We don’t like to discriminate here at Unbreaded, so when a sandwich chain is good, we’ll say so. Chicago-founded (and since expanded) Potbelly Sandwich Works makes the cut. Pictured above is the “veggie on wheat,” a delightfully understated sandwich with mushrooms, and three cheeses: American, Provolone and Swiss, all toasted together in a gooey mélange.

On first glance the sandwiches look uninteresting- barebones at best- but the “wall of choices” offers countless combos of condiments galore. For this trip, I loaded up on everything sans mayo and oil and doubled up on the Italian Giardenera- a mix of hot peppers and vegetables in oil – a Chicago sandwich staple.

Additionally, the humor of the throw-back themed establishment is not lost on locals and tourists alike, who can opt to “throw a dart” at the decision wheel if they’re feeling indecisive about which ‘wich to order. There is no bad choice, FYI, though according to our sandwich prep, the most popular order is “The Wreck” with “the works”- a conglomerate of Black Angus roast beef, old world salami, oven roasted turkey and melted Swiss…and that’s all before the you even get to the “wall of choices.”

A word about the photo: these aren’t exactly the most photogenic sandwiches. In fact, they’re down right sloppy, drippy, oily, and slippery and certainly don’t make for good date food. But they’re good; damn good, and that’s why Chicagoans have proudly returned to their Potbelly’s ever since the first establishment opened in Lincoln Park in 1977.

And should you fear developing your very OWN potbelly- do not fret. One of the perks of visiting a chain- with an extensive website, and therefore an assumed responsibility to provide nutritional content to patrons- is a nifty sandwich-builder-calorie-counter-thingy so you can know before you go.

So rub that belly, and enjoy.

Potbelly Sandwich Works
2264 N Lincoln Ave Chicago, IL 60614