DiBella’s Subs

In a state drowning in sub-​par chain grinder shops, lend it to upstate New York-​based DiBella’s to break up the Subway-​crammed corridors of Connecticut with its grinders that actually deliver on more than loaded lameburg lettuce, goupy sauces and falsified $ 5 lures that end up costing $ 9. Though first tried in Milford, CT (DiBella’s first CT shop), Newington has its own and through a handful of visits since opening, still holds up as a recommended, solid sandwich spot. The substance of a «small» here will far exceed and fulfill the self-​hating need to revisit any 12″ misery sandwich you might find a half a mile marker each way on the Turnpike.
Store atmosphere is richly themed on the founding years of the chain’s 1920’s origins with wonderful ragtime jazz to transport you away from the depressing noise of today’s endless Beyonces and other forgettable FM noise.
No liquor served here though wouldn’t put it past the builders to have built some kind of hideaway beneath the joint.
Meats used are not Blimpie-​sliced on-​demand but fresher than the lowest-​common denominator cheap one or two slices given at Subway though the frequently tough roast beef needs to be coupled with Au Jus (or offered thinner). Toppings and other pile-​ons are obscured by a tall counter which would be better served if visible. Many grilled offerings are performed on an actual grill!
Go for the Cowboy or try a turkey bacon on any of the breads offered. First timers should tred simply with the sesame seed signature, caution a medium and beware a large.

Dang, their cheesesteaks are good. Perfect, freshly grilled thinly sliced steak. Extra cheese is a must. The bread is nice and soft and kind of tastes like a bagel. It’s not a traditional Philly cheesesteak roll, but it definitely does the job. I’ve heard their cold sandwiches are delicious as well. The sandwiches are a good size. The medium is equivalent to a foot long sub. The large is giant!
The inside of this place is huge. It’s well kept and clean. The service is super quick!

I got tuna with pickles, lettuce and black olives. Didn’t taste like anything at all. The cooking was bomb and the restaurant was clean with good seating. Food came fast at the lunch rush so that was impressive. I think I need to try another kind of sub there maybe it will be better. The rolls are hard there and kind of hurt to bite but that didn’t bother me too much.

I’ve been a few times now, and never had a bad experience. The employees are always nice and friendly, when making my sandwich and they always seem to have plenty of staff here. The sandwiches are the best chain sandwiches in the area, much better than Subway or D’Angelos. The large sub can feed 2 people easily, and the quality of the bread and meat are good for a chain. I usually get the old fashion, which consists of salami, ham, and turkey and I get the medium size and it’s very filling and I have a big appetite.

When they opened the first grinder was good and since then it has gone way down.
They have high school students working there and they dont put any meat on the grinder. I complained to the manager and he told me to bad. So I dont go anymore.

Drove the 25 min from Farmington to Dibella’s on the Berlin Tpk on a Sunday because I felt like a grinder and nothing else was open. I read the reviews before about how massive their sandwiches are and still got a large buffalo chicken for some reason. Also got a kids meatball grinder for my son. The medium would have been plenty, I almost finished the large, but there was no need to. It was just not bad, not good. The chicken seemed very much like Subway chicken. I got it on an everything roll which is my fault, not the greatest combo buff chick and everything bagels. The kids meal was nice, came with a «piece» of sandwich, a juice and a squeeze apple sauce. It was the perfect amount of food for my 3.5 year old. The meatball was very plain though, a real thin tomato sauce that didn’t stick to the meatball and they didn’t add any extra on top of the sandwich. I might stop in and give it another try if I’m in the area. Next time I’d go with the Godfather. Definitely not worth driving 25 minutes for though.

Always fast and friendly! The bread makes the sandwich — the sesame is so good! I get a small turkey & cheese every time and the portions are great! I usually go at least 2 — 3 times per month and the staff is always super friendly!

Everyone has been raving about this place and I figured I’d try it.
I made a huge mistake getting a medium, it was so big, but it was delicious I ate the whole damn thing, 11 bucks got me a medium cheese steak, pasta salad and a drink.
Hands down would come back here again, so long subway!

Little meat too much bread. Long wait just a glorified subway also a bit pricey also the service was hit or miss just overall wasn’t that great of an experience

I got the cheesesteak sandwich on white. The bread was delicious! I was very impressed with the sandwich as well. The small was HUGE. Very generous portions. I do agree the ordering process was kind of odd. I didn’t know what I was doing and I was the only one there so it was pretty obvious. In my opinion there shouldn’t even be a comparison to any other fast food sub chain. It was way better than any of the other chains we have around here.

They have a slogan on their shirts «Best Subs You’ve Ever Had» — they are right!!!
Favorite is «The Godfather» sub. Delicious!
Highly recommend!
Do they franchise?

Love their sub! Very very tasty! Highly recommends this place if you want a good quality sub. A little pricy but definitly with it!

It’s like subway, but with better service, nicer seating space, better options, higher quality food, and better options. So no like subway… it’s actually good and you’re not embarrassed to be seen eating there. Subway is terrible. If you want to eat fresh AND be an adult, try Dibella’s.

Love it here. Great fresh subs with fresh Ingrediants. I enjoy it more then any other place for subs. They also cater which I have used. Check it out

The ability to customize my sandwich, especially the meats was a huge plus, subway looks like a joke compared to this place. I got the Buffalo Chicken, was very good, got a medium because I was warned the large is ridiculous.
Staff is friendly and patient with first timers. Décor is pretty cool, modern diner feel, music is old timey and relaxing, low lighting.
I’d go out of my way to return.

Filling, plenty of meat and made to order; this a great place to have a grinder/​sub made your way. Sounds like another classic restaurant chain but better. There are 4 types of hearty breads in 3 different sizes. Along with different classic meats and rare choices; good selection of cheeses and many vegetables to add onto you grinder.
There are several types of sandwiches that you can request from the board or simply make your own; I usually make my own and choose 3 different meats. They have your traditional sandwiches but I enjoy that there is a wide selection of meats to choose from.
My one sad face about this is that you can’t have your grinder warm/​toasted; that would make it perfect. You can get hot sandwiches such as a philly cheese steak or other regular hot sandwiches but I would enjoy the custom made sandwich warm.
The other great thing about this restaurant is the drink selection at the fountain bar, they have Diet Dr. Pepper :-) Awesome!!! And you can get pickles!!!

DiBella’s is not a competitor of Subway.
It’s just flat out better than Subway.
Want Hormel-​quality mystery meat on reshaped Wonder Bread? Stick with your buddy Jared and his entourage of highly-​paid sports moguls. But if you want a sandwich with substance, DiBella’s sure as hell ain’t bad for a chain restaurant.
You’ll pay a bit more, of course. $ 5.99 gets you their «small» sandwich, though it is anything but. I went for a Godfather of the aforementioned size, and it had about as much meat on it as Subway’s largest sandwich. Suddenly, the $ 5 footlong doesn’t look like such a bargain anymore.
Very hearty bread. Real meat. Good veggies. I was stuffed by the end of my «small» sandwich, and I didn’t even have a bag of chips with it.
If you look at the location map, DiBella’s target market [and therefore their success] makes a world of sense. Born in Rochester, grew up in Western New York and a handful of Midwestern cities. In other words — parts of the world where there aren’t exactly world renown delicatessens.
DiBella’s would never survive in Manhattan or Boston. Central Connecticut? Bull’s eye.

Have passed by here numerous times, so when Mark C and I needed to grab lunch on the way to our campsite, we decided to stop in and see what DiBella’s was about
We arrived and the store was jamming — they seem to be doing a very robust lunchtime business with everyone from business people to construction workers grabbing a bite. We stepped to the side and perused the menu. DiBella’s is set up with a long counter and had about 7 or 8 employee ready to take your order. As soon as an employee was free, you are called over to place your order. You have your choice of three different types of bread and three sizes to choose from. Hot and cold sandwich options are available for purchase.
I love that you don’t have to worry about employees bumping elbows while trying to fill multiple orders and all trying to grab the one container holding the tomatoes. At DiBella’s your «sandwich artist» creates your sandwich for you and you alone. I also enjoyed the fact that beside each employee is a listing of all the condiments available.
The employee that waited on us was very pleasant and did not bat an eye when I said «load up the veggies on that sub». After the sub was made, you take a quick walk to pay and if you want, add «chips and a drink» to make it a combo.
And here is one of the BEST THINGS EVERY — ONE OF THE SODA FOUNTAIN OPTIONS WAS REGULAR AND DIET DR. PEPPER. Such a rarity on the East Coast. Even if the sub was bad — they would get stars for this.
The sandwich held up well during the hour trip to our destination and once unwrapped and I dug in, it was really, really good! I chose the everything bread — just like a bagel but in sandwich form — along with turkey and ham (no cheese) The bread had a bit of chew to it and the deli meat was shaved — not sure if they slice the meat on premises but it was definitely more tasty then your standard sandwiches from the sub chain shops in the area.
Will definitely be back —
Th

DiBella’s is like a glorified version of Subway, but they have sesame seed bread.
I ordered the cheesesteak and it was very yummy, but it took forever to make. I was told that they do not have microwaves and everything is made to order. The ambiance was old-​fashioned (in a good way) because there was no TV.
Next time, I will try the godfather sandwich.

DiBella’s is situated in a newly constructed plaza over by Sam’s, Stew Leonard, Toys R Us, LA Fitness (older establishments), Starbucks, Chipotle (newer establishments), etc). Thus, it is so conveniently located and boasts a nice lot of evenly spaced parking spots (hey– parking is important)!
After a long day grocery shopping and trekking the gym, H and I were HUNGRY. It was near dead when H and I went in. There were a number of employees behind a counter and seated were a group of senior ladies roaring over something hilarious (good sign if you ask me any). The eating area, and most importantly the restroom, looked clean and tidy overall.
As a couple who’d never been into such an establishment (there are no DiBella’s chains in Massachusetts where we’re from), I describe this place as a step up from Quiznos. Also, we had absolutely no idea what to order, but the order-​taking-​girl was kind. She let us bicker amongst each other as we took 15 min to decide what we wanted! I ended up with the Cowboy grinder and H ended up with an Italian roast beef sandwich. My grinder was good and the thickly cut bacon was delightful. H’s sandwich was better than most.
We’re in Newington often so I’m