Jersey Giant Subs – Oakland Drive
7886 Oakland DriveMy little girl is 1! J and I have been asking ourselves how that happened for a couple weeks now. It seems like yesterday we were hanging out on the sixth floor at Borgess. My co-workers are already reminding me that it goes by fast as they take sent their babies off to college this year.
Along with turning one, it was time for L’s one-year check up at the pediatrician. We go to Borgess ProMed Pediatrics on Angling Road in Portage and L’s appointment was late in the afternoon. Neither one of us had eaten lunch yet and it was pushing dinner time, so I suggested a sandwich that would take care of both meals.
Jersey Giant Subs has opened their third Kalamazoo area location by taking over the space once occupied by Soup’R Heros on the corner of Oakland Drive and Centre Avenue in Portage right next to Full City Cafe.
If you’re familiar with Jersey Giant Subs, you won’t find any surprises in this new location. There’s a large open dining area with the order counter along one of the side walls. The large menu board with all 16 of the subs hangs behind the counter.
J and I eat at the Drake Road location quite often, so we both already knew what we wanted. I’m guessing the lady in front of us had never been to a JGS before as she was having a hard time grasping the concept….which really isn’t all that hard to grasp.
Once it was our turn to order, I went with my usual, the #8..also known as The Jersey Giant. I go with the wheat bread instead of the white. Both are delicious, but I’ve always thought the wheat at JGS actually tastes better. The bread is always so soft and the perfect vessel for getting the freshly sliced meats into my mouth.
The Jersey Giant comes standard with Ham, Cheese, Capacola, and Salami. While Jersey Giant doesn’t have a huge selection of veggies, they have the staples. My subs always get topped with lettuce and giardiniera. The best part of JGS, in my humble opinion, is the Italian vinaigrette. The oil and vinegar is liberally applied to the top of the sandwich. It’s then topped off with salt and oregano.
J’s sandwich of choice is the #13. She also typically goes with the wheat bread which is filled with fresh sliced ham and cheese. To top it off, she adds on lettuce, pickles, banana peppers, the vinaigrette and salt and oregano.
Since we had already been out of the house for a while, we had our sandwiches wrapped up to go. The bill for the two large sandwiches that would feed us for two meals was right around $18.
Just a few short years ago, I didn’t understand the Jersey Giant appeal. Now, it will be one of the things I miss the most should we (or they) ever leave Kalamazoo. It blows my mind that people still choose Subway over JGS. Both places serve cold meat sandwiches….but somehow, Jersey Giant makes them more deliciouser
The Jersey Giant
SW Michigan Dining 
I suppose if you want to put much credence into the Arby’s commercials that Subway’s meats are pre-sliced and shipped across country while JG slices “fresh” in front of you. Their Meatball sub isn’t bad either..