When a restaurant does sandwiches really well, it doesn’t need to offer a lot of them. I know that can be said for most specialized restaurants, but the massive variety of sandwiches in the world makes finding a small menu more unusual. By smartly limiting a customer’s options, Boo-Boo’s Sandwiches focuses on making the ones they do offer stand out from the competition.
The sandwiches at Boo-Boo’s start with a solid foundation of homemade bread. The slim, sesame seed-studded, baguette-style loaves are baked each morning just a couple doors away at Soup Brothers, which is also owned by Richard Regner. By the time it gets to you in your sandwich, it’s got a deep brown color, medium crust and fluffy interior. It holds everything together handily and is hardly an afterthought.
Since Boo-Boo’s took the former spot of Philly Way, it’s only appropriate that they carry on the cheesesteak legacy. The Milly Philly ($8.50) is one of the best in the city, especially compared to other fast-food or fast-casual versions. Steak is sliced wafer thin and griddled with chopped onions, then piled onto the split baguette along with provolone cheese. The beef has actual flavor and plenty of seasoning, something weirdly lacking in other versions. For 50 cents, I opted to add the house cheese sauce but found it rather thin and bland, especially compared to the sharp provolone. Mushroom or green pepper add-ons might prove a better choice.
Most of the other sandwiches on the menu are also served hot. The K Jon Chicken ($8.50) is kind of a Cajun and Greek mash-up. Big, tender cubes of chicken breast are cooked on the flattop along with onions, sliced sweet peppers and a thin, tangy sauce, then topped with provolone, cucumber slices and tzatziki. You can choose between hot and mild versions of this sandwich, but the former wasn’t noticeably spicy. The sauce, which was liberally applied, was sweet and barbecue-like and became homogeneous with the tzatziki into a creamy concoction. The tasty workhorse bread held up just fine.
You can get the same tasty chicken breast in a buffalo chicken sandwich with onions, sweet peppers and muenster cheese ($8.50), or try thinly-sliced pork loin in the Happy Pappy ($8.50) with spicy mango sauce. The Sloppy Johnny ($6.50) is their version of a sloppy joe made with ground beef, chopped mushrooms, peppers and onions, held together with melted cheddar.
Four options make up the cold sandwiches, including albacore tuna salad ($7.50). It’s a pretty standard tuna-and-mayo mix, along with minced celery for crunch. What puts this tuna salad over the top is the heavy addition of capers, giving most bites a briny pop. You can also get the tuna salad in melt form with American cheese and sweet peppers on whole wheat bread. A vegetarian brie, avocado, tomato and basil sandwich ($7.50) is dressed with balsamic vinaigrette, as is the Genoa salami and red onion sandwich ($7.50).
All sandwiches are served with a side of either chips or French fries. While Boo-Boo’s used to make the fries in-house, they’ve switched to frozen, though they’re respectable and topped with a bit of parmesan cheese. The chips, however, are now homemade and quite good. They’re relatively thick and substantial, but still plenty crunchy and served warm. I’m normally a fry person, but these chips were the winner.
Soup also makes an excellent side, since Soup Brothers know what they’re doing. Upgrade to a soup and sandwich combo ($11.50) and choose between three different options: cheddar and Bermuda onion, spinach and fennel or red pepper bisque. All are great for dipping and are served in a charming array of mismatched bowls.
Equally quirky is the colorful, Bohemian décor, complete with artificial fireplace in the enclosed patio, photographs hanging from clothespins and carpet that spells out the restaurant’s name inside the front door (look closely!). It’s small and a little bare bones, but it’s got personality in spades. Between the welcoming atmosphere, helpful employees and exceptional sandwiches, it’s easy to see why Boo-Boo’s is a favorite lunch stop.
