Ski’s Sub Shop
96 Monroe Center NW #105I did not waste anytime going back to work after my trip to Los Angeles. My boss offered to let me take a few days off but I didn’t want to lose the overtime. I did, however, want Friday off. My daughter had some things during the day I wanted to go to and since I would have the hours, that was the day I wanted off. It felt weird to take Wednesday off, work Thursday, take Friday off.
I headed up to the main office in Grand Rapids Wednesday morning because my usual co-worker in Kalamazoo was still on his two week vacation to California. We had a meeting with the new boss that I was interested in and they needed me up there anyway.
I got some free time around lunch time and I was really hungry. I didn’t want to eat a vending machine sandwich so I clocked out for my break and headed to get gas so I didn’t have to do it on my way home.
Just before Christmas I saw an article in Mlive about a sub shop in downtown Grand Rapids. I knew it was there..I had just never been there. Mlive featured it in their Michigan’s Best Local Eats series. I figured that was my sign to go to this shop I have walked by for 13 years and never stopped at.
Ski’s Sub Shop is in the Founders Building in downtown Grand Rapids on Monroe Center NW just to the east side of Ottawa Avenue. The shop has been downtown since the late 1970’s, in it’s current spot since 1986 and claims to have the “Best Lunch Deal in Downtown Grand Rapids.”
When you walk in the door, you do not walk right in to the sub shop. There is a long hallway that you have to navigate to find the shop kind of near the middle of the building.
There are arrows on the floor to help guide the way. There is a coffee shop that you see when you walk in and thought that was Ski’s at first but realized it looked more like a coffee shop than a sub shop. I looked down and noticed the arrows that eventually brought me to the right place.
There was a guy vacuuming when I walked up around 2:30. I thought they closed at 3:00 so I thought I was good on time. I asked if he was still open and he said yes and followed me back in to the space.
That space…it’s not big and it’s not fancy. There is a counter that separates the customer from the very small workspace where the sandwiches are assembled.
The menu hangs on a board next to the counter. It’s basically just what combination of meats do you want on your sub. The daily lunch special has three options that change daily and come with a bag of chips and a drink for less than $10.
I picked Ski’s Deluxe which is pretty much everything they have on a baked locally sub bun. I didn’t need the chips or a drink so I just went a la carte on the sandwich. It was assembled pretty quickly, wrapped up, and handed over. This is the biggest sandwich on the menu and the price came in under $10 at $9.50.
There is a small dine in area with four tables and some brightly colored plastic chairs but this man was trying to clean up for the day and I had to get back at work so I headed out.
The Ski’s Deluxe sandwich is bologna, salami, ham, roast beef, American and Provolone cheeses, mayo, mustard, lettuce, tomato, pickles, onion, banana peppers, and mushrooms. I asked to leave the mayo and onion off. I didn’t see the mushrooms on the menu or I would have kept them off as well. I noticed before the first bite so I just pulled them off.
The sandwich is so simple and yet, it’s so delicious. There’s nothing fancy about these subs and that’s probably what has kept them in business all these years. It’s a simple sandwich at a good price. There’s a large chain sandwich shop just across the street if you want bigger and more options but Ski’s Sub Shop has survived all these years by being a quick, cheap, and most of all, delicious lunch stop. I can’t believe I’ve walked by this place for 13 years and never thought to stop in.
SW Michigan Dining 