Nuff

Nuff on Johnson Street has closed.

I drove by on August 30^th and it appeared they have closed their doors for good. Today, 9.20, I know it’s true. Such a mystery, because there were no mentions on Unilocal or facebook. They did have great food; just not the best set up.

The food here is awesome, I do disagree with some of the other reviews stating that Jimmy John’s and other chains in Northeast are on par, the food here is definitely better quality. Unfortunately they are lacking in the customer service department. My girlfriend and I live in walking distance from Nuff and we were visiting a couple times a week. It’s casual, which I appreciate but can also be confusing. I’ve brought many friends to Nuff as well and we never know if we should be going to the back to pick up our food, or if someone is bringing it out to us? Naturally this makes you wonder about the expectation of a tip.
The staff generally acts as if it’s an inconvenience to take your order and after leaving several times without tipping, I’ve had awkward looks and even been scoffed at by the girl with frizzy hair. I don’t expect people to be overly fake and pretend to be happy, but I think if you’re going to work in a customer service position you should at least be cordial, polite, and perhaps even smile every now and again?
My girlfriend placed a take out order at 7:30PM one evening, they close at 8:00PM, plenty of time to get up there and get our food. The lady taking the order asked twice what time I would be up there to get the order, I biked up there and arrived around 7:45 — 7:50. When I walked in she immediately stated the cook told her to stop taking orders and I was lucky that I had placed a take out order, sort of confusing? but I shrugged it off and gave Nuff the benefit of the doubt. I have worked in several restaurants and if we were open until 10, we were not turning away people at 9:59. I left with what I thought was our food, but we were missing some of our order. We ordered 2 sandwiches and a cup of soup, we got 1 sandwich and a small thing of soup. Which of course was my girlfriend’s sandwich. We returned a few days later, my girlfriend happened to forget her debit card at home and once again was treated poorly.
As a frequent visitor of Nuff the manager Angie (I believe that is her name) had a long casual conversation with my friend and I, specifically citing the need for more feedback, I called Gary (the owner) a few days later. I explained what happened and he agreed to give me a sandwich. When I arrived at Nuff that evening I was sorta treated like I was trying to get something for nothing.
I like Nuff and the food, I’m also a big proponent of keeping things local. For their lack of customer service and concern, I cannot justify their prices.

I’m bumping up my review to five whole stars because they have stayed consistently awesome and continue to show that they know how to make a killer sandwich. I got the roast beef again and it was just as good, if not better than the last time. I also got the the three bean and kielbasa soup as a side. This was delicious and filling. The small side soup can be added to your sandwich or you can get a cup or bowl on its own, if you’re so inclined. But really, it’s all about the sandwiches. Ringing in between $ 4.50 and $ 5.50 for a single, which is a full-​sized sandwich in its own right, it’s probably the best value in the area for meat between bread. Don’t think you need to order a double in order to get full unless you’re the sort of person who orders two burritos at Chipotle…
One thing that is different from my last post is that the hot sandwiches come with awesome house-​made potato chips now. You can «upgrade» to fries for $ 1.50, but I see no need because the chips are amazing! I would come back just for the chips. They need to be a stand alone side with a seasoned sour cream dipping sauce (hint!).
Look, if you live in Northeast and are in the mood for a sandwich, skip the chain stores in the area (you know, the one’s with nicknames for James and Michael), and get a great sandwich at a better price AND keep your $$ local.

Had a great experience here for Sunday breakfast a few weeks ago and have returned several times since. Quick service, wholesome food made from scratch, fresh baked cookies. Walk past the line outside hazels and sneak into nuff for superior food, coffee, and service. Nuff said.

Had a great panini, everyone was nice and the prices aren’t horrible.

I have two seperate reviews on Nuff.
1. Their food is consistent and seems to have come down in price since they opened which makes it a great neighborhood place. The Flamenco coffee they brew is out of this world delicious, and will keep me going back forever.
2. Their front of the house and service can be lacking at times. We usually wait an obscene amount of time before being helped and the wait for food can be long. Because my husband and I live very nearby, we have given them many many chances. They appear to be slowly working the kinks out of running a new joint, and hopefully their front of the house will match the food coming out of the kitchen at some ponit. We now know what to expect and will continue to support this place as long as it’s around!

I will start out by saying that I do like their sandwiches, although they are small and pricey. Do not expect a quick meal. It just doesn’t happen here. I live in the neighborhood and have been there several times. It always takes about 15 minutes or more to get the little sandwich you have ordered. I understand the food is not all pre-​cooked and ready to go but something has to change. Went there recently on a Johnson Street Festival day and ordered ½ sandwich and a cup of soup. There were about 25 people in there. It took 30 minutes to get my order.
On my first visit, we ordered and paid for a piece of pie. The whole pie was sitting there waiting to be eaten. Half way through our meal, the cashier came over and gave us our money back stating the owner sold the whole pie to someone, therefore, we could not have the piece we ordered. Very strange!
I would love to see something survive in this space but not sure that Nuff will do that unless they change something.

Nuff is like Ed Begley Jrs place next to «Fisherman’s Porch» on Portlandia. While Hazel’s (Fisherman’s Porch) might have the buzz, Nuff is also worth going out of your way.
Stopped in on a rainy Saturday when the line was out the door and beyond for Hazel’s so we tried Nuff. Turns out they made a perfect Eggs Benedict — toasted English Muffin, real poached egg with appropriately runny yolk. Nuff Breakfast Club was quite large and pretty good sized. After placing your order, you get a beeper that tells you when food is ready. When we were there, they brought it out to us. We liked the DIY approach to coffee and drinks. Staff was personable and attentive. Previous reviews regarding slow service seem that this complaint might be due to ironing out opening kinks.
We haven’t been there for lunch, but will go back after reading Heavy Table review.

Whooo YUMMY Sandwiches in the neighborhood! This is a positively wonderful addition to the Johnson street businesses. Friendly staff, delicious and creative sandwiches and a fun atmosphere with potential to have community events if they went that way. I would say, it’s still pretty clear that they’re new and that the staff are likely new as well. A little unclear about the promotions that people can get on facebook or need to look at the menu themselves before making any recommendations, but I have confidence that with time, they’ll all be slinging nuffs with no problem.

Tried out Nuff because a friend recommended it, however it was terrible. As soon as we sat down I heard two different groups of people sitting at tables ask for their food to go because it was taking so long.
I went on a Saturday afternoon, wasn’t too busy, but it took 40 minutes to get our food. We had to ask a couple times what was going on, finally I just asked for our money back and was going to leave when our food showed up. Food isn’t anything special, tuna sandwich looked like it sat on a flat top grill and got burned. Sausage egg and cheese sandwich was boring and most certainly was microwaved considering how hot it was.
They told us it was so slow because they were short a cook and the owner was cooking in their place. Hmmm… who cares? The manager out front kept telling us how good of a cook she was. Well why isn’t she in back and the owner out front talking to the customers? I don’t think this place will last long.

I can only describe this place as a restaurant version of Subway. You order at the register, then they give you this thing that buzzes and lights up when your order is ready. You walk up to the kitchen and grab your order.
The subs are more expensive than subway, and you don’t get anything with it either. They offer a slight discount though if you order a sub with chips or soup
Soup — Some sort of veggie and steak soup which was soooooo good. So flavorful and the veggies were just the right consistency. I wish they sold the stuff by the can ’cause I’d buy it errday.
BBQ Pork Sub — The bread they use for the subs is so soft and chewy. The pork was super smokey. The coleslaw on top was a perfect complement. The only thing was that I wish there was more BBQ sauce.
The soup, sub, and a drink was $ 13.37. Although it was good, I think your better going to Subway from a money prospective.

New Years Day found my friends and I extremely cranky and hungry, and the horrendous waiting experience at Hazel’s next door (we waited an hour and they seated 2+ tables with the same party size as ours that came in WAY after us, before us so we ditched) led us to Nuff!
Nuff really fit the bill-​great prices, good food, quick service, and damn good coffee. I picked their breakfast special; two eggs, meat, and toast or pancake for $ 4.95 or something. I went with poached, sausage, and pancake, because honestly why would you pick toast?! They also give you a choice of maple syrup or fruit (I think-​it was maple syrup or something, sorry the NYE hangover killed the brain cells.) I also got the hashbrowns for $ 1 extra because I am a fatty fatty no friends.
The set up is a little awkward because it’s not really clear where to go, but you get your own coffee, which I love. Word on the coffee: it’s damn good, as Dale Cooper might say.
They buzz your table when the food is ready, and you grab your tray from the kitchen. I tucked in to a great breakfast. Honestly one of the best pancakes I’ve had in town-​the eggs were cooked perfectly and the sausage was yummy, but I had some serious envy over my friend’s walnut smoked bacon.
Also, the hashbrowns are patties, like McDonald’s. Crispy, salty, potatoe-​y goodness.
What a great way to set off the new year!

I went here for the first time last night. I read the reviews in advance so I knew that I didn’t need to get a whole sandwich. The prices seem high for a regular sandwich with no sides but it’s really not that expensive because a half is enough to fill a normal person. If you want to order one and share with someone else, it would actually be quite economical. I ordered a half pulled pork sandwich with a side of chili. The chili was really great and had a nice kick, while not making me sweat. The meat was tender and it really hit the spot on a cold day. The pulled pork sandwich was also terrific. The pork and bread are smoked/​baked in-​house and it makes all the difference. It was quiet on this evening and the manager had time to talk to us. She said they make about 80% of their items (including dressings and sauces) are made in-​house. The quality of the food definitely shows. She also said they just hired a new chef so maybe there were some initial problems that led to some less-​than-​stellar reviews.
Considering it’s a small place, they have a nice wine and beer list with more options than you’d expect.
Overall, I think this is a great neighborhood café!

I stopped in to Nuff to try it out — I’m all about local businesses, and was really excited to see something new within walking distance of home.
The menu seemed kind of lacking — very limited options, though most things looked tasty. I took a step back to contemplate the menu, and was again taken aback by the pricing. For $ 8, a sandwich should come with some kind of side item! Finally, I decided on the tuna sandwich, only to find out it’s got black pepper in it, which I am terribly allergic to. It was nice of the manager to call the chef to find out for sure — not all places are willing to go the extra step to make sure a food allergy is properly addressed.
Everything else on the menu that I wanted also had black pepper in it, so I decided to head on home and scrounge something up in the kitchen.
From reading reviews, I hope Nuff amps up its menu and/​or service. I agree that pricing shouldn’t be that high if you have to come get the food yourself. The night I stopped in, the employees outnumbered the guests, too. I would suggest cutting some labor, getting some higher skilled/​motivated workers in there, and concentrate on really wowing people until you have built a name for yourselves, Nuff. I hope it sticks around and does well!

Was excited to try as it is within walking distance. Sadly disappointed. A little spendy for ordering a small sandwich and then picking up food at a counter in the back, and bussing our own table when finished. On the bright side the staff was pleasant, however I won’t be returning.

I’ve been waiting to see this location filled for quite some time. While I never frequented Amici, I was disappointed when they too couldn’t thrive in this location. Nuff opened (quietly) last weekend, and I booked it over to show my support for the neighborhood. I walked into the sandwich shop, and was slightly surprised. It didn’t look all that different from before. They kept the same basic layout, but removed much of the clutter.
I ordered the smoked pulled pork sandwich to go. To go orders can be picked up in the back — at the kitchen window. Unfortunately they don’t have any chairs, so I had to occupy a table. Definitely recommend that they place a few chairs back there, since you definitely won’t be able to hear your name called if you’re in the front.
Sandwich was good. I liked the slaw on the top. It was a good balance for the sweet barbeque. The best part was the bread, as it was delicious and soft!
My only quip is that the sandwiches don’t come with anything, not even a bag of chips. I’ll look past it though because I want to try their lobster roll.

Went to Nuff for the first time last night. I’ve been waiting for this place to open for weeks now so I’d have yet another fantastic food option on Johnson Street within walking distance of my house. Alas, this is not it. Maybe because it’s new or maybe because the place just doesn’t feel like it belongs in Northeast as much as a strip mall in the suburbs. Sorry, I know I shouldn’t be so harsh but walking into this poorly decorated restaurant with music playing from a local radio station just doesn’t do it for me. It actually made the long wait for my food that much more annoying. That’s the other issue, the long wait for a cashier to take my order and the long wait to hear my name called from a speaker. That system needs to go ASAP. Give me a number and bring the food to the table please. I already fear what would happen during a busy weekend with my common name!
Moving on to the food. I decided to start at the top of the menu with the smoked pulled pork. The meat was very tender and I could taste the smoked part but that’s about all I can really say for it. The (store bought?) slaw on top, melted cheese and bbq sauce mixed together almost make this taste too sweet. It was good, but nothing special and pretty bland. Btw, go half size on the sandwiches they are filling.
Between the excellent sandwiches at the Coffee Shop NE across the street and the breakfast from Hazel’s two doors down I don’t see any need to visit again.

We went there this weekend for brunch because Hazel’s next door was packed. We came in with an open mind because we were hungry. I ordered the ham and cheese omelet and my girlfriend ordered the ham, egg and cheese croissant-​wich. We also ordered 2 oj’s with the meal.
When we received our oj’s ($ 2/​piece) we received them in 2 oversized Dixie cups – you could taste that the stuff was from concentrate. After 20 mins we got our food. The portions were very disappointing for the amount that we paid. Her sandwich was small and did not come with any side. My omelet was also a bit small and came with 1 small slice of toast. The ham that they used looked and tasted like some cheap Oscar Myer sliced lunch meat.
I’m all for the whole grab your own food from the kitchen when its ready, but the sandwich prices should reflect the DIY service.

I know that Nuff just opened so I would like to be as kind as I can in the review.
I stopped in this weekend around 10 am as I was taking the dog for a walk.
The first problem was that the food took over 20 minutes. When I looked in the restaurant looked like a place that could get food out fast, so I left my dog outside tied up as I ran in for a sandwich. By the time the sandwich was served my dog was freezing and I was not hungry for the food.
The sandwich itself looked awesome, but it was far too greasy. I ordered the sausage, egg, and cheese on bread and I was looking for something a little greasy to cure the hangover I had, but I didn’t expect it to be this greasy. When I was finished I felt like I had put chap stick on. Also, the sausage was different and not different in a good way.
I will try Nuff another time for lunch since it is within walking distance and I understand it could take them a month or two to find their fit. They had some good looking lunch sandwiches that I look forward to trying.