Restaurant Review: Joe’s Sandwich

Tucked away behind the downtown YMCA, you’ll find Joe’s Sandwich. I believe it opened around a year ago, and I’ve been meaning to go there for a while. I’d put off dining there because every time I had gone past it, the restaurant was empty, or there were very few customers at best. Regardless, my curiosity in checking the place out had persisted, so I finally went there for lunch recently.

There were a couple of people eating when I went, which I found somewhat reassuring. There were two waitresses; one was knitting at a table, the other standing behind the counter, so I made my way over to her. I looked at the menu and was surprised to see that they had ciabatta and focaccia options, as well as bagels, croissants and other standard sandwiches. I ordered a pastrami ciabatta, and upon placing my order, the woman who was knitting got up and began making my sandwich. I took a seat, only having to wait a couple of minutes before I was called over to the counter to get my sandwich.

The presentation of the sandwich was interesting, as it was cut into four pieces, and then each piece was wrapped in paper and displayed in a line on the plate. I would have preferred if it were just served as a whole sandwich, but they like to do that kind of thing in cafes and restaurants here.

Presentation aside, my appetite was heightened when I saw that it looked good, and I was excited to try the ciabatta. It is not a variety of bread that is readily available here. The filling consisted of lettuce, cheese, raw onion, pastrami, and tomato. I took my first bite, and was really satisfied with the sandwich, which tasted good. The bread had a nice texture to it, and the combination of the fillings was good. There was also balsamic vinegar on the sandwich, which is something that I’m very fond of.

The sandwich and the interior of the restaurant, with its style of flooring, tables and chairs reminded me of Subway. Unfortunately Joe’s Sandwich doesn’t work like Subway, in that you do not pick and choose your fillings, but just choose a particular sandwich, for example a ham bagel or chicken focaccia.

I found the size of the sandwich to be satisfactory, though it could have been a bit bigger, and some people would have found it too small to be eaten as a meal by itself. Thus Joe’s is maybe not the best place to go if you are feeling really famished, but the food is good, so I’d recommend it if you just want a light bite to eat.

I won’t go back to Joe’s Sandwich too many times, but I will go back at least once more, as I enjoyed my ciabatta, and I would like to try their focaccia bread. I have not really seen either of these varieties of bread anywhere else in Gwangju.

It is located in the alleyway behind the YMCA and you can get to it by walking through the arcade. The sandwiches range in price from 5,000-6,500 won.