Walking along the Corner these days, you might experience some déjà vu. From University Ave to 10th Street, you’ll pass by a remarkable five different storefronts with the 7 Day Junior trademark. 7Days Junior Deli & Bar, which opened Aug. 13 on 14th Street, is the latest addition to the local convenience empire. Keeping with the ethos of other 7 Day stores, the deli provides a wide variety of affordable offerings with characteristic 7 Day humor and hospitality — though frankly, the food came up short of our expectations.
The deli, the first restaurant in the 7 Day Junior franchise, was heavily promoted on social media ahead of its strategic opening near the start of the school year. A myriad of students even sported 7Days Junior Deli & Bar t-shirts to advertise. In the weeks since, the deli has become a pit stop for students and local residents alike, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner items. As the self-proclaimed sandwich connoisseurs of The Cavalier Daily, we simply had to pay a visit to investigate the newest deli in town.
We arrived for lunch around 2 p.m. on a Thursday. We stood back to pore over the 51 available sandwiches — some of which had such ostentatious names that we had to read them over twice. After several minutes of deliberation, we decided on a representative sample of four, from a classic sub to a signature cheesesteak. We were pleasantly surprised to see that our order came out to $36 — a much cheaper total than you’d encounter at some nearby sandwich shops.
To see how well the subs traveled, we trekked back to The Cavalier Daily office — about a 10-minute walk away — for our taste test. Once we were seated with our sandwiches strewn across the office table, we agreed to dig into the Italian sandwich first.
This was not your average Italian sandwich. While waiting for our order, we were informed that the kitchen was out of salami, which they subbed for pepperoni. Though we missed the classic combination of deli meats on this sub, that was not our chief complaint. The components of the sandwich were overwhelmed by a mouthful of shredded iceberg lettuce. The ingredients were also missing the added flavor and uniting quality of a condiment — if there was any oil and vinegar on the sub, we couldn’t taste it. However, this sandwich would certainly do the job for a quick, refreshing pick-me-up. The hydrating lettuce, spicy raw onion and burst of tomato were nice complements to the layers of meat and cheese.
Next came the Chicken Parmesan sub. Cubes of chicken cutlet were lightly tossed in marinara sauce and overlaid with a slice of melted mozzarella. Though the sandwich was still warm when we tasted it in the office, we would have preferred the sub roll to be toasted for an added crunch. Overall, however, we were fans of the sandwich — there was a flavorful crust on the chicken, and the layer of mozzarella tied the savory chicken together with the sweet marinara.
From there, we moved on to the Hoos Cheese Steak. This was a classic Philadelphia cheesesteak with green peppers and onions, featuring the unique addition of chopped mushrooms. The extra ingredient proved a welcome surprise, adding a nice umami to the familiar flavor profile. An ample amount of creamy cheese sauce tied the shaved beef together with the veggies, resulting in a perfectly melty bite.
With anticipation, our eyes turned to the final sandwich — the Fat A-ss, our pick from the “Fat Sandwiches” section of the menu. Piled high on white sub bread were chicken tenders, fries, cheesesteak, bacon bits and mozzarella cheese, submerged in mayonnaise and hot sauce.
Eating this sandwich was … an experience. The first bite would have been enough on its own — it was a beautiful mass of caloric glory, equal parts fry, salt and grease. After that, each bite felt terribly heavy. The sandwich as a whole surely had enough calories to sustain someone for seven days — pun intended. We imagine the Fat A-ss would make for a fantastic hangover cure. We would not recommend this sandwich, however, for a weekday lunch before your afternoon lecture — you will, undoubtedly, fall into a food coma.
In a sluggish haze with bursting bellies, we sat back to discuss our takeaways. We agreed that 7Days Junior Deli & Bar offers a convenient option for hungry passersby, and the quality of the food makes sense at its low price point. Just the sheer variety available to order makes for a fun visit. When we return, we will look forward to sampling more of the extensive menu — especially with sandwiches like the Fat Cat and the Fat Knight waiting to be tasted.
Beyond the many sandwich options, the menu also includes breakfast burritos, quesadillas and chicken wings. There are very few options for vegetarian and vegan patrons — but meat lovers will find plenty to strike their fancy.
7Days Junior Deli & Bar is open weekdays from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. and on weekends until 3 a.m. Diners can also order food online with Grubhub.
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