Port of Subs

Freshly baked bread with freshly cut meat and cheeses make this sandwich option a much better alternative to subway. Delicious, affordable and convenient!

It always smells like freshly baked bread when you go in, always a good sign! I’m somewhat of an on and off «regular» at this place and all the employees are super sweet and good at their jobs. Unlike subway (gross) the meat and cheese are fresh-​sliced in front of you, not presliced in nasty little wrappers. Try their grilled chicken griller, amazing seasoning on the chicken, and they’re real chicken pieces not some congealed patty!

The quality of service has been steadily increasing over the past few visits, which is nice, since the location is so convenient, and since the food itself compares quite favorably within the ‘sandwich chain’ category. Bread is always soft and fresh, and the fillings seem to be high quality. The bacon for the BLT is actually crispy as if it were cooked fresh instead of trucked in!
Online ordering is easy to use, and we haven’t had a problem with incorrect orders recently. Based on recent experiences, I would now recommend this store.

Matt and Joe were very helpfull, and were full of good sandwich ideas, and the hot pastrami was excellent.

Bellingham is blessed with a number of very good places to get a sub. The Old World Deli, Gandolfo’s New York Deli and Sandwich Odyssey are all first rate, and all somewhat different in style. Port of Subs is not in the same league. It’s not even in the same league as Subway, which is saying something. My wife and I went there only once, and had two subs which were among the worst I can remember. Never again.

The Fred Meyer coupon is no more. You can see it on the back of the Lakeway receipts, but it’s only good for _​MARYSVILLE_​.
Eff that.
And they changed it from $ 5 dollars two years ago, to 5.55 a year ago, to now $ 5 with a medium drink. A drink is about 1.80 after tax. Meh.
EDIT: Now the coupon is 5.55 with a medium drink. More re-​inventions than the wheel. Try going to WECU for a Hometown Values coupon book. They still have a buy 2 subs get 1 free coupon in there.

Got there right after it opened one morning and there was flies all around, lettuce was brown, mayo and mustard had a film over the tops. And sandwich was nothing special. Won’t try it again.

Not all Port of Subs are the same. Just the same is true with Subway, and other chain resturants… But the one at Lakeway has a lot going for it! First the staff is excellent, they greet you when you come in and often thank-​you for coming in and say goodbye. Second, it’s clean… How many times do you go into a place like this and the tables are dirty or it doesn’t look like things are kept well. Well this Port of Subs is top notch in this category! Last, they make a great sandwich. Good portions and fresh, fresh, fresh! Love it. Since the last reviews I see, I believe this location is under new ownership and they have done it right. Great Port of Subs and my favorite in Bellingham.

Really not all that great considering how expensive it is. Stick with Subway.
If you want a really high quality hot sandwich, go to Avenue Bread + Deli.

There aren’t a lot of things that I get heavy, almost withdrawal-​like cravings for, but Port Of Subs definitely fits into that category. Since I don’t have a car of my own and rarely have the three hours to devote to a bus trip, my cravings usually go unfulfilled which causes me to look back on my time in Reno with a very false since of nostalgia. Port Of Subs, a regional chain that began in Reno, is one of the very few good things to come out of that city. Dawn Wells (Mary Ann on Gilligan’s Island) is also on that short and select list (as am I). When I moved to Seattle from Reno, one of the few things that I knew I was going to really miss was Port Of Subs. Luckily I found out there are a few locations here in Washington so I don’t have to go back to Reno too often. I always perk up a bit when I know I’m going to be near one and will often bend plans around making a stop there. It’s been over a year since I last had Port Of Subs, so when I was going through Bellingham, there was much perking and bending.
People have asked me what’s so great about this place. I think it comes down to a lot of little things. They slice their meats and cheeses to order and stay away from strict portion control, they have a punch card that can be used at any location (always a winner with me), they offer an 8-​inch size, whereas most places just offer a 6 and a 12, there’s usually Cherry Coke at the soda fountain, the bread is baked on site (not uncommon but still a plus), it’s NOT crappy, crappy Subway, and it’s just damn delicious.
My usual is a medium Number 8 on wheat, no mustard, no extras, no salt. Translated from Subspeak, that’s a turkey and provolone, with mayo, lettuce, tomatoes, red onion, oil, vinegar, and oregano. Pretty much the best sandwich in the world. Those that know and love Port Of Subs have a Number of their own and will claim that it’s the best in the world. I’m loyal to my own Number and have maybe veered from it once or twice in 10+ years (why mess with perfection?) so I can’t say who’s right or wrong (but I’m sure they’re all liars). Port Of Subs has 18 different cold sandwiches to choose from, all open to substitutions and tweaking, along with an assortment of salads, wraps, and hot sandwiches, so finding your best sandwich in the world shouldn’t be that difficult.
As with all franchises, the quality can vary from location to location based on the ownership/​management (the PoS in Mountlake Terrace tends to be stingy with their meats, for instance), but this particular store was fantastic! Nestled in an older brick building, the large dining area was open, bright and clean without feeling sterile. There was an espresso counter in another area that was either part of, or shared space with store– it seemed to be closed, so I couldn’t ask. And the guy making the sandwiches wasn’t shy about piling on the meat– perhaps he was helping the universe counteract the tight bastards in Mountlake, as long as I’m on the receiving end, I don’t really care.
What I do care about is that it’s been over a year and Port Of Subs was better than I remembered.