Sub Station Pizzeria
 Wadsworth, Ohio        Date of Visit  03/31/16         No Known Website

Yes, our first official visit to the Wadsworth Sub Station set new depths on the disappointment meter. Then it burned down. Then there was a kick starter campaign. Then there wasn’t. Then out of nowhere, up one block, there is a Sub Station Pizzeria. Is it the same people? The sign hanging inside (the old outside one) suggests yes.

It’s much more modern inside, but they kept some of the more classic touches of the original space. All well and good.

There are some problems. It seems the hood is pulling all of the smoke and grease from the cook-station out of the restaurant, up through the ducts, and in a unique choice…back into the restaurant. It’s not as thick as the firefighters’ final exam we coughed through at Ninny’s Hotdogs in the Falls, but you still feel as though you finished half a pack while you were eating. Sandwiches, not plates, napkins, etc. Pizza came with plates and plasticware.

The service was friendly but a disorganized mess. No one was really sure what was on the sandwiches or pizzas, the menu hanging from the ceiling certainly doesn’t help, and the communication gap is much larger than the six physical feet between the counter and the grill. After some clarification, which got our order close to what we actually ordered, we sat and waited to see how the food turned out.
 

Turns out, it turned out much better than expected. I was surprised, having sat in the smoke for a while and having watched the counter circus continue as the place filled up, I figured chow would be a mess. We ordered two half sandwiches and a small pizza. Steph ordered her Italian sub hot (confusion sent us cold) but was tasty overall. The Mattwich a cheesesteak with extra cheese and bacon was actually sort of stupendous in all of its meaty glory. Both are served with mayo, banana peppers, lettuce, and tomato on crusty rolls. 
 

The pizza was also much better than I would have imagined. Brown crispy crust, sharp acidic sauce, real cheese running with salty dairy awesome. Greasy, in the best way possible. A few coins of pepperoni and there’s nothing to not like. I was expecting to be disappointed in the food, just couldn’t get there.

We started as the only ones in the place but it filled up and to go orders continually walked out the door. It’s been years since we risked the place, it won’t take as long again, but I think we’ll get it to go.