Firehouse Subs Turns Hose on Flavor

Name: Firehouse Subs

Cuisines: Submarine sandwiches

Payment: Cash, credit

Alcohol: No

Price: $

Location: 8097 Sudley Rd., Manassas, VA 20109

Hours of Operation: Mon-Thu, Sun 10:30-9:30 p.m.; Fri-Sat 10:30-10:30 p.m.

Salt's Take:

I've never thought about submarine sandwiches and firefighters in the same thought, but when you walk into the restaurant the two become inseparable. From the fire-engine-red ladder back chairs, to the dalmatian tabletops, you feel like you're in a fire house. 

One thing that is synonymous with firefighters is exceptional food and hearty portions. Firehouse Subs doesn't really live up to either.

I ordered the New York Steamer, which consists of corned beef brisket, pastrami and provolone. It also comes with mayonnaise, mustard and Italian dressing. The sandwich was pretty good, however all the flavors from the meat were so subtle, they all seemed ubiquitous. I could hardly taste the mayonnaise and dressing, but the mustard added a much-needed kick to the sandwich. As for portioning, it's about the same as Subway.

The restaurant was very clean and the staff was friendly. Even though the sandwich was subtle, it was very good. I can see myself coming back, although next time I might try a simpler sub.

Pepper Says:

When I pass by West Gate Plaza, the Firehouse Subs restaurant is quite noticeable.  The food, however, is not in my opinion worth noticing.

The place is well decorated; they managed to somehow combine firehouse-inspired imagery with food in a way you wouldn't imagine. The staff was friendly, the place was clean and they had more sauce choices than I'd ever seen.

When they took my order, they asked if I wanted double meat or mushrooms or mayo, but it never occurred to me that there wouldn’t be lettuce and tomato.

There were a lot of choices, but most were too complicated, so I went with a classic, steak and cheese sub.  I was rather disappointed when I opened up the wrapping and found a skinny little sub inside.  It was definitely filling, but looked a little sad.

The meat was good, the onions and peppers were mediocre and a little over done.  And, I couldn’t find the cheese. Did I accidentally order the steak only?

Also, there really wasn’t any flavor to it, you could taste the onions and meat slightly, but it was all very subtle.

This sandwich looked significantly different from the picture.

It’s hard to say if I would go back or not. I wasn’t impressed by it, but maybe it needed the double meat to taste good.  I definitely will need cheese next time. Firehouse seems to be a popular spot, so there must be something there worth returning for.