Jose’s Cuban Sandwich & Deli (Lansing)
401 S. Pennsylvania AvenueI feel like I’ve been on the road constantly lately. Someone at worked asked me late last week how I’m not exhausted. Trust me, I am.
I was in Lansing for an assignment the week I got back from Los Angeles. I was meeting a co-worker from Grand Rapids then heading back to Kalamazoo so I figured I would have a little bit of time to grab a sandwich or something before heading home.
Our task was done just before noon. We figured out a plan for finishing our respective parts of the job in our own offices so neither of us had to drive anymore than we needed to.
When we separated for the day, I headed to grab something to eat before hoping on 496 to head back to Kalamazoo.
I found Jose’s Cuban Sandwich & Deli on S. Pennyslvania Avenue and East Kalamazoo Street. The small deli is inside the Marathon Station on the corner just north of I-494. This is one of two locations in Mid-Michigan. The other is in Williamston on Grand River Drive and is a standalone restaurant instead of taking up counter space in a gas station as this one does.
The restaurant is really just a small kitchen with an order window on one side of the store. They had just opened at noon and I walked in probably at about 10 minutes after. I looked over the menu on the wall while the lone employee finished getting stuff ready.
I feel like there was something in this space way back in 2008 and 2009 when we lived in Lansing but I don’t see anything in my archives on the blog I wrote while we lived there. I can’t remember what I think it was and the pictures are too blurry on Google street view for me to figure it out.
I kept it simple and just ordered a Cuban sandwich. They do it a little weird and add onions and mayo to a traditional Cuban. I asked to leave those off and just go with what I know as a Cuban sandwich. They call it a “Midnight Sandwich.” There are combo options which include a choice of side, but I stuck with just the sandwich.
The cost was a little over $9 and it took a little over five minutes for my sandwich to be assembled, grilled and passed over to me.
The Midnight Sandwich is roast pork, ham, Swiss cheese, onion (left off), mustard, mayo (also left off) and pickles on a sweet bun. The sandwich is pressed down tight so it’s pretty thin but it packs a lot of food and a lot of flavor into each bite.
The roast pork is the first thing you notice because it’s the bulk of the sandwich. The ham is there with a little saltiness to offset the tang of the mustard and pickles.
I’m a big fan of Cuban sandwiches. It’s simple but when done right, it’s delicious. On this day, I was look for something quick, cheap, and tasty. Jose’s Cuban Sandwich & Deli nailed all three.
SW Michigan Dining 