Smiling Moose

I went for breakfast and wasn’t blown away. My food was okay. I had a breakfast burrito. I am assuming this is more of lunch joint.

I like that this deli offers and clearly marks several vegetarian items, at least 1 in each category. I got the vegetarian wrap and was impressed with the freshness and taste. Simple, but flavorful.
I didn’t purchase chips or a soda (I got water and a cookie), but I felt the price I was charged was exorbitant. For around $ 10 I would expect a more satisfying meal. Dropping the price 75¢-$ 1 would be appropriate, as the most profitable deli in Denton (McAlister’s) gives you much more for your money.
I will definitely be back, just not as often as I’d like as the cost is prohibitive. I’d advise the owner that their location (smack dab between campus and the square) has a lot of student traffic that will skip them for jimmy johns or subway on fry street or somewhere on the square with those prices.
On a side note the service I received was good. But one thing that requires immediate attention is their soda fountain. I saw a couple fruit flies flying around the drip tray, which indicates (and can be confirmed with a quick glance at the sticky residue) it is not being cleaned regularly/​thoroughly. The spouts, drip tray, grill should be removed and cleaned with hot water EVERY NIGHT. I decided not to get a lemon for my water after seeing the gnats and then that the lemon container was open.

Excellent and friendly wait staff and cook… Mike especially. Friendly to out-​of-​towners by suggesting places to find live music and events around town.
Had the turkey sandwich (hot) — worth it. The mayo is made fresh each day and the bread is an amazingly soft kaiser roll. Highly recommended.
Dessert… The oatmeal raisin cookie. In my mind — amazing! Soft and flavorful.
Hope to come back soon!

Came in early (6:45a), for my first time. Great atmosphere with street view. Nice to watch some ESPN on the tube. Had the Morning Moose with sausage on wheat bagel… pretty good. It came with coffee, so nice value.
Bagel was toasted, egg & cheese really hot, so I’m happy. Great service & friendly counter folks. I want to come back for lunch.

The food is pretty fresh here and tastes so. They have a pretty extensive menu which includes a handful of vegetarian options, many of them easily vegan if you nix the cheese. I have had Joe’s Morning Bagel, the Veggie Mo sandwich on a couple of occasions, and also the vegan vegetable soup. All were pretty good and I have no complaints about the taste or the service.
My only issue is the price. In a city like Denton where both fast-​casual restaurants and sandwich joints are plentiful, I can’t help but think you can get more for your money elsewhere without having to sacrifice quality in the process. Especially for college students, The Smiling Moose is not wallet-​friendly, especially for the portion you receive. A regular size sandwich here costs about $ 7. If you also order chips and a drink, you’re upwards of $ 12 for one average-​sized meal. Personally for my own money, my choice would be either Jimmy John’s or a closer-​matched Potbelly Sandwich, both on the very same street.

I can honestly say the third times the charm. My husband and I went back today to give it a third shot. The girl at the register was sooo nice. She made an amazing caesar salad too! It was clean, which is a huge improvement from last time. Hopefully they will keep the girl that was there today. She is why we will be back!

Perfect place with breakfast all day. Excellent service. The cashier does the «Moose Dance», made me smile. Will be back for more. Food was great. Just one complaint to reduce it from a five star was the slow service which made ask what was taking so long after others were served before me.

They advertise gluten free. When I went in they were out of gluten free bread. Don’t put a sign in the window if you’re not going to carry the bread.

Yesterday was graduation, and with both UNT and TWU having their ceremonies at the same time, we were on the hunt for a small place that wouldn’t be too busy. My brother recommended this little deli and we decided to give it a try.
Staff was very friendly and patient as we tried to figure out what we wanted. I tried the NYC Roast beef with horseradish and it was so good! The thick-​cut roast beef and the bread it was served on made all the difference. My husband tried the Thai wrap and also really enjoy that as well. The tomato basil soup (I think that’s right) was well-​liked by our crowd as well. They also offered chopped salads which looked delicious!
If I were to ever be back in the Denton area again, I would definitely drop by this place for a quick lunch. It is a little pricey, but there is a difference in the quality here than what you get at other sandwich places, especially chains. There’s a parking lot on the side of the building that makes it easy to park, get in, and get back out. Good food, enjoyable experience.

I love the Southwest Mo and the Sloppy Mo… The ground beef with cheese melted in it is so good!!!

Too expensive for what you get. There were maybe 4 people there and it took FOREVER to get our food. When we finally got our food it was cold. Young employees that are more interested in texting than doing their jobs properly.

I hate giving bad reviews, but this place is not so hot. The espresso is very expansive and not very good, the wifi is slow, and the whole place smells like onion and mustard or something, like sandwich toppings. I just has a bunch of kids working there, who are sweet, but not super dedicated to their work.

While the staff was nice (but some were just kind of goofing off) the food was nothing I’d return for. I could make better sandwiches that are cheaper and made at home. The bread was slightly stale and it just was too expensive for what I got. I was pretty disappointed but I hope they will get better over time :)

Was running the usual traps for Saturday morning breakfast in Denton. Looked at the Sidewalk Bistro, Seven Mile & Old West… all packed. Didn’t feel like fighting the crowd and remembered seeing Smiling Moose hot breakfast sign. No one here…
It’s a good breakfast, and the staff was nice. I had the morning moose with sausage. Very good. I love their peach ginger tea… and REAL SWEET n LOW! It’s a line service and then they bring it out to you. It’s ok, Denton… You’ll live!!! I would suggest adding one plate that isn’t a sandwich or wrap… with pancakes… that will get them in here!

Mighty mo was a chese burger smashed like sloppy joe and put on a fancy bread., Good baguette. Personally if I want a cheeseburger I want it the all American way! The other deli sandwiches look good. Ill try them next time. They do charge 85 cents for glass of water. If u spend $ 10 for a cheese burger I would hope to get free glass of tap water but I guess a lot of people steal coke and don’t pay for it…,

I visited the Smiling Moose today for the first time about 1:00pm. A summary of my visit is that I’m not impressed and not likely to return.
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Staff:
Nearly all of the staff that I saw were high school to early college age kids. And for a slower mid-​day early afternoon, they were overstaffed by at least 3 possibly 4 bodies. I saw perhaps 2 of the 7 actually working, and the rest just standing about gabbing and no real interest in me as a customer.
My order was taken by a «real» adult who was likely the manager. She gets the concept of restaurant service, properly greeting me, answering my question, and making a suggestion.
But the others are too young, unseasoned, and low motivation. I say kick the kids out and hire 2 more adults, motivate them properly, keep the payroll down, and up the quality of the customer service.
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Seating area:
Simple tables and chair arrangement. I sat indoors and they were about 20% filled. Even then the ambient noise was a touch higher, so it might be pretty loud when full. Everything looked clean.
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Food:
I got the Rock Pile Wrap which is turkey, bacon, avocado, melted cheddar wrapped lettuce, tomatoes and a touch of mayo. Side was a single dill pickle spear, and I chose water for my beverage. My total $ 6.99 plus sales tax.
Honestly, like the other reviewer, the quantity of the food that I got was way lower than I was expecting for $ 7.00. For that price, I can forgive a small portion for great flavor, but alas, it was no better than a turkey sandwich I could have made at home for $ 2.00. There was nothing special and when I was finished, I was disappointed and still hungry.
No seasoning, bland, nothing to make me say this was the best sandwich I have ever tasted. Again, my home packed lunch has more punch. Food like this would make Robert Irvine of Restaurant Impossible very disappointed.
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Suggestions to other Unilocal-​ers:
If you want a deli sandwich experience with better product and better service, I would say steer away from the Moose and head toward McAlisters or even better New York Sub-​Hub on Avenue C. For the same price as my $ 7.00 Rock Wrap, I can get something 50% larger and 100% tastier.
I realize I only gave Smiling Moose 1 try and only had one menu item. But there I don’t see anything substantial to warranty my return. Especially when there is better value not that far away.
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What would bring me back
More personable and professional staff (everyone should be looking me in the eye, saying hello, and asking about my experience there)
Bigger portions (Hint to the Moose: Check out the size of the burrito across the street @ MiCasita)
Bigger Flavors: I know what I had was a simple turkey wrap… but make it the best g_​d d_​amn wrap on the planet with lots of flavor and seasoning!

I first heard of Smiling Moose deli in Silverthorne, CO, on our honeymoon. Thanks to plenty of Unilocalers before us and their great reviews, we had a fully-​packed vacation and actually ran out of time for Smiling Moose. Needless to say, I was just tickled pink when I saw the Smiling Moose sign up as the remodel began on the corner of Hickory and Carroll… it had to be fate, right? They did a great job of updating the building, adding a patio area, and just overall increasing their curb appeal. I love the tall windows they added– very conducive for people watching, which somehow seems like a necessity at a deli.
My husband and I split two different sandwiches– the breakfast Raffa (customized on a plain bagel) and the lunch Mo’s Picnic sammy. I’m sold with anything cheese and bagel, so the Raffa didn’t have to work too hard to win my affections. The first few bites were a little bland, but the tender chicken and avocado soon caught up to make all the flavors mesh together. Definitely not a health choice, but I’m glad we got it. Next time I’ll likely add a little salsa or hot sauce to give it a little zing. Mo’s Picnic, on the other hand, was pretty unimpressive. We just ordered it as-​is off the menu, assuming they knew best. It seemed like A LOT of bread (which was flavorless and a bit dry) in proportion to the toppings. I ended up just taking off the bottom bun and eating it open faced. We opted for the 1,000 Island dressing on the side and just drizzled a bit on before eating, but even with sauce it still was lacking. The sandwich had turkey and roast beef, but instead of the meats being mixed throughout, the two kinds were separated in piles on opposite sides of the sandwich. No bueno.
Based on this first visit and the structure of the menu, it seems like Smiling Moose is all about the breakfast and hot sandwiches, so I’ll probably stick to those on my next go-​around. I also spotted some hefty salads that seemed worth a try. They for sure have a hell of a lot better breakfast bagel than what McDonald’s offers for around the same price ($ 5 or less). I’ll be back to maybe pair one of those with some of their specialty coffee drinks.
Overall, didn’t blow my skirt up, but worth a second try.

My top down, pear experience: From making mistakes to missing opportunities.
Left home to try this place for the first time. Drove by and saw the lights on so I pull in and park.
I open the door and progress through the people chute to a downward-​facing cashier. Beside the cashier, another employee leans against a counter, chomping away on a white, mayo-​oozing hoagie. After some customer neglect time passes, hope grows within me when «Mayo» scrambles to recover the cashier’s fumble.
Mayo notes, «We close at 3:00pm on Sundays» (it was 3:15pm). I reply warmly, «Well, the door is open.» Mayo continues to smack her grub and shrugs. In the distance, an older person is directing others to do work. He makes eye contact with me and I am hopeful for help. However, he then looks away leaving me with the hollow ache of mistreatment without recourse.
These folks missed opportunities to have a sign with a closing time, locking the door when they close, acknowledging the customer, and handling mishaps when mishaps happen. Is this how they are treated or the treatment they desire? If they treat me this way in person, what may happen behind the scenes with food prep?! Mayo was eating a sandwich and didn’t even offer a bite to appease my growling tummy!
While pulling out to head to Weinberger’s (with which I have no affiliation), I laugh at the catering sign – why would I ever have Smiling Moose cater when they don’t realize the value of a customer’s presence?! What a difference had Smiling Moose done things well from the start or turned things around after they went awry.

Came here for a late lunch yesterday afternoon. I was pleasantly surprised with how open the restaurant was. I had ‘The Sidecar’ which is turkey, red peppers, lettus, topped with a spicy mayo. The flavor of the sandwhich was great! The bread was nice and fluffy but the meat to bread ratio was a little off so I ended up eating ½ of it open faced.
The atmosphere was casual, fun, and quite pleasant! The employees were nice and helpful in explaining different sandwhiches and were attentive. Oh, and if you are looking for the tea, and drink machine it is to the left, around the corner from where you place your order. I look forward to going home again soon to try some other sandwiches.
Glad this place found a home in Denton! I wonder if they will sell shirts in the near future. I’d buy one!

So it was your typical morning. Got the kiddo awake because she was going to spend the day with her nana. Got her up and moving and making a little girl get dressed is not as easy as it sounds. She had some pancakes and we were out the door. I didn’t get to eat.
Yesterday (May 3^rd) Smiling Moose opened up, I drove past, but there was no parking to be had, so I figured I’d wait a day or two. I took a look at their website and saw they served breakfast and after I dropped off the kiddo I decided to drive on over there.
Smiling Moose originated in Colorado… interesting. They have a large range of sandwiches, wraps, salads and soup. They even have grinders, which is odd they call them that only because I remember that being a term from the New England area… I like the idea of the build your own sandwich. Hot sandwiches like the Bambino, NYC Roast Beef and the Phil. E. Turkey, Cold ones like the Hippie Chick P., and the Sidecar and wraps like the Mile-​Hi Thai and the Rock Pile. Go check out their website to see what’s in them all.
But I was here for some breakfast. Sandwiches and burritos. It’s a small selection but all looked pretty good. I had the Morning Moose. Eggs and cheddar cheese on a bagel with your choice of bacon, sausage or ham. Of course I went with bacon. Pretty good. Nice soft and chewy bagel, tasty bacon and the eggs and cheese were great. For a brand new place they did really well. I liked the décor and the location is right there on Carroll.
Another new business in Denton for people to support. So get on out there, more places are opening up.