Grinders Hot Sands

OH MY GODDDD this restaurant. I mean honestly, what more can you ask for? The service is great. The food is great. The atmosphere is, of course, great. I typically go with the sausage grinder, but one of the servers (whose name I should have asked for, she was wonderful and knowledgeable and honest about the food) recommended to me the Gilbano, their version of a philly sandwich. It was quite delicious but I don’t think anything can take place of my sausage grinder! It’s juicy, cheesy, oniony, just perfection. Their marinara sauce is the best I’ve ever had. And I can’t forget to include their bread pudding. Hallelujah in my mouth. I’ve only ever taken it to go and popped it in the microwave and even that is amazing. I’m sure it’s to die for hot and fresh at the restaurant. I would come to Grinders every day if I could. It’s my happy place, absolutely give it a try!

The first time I went here it was at my friends suggestion. The sandwiches I’ve tried here are very good. The portions are fair for the price too. I usually order the food before hand and then take it home. There was an instance where I ordered and when I arrived about 30 min later they not only did not have my order ready but they had lost it altogether. I was not busy that day so I was prepared to wait, but they surprised me by offering me a different sandwich that was ready for free. I was quite content with that but i chose to simply wait for the one i had gone to buy originally. I really like the way they handled the situation. They finally rushed the order for the sandwhich I wanted and I was out of there within 5 minutes. Overall this place is very good but I think the prices are still a little over the top.

Why, oh why did you change your bread?! What used to be a crunchy baguette that could hold a messy sandwich has been replaced by something soft and boring that falls apart in your hands. Our waiter confirmed the bread is now made at Beth’s café. I have to agree with a couple of the other recent reviews, that this change is a real bummer. The toppings are still incredibly delicious, but bread is important at a moderately spendy sandwich place.

Nice place, but the food wasn’t hot
!

We ordered the fancy philly cheesesteak and the meatball sandwiches. They were absolutely delicious! For dessert, we ordered the amazing bread pudding. It’s kind of tucked back on the street, so it’s not totally obvious they are there. We WILL be going back.

You know what happens when a popular restaurant starts cutting corners? They immediately see lowered cost of food, and increased profits. However over time, sales drop because the food is not the same anymore. Old customers don’t come in anymore. New ones don’t know the difference and they still enjoy it until some other corner gets cut.
The Grinder Hot Sands has unique and tasty ingredients to their sandwiches. I’m used to the Giardino and as the menu has always suggested, it is served on Ciabatta bread. Today I went in after a long term absence due to illness and got my Giardino on what looked like a white/​french soft bread (think large fat hoagie texture) that looked like it was cut the same way as a Ciabatta bread would be cut. Except it was not Ciabatta. When I asked the guy where’s the Ciabatta, he said they are making their bread in-​house these days, and it is their version of Ciabatta. I told him they shouldn’t call it Ciabatta if it is not Ciabatta. Just call it «bread». You can’t call a frog a «sparrow». There are just too many differences. I used to enjoy the Giardino partly because it was on the authentic Ciabatta and I love the airiness, the chewy texture, the large thick crust of the Italian bread and the flavor and taste of it mixed with the ingredients of the sandwich. You could say «the bread made the sandwich». The owner of this restaurant is a foodie, a great creative chef and the flavor of his creations shows it. Too bad he is not giving credit to his customers for noticing the Sandwich foundation was switched. I’m still somewhat of a fan, but instead of coming in once a month with a couple of buddies, I might now only come in once a year just to see if they went back to the real Ciabatta. There is really nothing special anymore to introduce friends to. The restaurant should immediately modify their printed menus as well as their web site menu to indicate the bread is just soft white French-​looking bread that when you bite into the crust, it crumples and fall apart, is not crusty and certainly not airy.
Come on dudes, go back to what made you famous. You are not Subway. You are not a bakery. Let the bread baking to the experts and continue to buy your bread from them. Use your expertise to make the delicious sandwiches that put you on the radio reviews and brought me in several years ago.

Every sandwich I’ve had so far has never failed — by far one of the best sandwich places in the area. The Giardino and Ciabatta are top choices. Staff is polite and know the menu by heart.

This place is awesome. Been there twice and recommend getting the meatball, sausage or the sauball. Service was fast and friendly and sandwiches have been tasty, juicy and mouth drooling all three times. Would go again and again. Highly recommended.

Grinders was wonderful, I only gave it four stars as I haven’t been back a second time yet to be able to take consistency into account for my review. But I will be going again soon!

Dank. They know what they’re doing and they do it well. Gilbano is delicious and perfect to split with your lover or even an acquaintance. Stop in fo sho

I’m a huge fan of Royal Grinders in Seattle, so in search of another equally great sandwich I came here. After moving to shoreline and seeing the reviews I decided to try them out. The service was great and so was the vibe. Maybe I built the place up to much, but the shrimp Po’boy was okay at best. I would like to state that almost all of their Grinders have tomato sauce on them and that was the only reason I chose the sandwich that I did. I have eaten that stye of sandwich before and love the taste, I have had them in New Orleans and many other places. Maybe the shrimp are just to far from the source. I will try them again.

Date of service: Jan 30, 2015
Meal: Dinner, eat in
All Ratings out of 10:
Quality of food: 8
Food to Spend Value: 7
Quality of Service: 7
Overall Rating: 7+
I love a meatball grinder /​sub. Many sandwich shops offer a meatball option, but most, at least in my experience, don’t do it very well. The quality of the meat, the sauce, and the bread are all critical to an amazing grinder. Grinders in Shoreline specializes in them (as well as subs with other types of hot meat), and since both my son and I were in a sub mood, we decided to check it out.
The first thing you notice when you come in is the smell of basil and garlic. On a Friday night the place was fairly busy, but getting a table for 2 was not too difficult. We started with the garlic cheese bread. It consisted of 4 good sized pieces of toasted sliced Italian bread with cheese, garlic, peppers, and herbs, and it came with marinara sauce to dip in. It was quite hearty and very tasty, with a great crisp and nice full flavor. The marinara was also well done, with a very full flavor.
Sausage and meatballs sounded good to both of us, so we decided to order the SauBall, which includes both (you can also order sausage or meatballs alone). The sandwich came topped with melted mozzarella and caramelized onions, with marinara sauce on the side, and was served on an Italian roll. The sandwich itself was quite large and loaded with meat. The meatballs were massive and tasted homemade (which they are!), and the sausage had some zest to it while also being super tender and flavorful. The marinara finished the grinder off very nicely, and the entire sandwich made my taste buds pop. It was very filling, and I was quite full by the time I finished it.
Pricewise Grinders might seem a bit pricey, but the portions are quite large, so what you get is definitely worth it. The food was prepared very well, and the service was also pretty good. The food came out hot and fresh and was delicious, and given the dearth of these types of sandwiches in the Seattle area, I definitely plan on returning. They have other types of hot meat subs as well (including some on ciabatta bread), but I will find it hard to deviate from the SauBall. If you like good hot Italian style grinders, then you should definitely check out Grinders.

Great sandwiches, huge portions.
We had the ciabatta, the dipper and the goombah, and the big salad.
The ciabatta was really tasty, like a good pizza with the artichoke spread and sauce and cheese. The meat was a good mix. The bread was good but fell apart quick so we went for the forks.
The dipper was tasty, good mushrooms and horseradish sauce, and decent jus.
The goombah was good but flavors were really mixed together. It was like pasta sauce with cheese and chicken chunks served like a meatball sandwich. It tasted good but I think I like the others a little better.
The service was good, though the place was pretty empty so I would expect that.
We will go back when we are in the area.

So freakin’ delicious! Huge portions and fluffy/​crunchy bread!
Stromboli…tasty Italian sandwhiches with marinara sauce to dip on the side.
Gilbano…their version of the «Philly». Trip tip steak is tender, cheesy gooiness and light on the onions and peppers.
Meatball…the meatballs are HUGE!
Amazing service. I had my dog sitting outside and they brought him some pork loin and water. So sweet!

Friendly staff.
Good food.
A little bit expensive for a sandwich in my opinion but it’s definitely worth it.

I cannot rate the food-​as apparently 35 minutes was not enough time to make the sandwich. Let me give you an idea about the service-​which was the most incompetent I have ever encountered.
Upon walking in the door we are not greeted, after a few moments at the counter told to sit anywhere we like.
Five minutes pass without a greeting. Finally we flag someone down and order waters (which show up without ice) and two sandwiches.
Thirty more minutes of waiting passes without so much as a glance from one of the two socially awkward waiters which were for some reason on staff. At this point we asked if there was an idea as to when the food may be ready. Our charming dead-​eyed waiters response «I don’t know we have a pretty long wait time».as I look around at the three other tables in the restaurant and ask if he could go check. The real kicker is on his way to go check where our food is he stops to have a conversation with another table… at which point we decide to leave.
I’m sure the food is solid too bad I never had a chance to try it. Good service doesn’t make a meal but it can certainly ruin one.

12″ Subsandwich filled with toppings. The grilled mushrooms, caramelized onions, and the melted cheese will have you drooling begging to move into this food heaven and become their permanent resident.
I spent 15 minutes pondering what to order and capture for my fellow Unilocalies. After interrogated Justice, the server, she didn’t drop the ball on me. With every toughs questions ranging from history of the shop, the owner is rooted from Pittsburgh and ancestry from Italy, to what is most popular and why. She even gave me a free meatball sample. The meatball was moist, rich, and flavourful, may i say way better than most places. However, their marinara sauce was so fresh, tasty, that you can eat a whole bowl alone.
I ended up ordered Chicken Pesto and Po’Boy. Total after tax around $ 25.00 for 24″ of sandwiches. My oh my. The first bite of the sweet, savory blend of grilled mushrooms and caramelize onion, melted cheese, with a hint of parmesan having me guessing whether if there is any artichoke embedded. The Po’boy electrify my taste bud with a tangy, sweet, spicy, and buttery coleslaw follow a cajun fried catfish with a hint of paprika and fried onions. I can’t wait to bring my favorite date/​girlfriend when I found one. Hopefully, this is the few places that will be around forever especially, after I return from a deployment for the Army. Definitely, food porn!

Went here with my SO and my cousins to check out what I’d been told was a great grinder place. It was definitely good, not too sure about great though.
I’d ordered the chicken parm sandwich, but ended up eating half my cousin’s meatball sandwich instead. (Long story). The sandwich was quite good, not overly saucy with a great grindah roll.

I really can’t see anything wrong with this place!!! I’m usually not a big sandwich enthusiast, but after coming here… I believe I am starting to be one.
Although there is a lot of construction going on, luckily there are two entrances to turn in to get your sandy fix.
When you walk in, it doesn’t feel like 99 at all. It’s clean, modern and open. The mural on the wall evokes the Italian theme well, I loved the concrete floors and there are a variety of different seats to accommodate any size party.
We looked over the menu after being greeted by the cashier. She was incredibly friendly and explained the soups they currently offered, complete with all the ingredients in them. Very thorough!!!
I ordered the meatball and can I just say… coming from an Italian woman who was taught how to make authentic meatballs that have been passed on for generations… THESE MEATBALLS WERE SUPBERB. Moist, flavorful, not too salty and had the absolute perfect about of bite to them. 3 huge ones (think Wedding Singer) were atop a crunchy roll; not too thick and chewy, carmelized onions, just the right amount of cheese with marinara sauce on the side. I’m happy the sauce wasn’t too salty because it balanced out the sandy very well. If I could, I would eat this everyday… YUM YUM YUM
My fiancé ordered the Stromboli and it was just as good. Good meat ratio, the mozzarella was tasty and the onions were a fantastic addition.
These sandwiches are leagues above the newly reopened Paseo’s. You can rely on the authenticity of the flavor combinations and feel good paying $ 10 for a sandy that could easily last two meals. You really get what you pay for here.
Also, I’d like to point out the staff. From start to finish they were professional and friendly with us and the other customers we saw enter. There was a man who came in and was VERY RUDE to them and they still tried to do everything they could to appease him before he stormed out of his own accord.
I can’t WAIT to visit again and try all of the other delicious items on the menu! I’m making it a monthly excursion for sure!!!

*Great sandos and large portions, had the marinara one, it was delish, enough to split for sure
*Friendly service, cool space, parking as others have noted is a tough nut
*Legit hot sandos!

I was really impressed with the sandwiches I had at Grinders. I admit I read way too many reviews before I visited the restaurant and I had high expectations but Grinders met my expectations if not exceeded them! Boyfriend and I ordered a shrimp po’boy and Gilbano. If I didn’t skip breakfast and coffee I have high doubts I would have finished my behemoth of a sandwhich. I was unbuttoning my pants at the end of the meal feeling like I was victorious for eating the whole thing.
Shrimp Po’boy — fried shrimp with some awesome tangy sauce, spicy and sweet peppers, huge pile of coleslaw on a roll. Omg I don’t even like coleslaw but the combination was so wonderful. My first experience of a Po’boy was amazing.
Giovanni — massive heaping portion of beef with peppers and cheese on a toasty roll. My boyfriend killed this sandwhich. He was sick with a stuffy nose so all I could hear was deep heavy breathing and chomping.
Some things to keep in mind
–look at the menu before you come and know what you want to order before you get there
— lunch time is busy, if you’re short on time call in your order or be that grumpy customer no one likes
–staff is very efficient if they are not providing the most amazing service it’s because they want to feed you and it’s busy
–come hungry or expect to bring food home
Happy eating!