Austin B.
Yelp
tl;dr the first bites are spectacular at this upscale sandwich-ery, the end of the meal won't necessarily leave you planning your next trip back
Philly is a sandwich city through-and-through, so any challenger for the "best sandwich" title has to stand out. Stockyard Sandwich Co. aims to do that through its "farm-to-takeout" concept, using premium ingredients and upscale culinary techniques to craft a memorable takeout experience. Pick-up was simple -- just a quick phone call once I arrived, and a worker had my bag ready to go.
I opted for the Braised Beef Sandwich (Stockyard's sophisticated take on a cheesesteak) with a side of Fried Potatoes. The first bite of the sandwich was magnificent. With the rich onion-and-mushroom gravy, I almost was fooled to think I was eating a Sunday roast. Unfortunately, the good vibes did not last the entire meal. My once-crisp baguette quickly eventually descended into mushiness, and the richness that originally took me off guard felt single-note by the end. And I had only walked 2 blocks before enjoying my meal -- too much longer, and I'm afraid the sandwich would not have help up at all.
The fries similarly started out incredible, The large hunks of russets were fried up extra-crispy, seasoned generously with salt and herbs, and perfectly balanced by "stock sauce," a sweet aioli. However, the small stock sauce was nowhere near enough for the large serving of fries; by the end, and without sauce, my fries were similarly single-note! Also, and admittedly minor, I wish each fry was slightly smaller; each chunk felt uncomfortably sized at 1.5x bites.
At $17 total, Stockyard hits the wallet a little harder than the tastebuds. With good sandwiches galore throughout the city, I don't envision myself going out of my way for Stockyard all too often moving forward.