DiBella’s Subs

I haven’t had that amazing experience that my friend originally pitched DiBella’s to be. I think there are cheaper and better sub shops all around because DiBella’s can never seem to close my sub and wrap it without making a mess. Every time I unwrap a sub from DiBella’s something falls out and finally the last time I went there, my interest in it fell out too. I don’t really think I will be going there again until a few other sub places go out of business.

my favorite sub shop ever, hands down. i’ve had everything from subway, potbelly, jersey mikes, jimmy johns, which wich, etc. and those are all very different sub restaurants, but nothing touches dibellas! it’s very unique in its own way.
they have a variety of subs, and if you don’t see anything you like you can build your own. any lunchmeat sub comes grilled if you want it grilled, or they have hot subs which are probably
my favorite. i usually get the chicken philly with peppers and onions, and add my own toppings as well. their bread is so delicious, especially the everything bread. it’s always fresh and has tons of flavor, way better than any sub bun i’ve had from anywhere else. their famous oil dressing goes on just about any sub, too! if you’re feeling like lunchmeat, try the godfather. it’s loaded with spicy ham, capicola, and salami. if you’re feeling like a hot sub, try the chicken philly or regular cheesesteak! whatever you try, you won’t be disappointed.
the workers are also very friendly, once you order you’ll grab a number and they’ll bring your fresh subs out to your table. great service! can’t say enough good things about this place.

Ordered a cheesesteak sub and a tuna sub. The workers were very friendly and patient with us. The cheesesteak tasted great! My only problem was the price. $ 19 for a large sub and one small/​half sub… Way too much.

Got the philly cheese steak. Not impressed by the bread and just overall the whole sub to me felt under seasoned.

I love the fact that you can get your subs on what amounts to an everything bagel (in roll form).
Otherwise there’s nothing remarkable about this place. It’s good, and I’m happy to eat here, but it’s not remotely amazing. There is some fairly steep competition in the sub/​sandwich market these days and DiBellas is purely middle of the road IMO.
On the plus side, this specific location is on the larger side (more comfortable) and is always very clean inside. The staff are competent but noone has ever stood out.

Well, I had high hopes for DiBella’s. But their business model seems to have changed a little bit. I went there tonight for quick sandwich. I ordered a small tuna sub and got it as a combo. So that meant adding a small drink and a bag of chips. Now how much do you think a small sub, a small drink and small bag of chips should cost?
How about close to $ 11.00!!!
I was shocked. I asked the cashier what had changed. He said; «Oh, well we raised prices about a month ago.
I looked around and saw that at dinner time, I was the only customer in the place.
The sandwich was still made from nice materials. But I did notice that the bread was a bit stale. Maybe that was because they aren’t selling that much of it anymore. And the tuna and veggies were falling out as I tried to eat the sandwich. Some training for the staff is probably in order too.
Yeah, I guess they have a different business model now. It just won’t include me…

If you like a couple pieces of lunch meat with oversized bread this is the place for you.

As first time visitors, the ordering system was a little out there. Your bread choices, topping choices and specialty sub menus are all at different locations. Maybe it’s me but it felt a little chaotic and all over the place.
I appreciate that the menu boards show calorie counts for each sub, it made our choice pretty simple. Both of us went with tuna (incl. lettuce, onion, banana peppers, provolone and hot mustard), him on multigrain and mine on sesame.
The tuna itself could stand some salt and pepper (Nancy is right, bland’s the word) and the sub itself could stand some toppings. As in seriously, it needed some toppings.
Three shreds o’ lettuce, five rings o’ onion and 2 banana peppers does not a sub make. Wah, wah, wah. Don’t be stingy!
Zhee garlicky, fat pickle was a nice side item. But that bread though. mmh, dat bread.

You can take all of the other sub shops in the metro Detroit area, push them aside, and just let DiBella’s take over. Seriously… nothing can come close to the variety that you can get with their food. Yes, its a chain… Yes… I usually do not review chain food places… however this is the one place that I was introduced to, that I had no clue about. Once I had eaten there my first time, I could not wait to go back for the next meal.
Here and there, I’ve gone to multiple locations, across many states… and the one thing that continues to stand true, is their sandwiches are better than anywhere else. The dagwood, Goddfather, French Dip? It’s currently reminding me that I have got nothing really tasty for lunch today…
If you haven’t tried DiBellas… make sure to stop on in. Great… great food.

As a few reviewers noted– not mind blowing and not the best sub I ever had. I steered away from probably the tastier subs and went with the tuna on everything bread.
It was fresh and the bread was great, but overall pretty bland and flavorless.

I meet a friend for lunch every week @ this DiBella’s. We have yet to have any problems or issues. They do get a line for ordering during the lunch rush but we have never had to wait any significant amount of time yet.
Food is always fresh and taste. I would recommend this DiBella’s for lunch or dinner anytime.

Today was our first time eating here and it did not disappoint! I got the medium cheese steak and my husband got the large godfather. These subs are giant and delicious! Way more meat than any of the other sub places around here. The bread was yummy and it didn’t hurt the roof of my mouth like most baked sub buns do. For two subs a bag of chips and a large pop it was about $ 22. Not bad for the both of us and neither of us could finish our subs. The place itself was immaculately neat and clean. We will go back for sure.

Best subs in town. The bread is phenomenal (must try the «everything» bread). The meat is quality. They offer a lot of toppings without being overwhelming like Subway. You can get grilled subs or regular. The oil dressing is also tremendous.
The staff is great and very helpful/​patient if you have questions. Seating is plentiful and I believe they have some tables outside.
Fun fact: the cookies are easily the best I’ve ever had. Their cookies are so good, I’ve tried to find recipes online and attempted to copy them several times to no avail.

Not mind blowing but pretty darn good. The Dagwood I had I asked for grilled without cheese on their Everything bread. The meat was super thinly sliced and stacked pretty well with fresh produce and four types of their peppers. The bread was my favorite part… I’m not sure if they make it in-​house but it didn’t taste 100% fresh while still very good… the seasoning on the Everything bread was great though. I’d recommend it for your next sandwich there.
Their Grandma DiBella’s Chocolate Chip Cookies were RIDICULOUS though. Soft, thin and chewy… and probably heart-​stoppers but from a guy who makes some pretty decent cookies, I thought these were fantastic for a sub shop counter grab.
Ordering was quick and easy but they were dead slow. Ron C. mentioned that service can be a little redundant having to repeat your order once you get to the cashier but in this instance my sandwich maker rang me up. It’s worth a try for sure… but Jersey Mike’s is still the place to beat in my book.

Wonderful food. I ordered the Godather and it was a fantastic edible experience. Absolutely delicious bread and a sensational selection of fresh cuts laced my sub. Dibellas single handedly transformed a mediocre work day into a delightful afternoon.

Best sub I have ever had, I think not, I would categorize it as just meh. Not something, I would do again for a few simple reasons. First and foremost is the staff, despite the sweet neck tattoo, I found the young «lady» a bit on the rude side, especially when speaking to fellow employees negatively in front of me. Secondly, when there is 10 plus people behind the ordering station, why would it take so long to pay and then receive my sub, not business quick lunch spot. Lastly, the shire waste in this place with no recycling offered. I would also love to see the P&L’s for this place, specifically the COGS section because I have never seen see such waste on paper, the wrap for my sub was as big as the table, I was glad I was alone or we would have to have sat at different tables.

PROS:
* Lots of choices for bread, cheeses, veggies, peppers and other toppings — yay, I like options!
* My medium sub was huge — a small would be more than enough (this could be a con, too)
* Free wifi
* Outdoor patio seating and tons of indoor seating, too
CONS:
* Buffalo sauce was all over the damn place — way too sloppy and soggy
* $ 1.79 for a regular pop — c’mon now!
* My lunch cost $ 9.31
Overall, it was pretty good and I would go back. It’s nice to have another option for a sub in the area. But I left feeling like, «Hmmm … I just spent almost $ 10 for a sub and a pop.» I’d definitely order a small sub next time and probably not a pop, which would take my bill closer to $ 6.

To preface, this review is based off of two separate experiences at this DiBella’s.
I started a new job in the area and was told i absolutely MUST try DiBella’s. It was my duty being a fat kid and a foodie by nature to try the place out. Walking in the line was long, but it moved rather quickly. Looking over their menu I couldn’t help but to question their slogan «The Best Sub You’ve Ever Have». They must be really egotistical or have an outstanding product to make such a bold statement. I later came to the conclusion it was not because of the latter. That is my opinion at least. I will tell you why.
I went in preparing to order a large and ended up getting a medium because the large bread they had on display looked gigantic. Others on here have praised how they pack in the meat and toppings, so I figured a medium would be plenty. However in my case they must have skimped a bit. I ordered the Cheesesteak and there wasn’t much steak in it. I could taste it in every bite, barely, but it could have definitely used more as the bread to filling ratio was off quite a bit. Also whomever made mine drenched it in their special oil dressing. It was pretty much all I could taste. I left unsatisfied and just over all let down and unimpressed.
During my previous visit I had donated a dollar for the charity they were supporting and in return received a sheet of coupons and felt a bit obligated to give them a second go. I try to always give a place I had a bad experience a second chance just in case I caught them on an «off» day. This time around I ordered their Meatball Sub, medium as well. I will admit this sub seemed bigger and had more in it than the last so I was a bit more optimistic about this trip.
When I think of a Meatball Sub traditionally I think moist flavorful balls of meat (hence why they are called Meatballs), a rich yet simple and tasteful marinara sauce and of course cheese. The Meatballs were pretty dense, but were still palatable. The sauce was far from traditional and had more of an Arrabbiata taste to it which is not my cup of tea. The cheese was okay, but overly melted to the point you could barely taste it.
I finished and headed back to work pondering if I would be adding this place to my list of local lunch spots and then it hit me like a brick and the answer was a resounding no. It literally felt like I had said brick in my stomach which lasted well over an hour until I was able to relieve myself if you get my drift. If you don’t catch what I am saying, by relieve I mean drop a deuce and by deuce I mean poop. Yes I said it. Sorry for being graphic, but if you have ever read any of my reviews you knew what you were getting yourself in to.
All in all for the price and the product it is just not worth it for me. I’ll stick to Jimmy John’s, Subway, Potbelly, etc. when I am in the mood for a sandwich. If only Ernie’s was closer to this office than I’d be in Heaven. Yeah baby!

Okay, so I was home sick with a migraine that had kept me up all night and I was regaining my hunger. What I REALLY wanted was a hoagie from Izzy’s in Ann Arbor, but I wasn’t willing to drive 50 miles to get one. So it dawns on me that I hadn’t yet tried DiBella’s yet, and it’s literally 1.5 miles away from my house. So I throw on some clothes and saddle-​up my guilt because I’m supposed to be on a diet (sorry honey), and head over to DiBella’s. Nice, big place — clean and looks like an old-​timey sandwich shop. Jazz music playing and lots of employees hustling about.
Long story short, here’s my rating breakdown on the food:
Food Quality — 5 stars
Food Flavor — 3 stars
The quality is great — REAL meat, REAL toppings, REAL bread — all made to order. I ordered a medium cheesesteak with meat, cheese, onions & peppers. It’s HUGE — like 10″ and massive. The bread is high quality and apparently made there.
But where was the flavor? I realize I didn’t order any extras like lettuce, tomato, mayo, oil or whatever else — I’m a PURIST! I want to taste the flavor of MEAT and CHEESE (and onions and peppers). I found the meat to be willfully under-​seasoned, the peppers to be overpowering and onions & cheese flavors to be non-​existent. Also, the bread was THICK — a little too thick for my taste. It was essentially ²⁄₃ soft bread and ¹⁄₃ filling — meat to bread ratio was off and because it’s just regular bread (not toasted), it was basically just bland white bread.
I’m not saying I hated it — but it was bland and boring. NOW — when I brought half of it home and «doctored» it up (added extra cheese, sald & pepper and threw it under the broiler to crisp) it was GREAT!
So, all in all. I’ll be back — I want to try the cold cut subs AND the french dip one. It’s a nice place and I’ll increase the ratings if I see fit!

I love a sub joint that has some history to it, and Dibellas has been serving subs since 1918. They started in a family run grocery store in Rochester, NY. God Bless the Dibella family for specializing in serving it’s customers high quality cold cuts & cheeses. I really do think that fans of subs appreciate it when a place does this. Having opened 32 locations in the last decade I am truly happy they found the Metro Detroit area.
A buddy of mine told me about Dibellas & I couldn’t believe how little activity this place has had on Unilocal.Having only been open a little over a month I guess it’s time to spread the word. The bread is baked fresh & is fricking awesome. It has the flavor & texture profile combinations of a pretzel, bagel & a sub bun. The meats are high quality as are the cheeses. We ordered the Godfather (salami, ham & capicola), the Old Fashioned (turkey, ham & salami) & the Dibellas Bomb-​Ass cheese steak (grilled steak, cheese, peppers & onions).
All 3 subs were loaded with meat & I was surprised how much they weighed having only costs $ 5.59 for a small. They cook all the hot subs on a flat top right in front of you. You can make any sub a combo with a pop, chip or a cookie for $ 2.50 more. My only complaint is when we started ordering our subs they seamed slow, clueless & unorganized. It turns out 3 people had quit & they just had their busiest rush since opening. I will gladly bump the stars up after my next visit, and to be honest I’m drooling with anticipation thinking about it. These subs are the real deal people, go check it out.

P. S. The cookies are as good as the subs!!!