Make Capriotti’s a part of your sandwich selection
The Bobbie sandwich available at Capriotti's Sandwich Shop.
The exterior storefront of Capriotti's in Lehi.
The Balsamic Chicken Salad available at Capriotti's.
The Capastrami sandwich and a bowl of clam chowder at Capriotti's.
The Italian sub at Capriotti's in Lehi.
Look at a list or directory of restaurants in Utah County and it’s not hard to find a sandwich shop likely within a mile of your home, whether that be a Subway, Jimmy John’s, Jersey Mike’s or one of the other slew of sandwich selections.
That made the selection for this dining review rather tricky. My belief is that for a restaurant as saturated as a sandwich shop, most won’t go far out of their way to find a new sub staple. For us at the Daily Herald, we have a Sensuous Sandwich just a few blocks down from us in downtown Provo that many frequent. It’s either that or the new Gandalfo’s just outside our door.
I went pretty far out of my way for this review, to Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop in Lehi. The new sandwich shop, located in the same shopping center as the Harmon’s grocery store, caught my eye while scrolling through Yelp because of my fondness for East Coast dining. Capriotti’s reminded me of so many delis out East where the grinders and the Italian sandwiches rule the sub world with their mighty fists of genoa salami and freshly sliced pastrami.
My wife and I decided to stop in for lunch on a weekend, shooting for a less busy hour. At 2 p.m., the shop was close to empty, nothing but us and the exposed brick walls and dangling Edison bulbs reminiscent of so many up-and-coming diners and delis cropping up across the valley and state.
Capriotti’s offers a wide range of hot and cold sandwiches, soups and salads. But if you’re indecisive and want more than just a sub for lunch, Capriotti’s offers a combo special, where two half-entrees, either a salad, sandwich or soup, are just $8.99, which is exactly what we elected to do. My wife chose a classic Italian sandwich and balsamic chicken salad while I chose the house special Capastrami sandwich and New England clam chowder. At only like $20, this is a reasonable option for lunch with generous, yet not overdone portions.
Starting with the Italian, it had all the bold flavors of the classic Italian sandwiches I’d expected. But what I didn’t expect was how well seasoned the meat itself was. It didn’t take an eagle eye to spy the large granules of herbs and spices rubbed generously into the meat. It sounds like a lot, but trust me, it was perfect. My one complaint with the Italian was that it didn’t have any condiments on it, so it was a bit dry. A little vinaigrette or oil would have made it easier to chew through all the bread.
The balsamic chicken salad was a fairly basic entrée, with well-seasoned chicken, the typical toppings of tomatoes, cucumbers and olives, and a house balsamic vinaigrette.
The salad was like the sandwich, a bit dry. We were even tempted to ask for a side of more dressing. But there was enough flavor from the grilled chicken and the herbs coating the salad itself that it wasn’t flavorless.
The Capastrami is a house specialty, with pastrami, slaw, Russian dressing and Swiss cheese. The pastrami was juicy and well-peppered, leaving me drooling for more. The slaw paired perfectly with the natural fattiness of the pastrami, making it less sloppy and distributing the flavor more evenly across the sandwich.
The clam chowder was about what I expected for a clam chowder this far inland. It’s so hard to get good clam chowder when we’re thousands of miles from the coast and any source of clams. Ever since I served my LDS mission in Seattle and had clam chowder made from clams caught that day, it’s so hard to compare.
Capriotti’s clam chowder was a bit bland, and I probably looked a bit anxious searching my table and the adjoining table for some salt and pepper. There was plenty of clam, but I regret that it didn’t quite make up for the lack of flavor in the overall soup.
As we were cleaning up, I couldn’t help but notice the many signs lauding the deli’s turkey, which is allegedly slow-roasted overnight. A quick check on the company’s site informed me that it was the selling point of the entire deli, so I couldn’t leave without ordering Capriotti’s infamous Bobbie to go.
The Bobbie is synonymous with day-after Thanksgiving leftovers. The sandwich is filled with roasted turkey, cranberry sauce, house stuffing and a thin spread of mayonnaise.
Though I had it a few hours later and had to microwave it a tad, this was, by far, the best sandwich I had from Capriotti’s. The deli was not exaggerating when it touted the exquisite taste of the turkey. This is coming from someone who hates turkey for Thanksgiving (pass the ham, please). The cranberry sauce was sweet and tart, which paired perfectly with the savory turkey. The mayonnaise was, in my opinion, crucial to the build of the sandwich. Turkey is traditionally dry, but the mayonnaise added a needed level of moisture to the overall sandwich.
Outside of the aforementioned options, Capriotti’s menu was impressively expansive, even with vegetarian options that offered imitation turkey and imitation bacon as bases, really putting Subway’s Veggie Club to shame.
And if you’re in the mood just for a sandwich and no other side entrees, Capriotti’s has multiple sizes of subs to choose from.
Sandwich shops in Utah County really are a dime a dozen, and if Potbelly Sandwich Shop or Zub’s Subs are more along your route, then more power to you. But I would highly recommend you find some way to make Capriotti’s a new part of your routine. With high-quality meats, delicious breads and a menu that will please any palate, it’s sure not to disappoint.
CAPRIOTTI’S SANDWICH SHOP
Where: 1881 W. Traverse Parkway, Lehi
Hours: Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., Sunday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Prices: $4.99 to $15.99
Info: (801) 341-8340, capriottis.com