Started by Jimmy “Snarf” Seidel in Boulder, Colorado, in 1996, Snarf’s serves up Jimmy’s ideal of what a sammich should be. And Jimmy’s ideal has earned Snarf’s a slew of best sandwich awards and a cult following in Boulder and Denver, allowing the Snarf Empire to expand to St. Louis and, yes, Austin.
At Snarf’s, dining is fast casual, and the staff are friendly. You choose from a board and, depending on sammich style (regular or specialty) and what your tummy can absorb, you can order 5-inch, 7-inch, and 12-inch versions (but no fivers for the specialties). They also have a special sammich (they started with the Cubano when they opened). There are several sides (cole slaw, tater salad, mac salad, and the BIG PICKLE) as well as the requisite bags of chips. They bake their own bread and toast it (bonus points here). They sling soups and salads as well. Think of Snarf’s as a souped-up Subway.
The Italian, their most popular item, (salami, pepperoni, capicola, and mortadella with provelone; $11.25), is worthy of its popularity. Chock-full of savory strata, this sandwich is more like a burrito wrapped with a crunchy flour tortilla. For an extra four bucks (or so), you get a bag of chips and a fountain drink. The Bride tried the chicken salad sandwich (choice of rotisserie chicken or chicken salad with provolone cheese, tomato, onion, hard-boiled egg, and chopped bacon; $12) and found it oddly without flavor (although I see that they’ve now changed the ingredients, perhaps for the Texas palate). The French Dip (roast beef, swiss, and provolone with a side of au jus; $13) was decent (although I’ve been spoiled by far superior versions at Bartlett’s and Carve). The Californian (bacon, turkey, avocado, sprouts, mayo, lettuce, and extra tomato; $15) was a good recent special, yinning the yang of bacon with sprouts.
The dine-in experience is somewhat institutional: This is a place for getting fed, not starting a turbulent romance. Prices are on the high side, but the proportions are not Weight Watchers friendly. If you can control yourself from snarfing it all down in one sitting, you can take half home to fight another day.
Snarf’s Sandwiches, 7301 Burnet Road, www.eatsnarfs.com/austin-burnet-road
I wrote this review for the Allandale Neighbor. (December 2024, v 39, i 6, p 14)
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