along the midsection of the US (KY, OH, MO, IL, etc) to check them out. Any potential ATL-area franchisers might also think about putting a Penn Station here. Possibly planted across the street from my apartment.

www.penn-station.com