7th Street Cafe — Restaurant in Frederick

Earlier this evening, I went to this shop to grab dinner and had an extremely disappointing experience. When I walk inside, the employee is friendly and takes my order. I noticed there was a flyer in the window advertising for "K9s and Vines". Since I'm promoting a charity event in Frederick for Suicide Awareness and Prevention, I thought it'd be an appropriate addition to the other sign that was posted. I grabbed two flyers and asked the employee that took my order if he could give one to his manager/owner as a possible sponsor and I could put the other one up in the window and explained the charity. He said yes to both requests. After this, I paid and waited for my sandwich.

A man came back from behind the counter, walked out the door, walked back in, looking at the sign and looking at me. He did not greet me. He asked, "Did you do this?!" in regards to the sign, picking it up. I was kinda surprised by his tone and I said yes, so he took it off the window and tossed it at me, saying he should "Throw it away". I was completely caught off guard and just stared at him. He then went on to say that I should ask and "You can't just go putting things up in windows!". I then replied that I did ask and the employee said it was ok. He muttered at me and walked back behind the counter, reprimanding his employee in front of me, saying that he needs to "Run things by him,". After this, he went to the back again not to be seen again. If I hadn't already paid for my food, I would have walked out. A few minutes later, the guy who took my order gave me my food and I thanked them, asking who the man the scolded me was and what was his name. According to the employee, the man's name is Tom and he is the owner. I half expected Tom to come back out and apologize, thinking he just had an off moment. He did not.

Tom, it's bad business to scold customers. As the owner, you should be setting the standard high for everyone else to follow. You did not make me feel welcome in your restaurant and I will never return. What's shameful is your reaction to me trying to promote a charity that is saving people's lives. Not only did I ask permission, but there were other flyers in the window as well. If you'd taken a moment to actually greet me or talk to me, I would hope you could see it's an issue that deserves support just as much as "K9s and Vines". Hopefully you learn...

I've had one sandwich and an order of hush puppies from 7th Street, but I don't think that I'm going out on a limb by saying this might be one of the best sandwich shops in Maryland at their pricepoint. I've heard about the place from friends and colleagues these last few months typically completing their description with "you need to go check this place out."

I finished the Fish Poor Bo' sandwich from the Short Board selection minutes ago, and it was so damn good - the fresh baked bread, the large chunks of fried fish that had a decent crust but were still moist and warm on the inside, the balance of sweetness, salinity, sourness, and spice of their poor boy sauce - just yum. Complemented with the acidity of a cold Coke, it was divine. One of the best fish sandwiches that I've ever had. Moreover, it was just $5.95! I'd be happy getting this quality sandwich in a bar for $10-14. None of the sandwich place chains - Subway, Jersey Mike's, Jimmy John's - get close to this sort of execution and they frequently charge more.

Most of the 7th Street Sandwich Shop menu is very reasonably priced. A decent sized appetizer of hush puppies is $2.95. Their big sandwiches run in the $8-9 range.

I only hesitate in posting this review because it might drive more people to the place, which means competition. :) The line of customers was already 10 deep at 2pm today. However, these folks deserve the recognition. I'm almost tempted to investigate ("google") if they're a chain, or are ringers that have been planted here for a study. But in the end, I don't care. I'm just glad that one of the best sandwich shops in Maryland set up shop close to my work and will let...

Update 9/1/2021: I downgraded my review from 5 stars to 3 because of a string of poor experiences here. Lately, the ingredients just simply haven’t tasted as fresh. The bread I used to love just hasn’t hit the spot for me like it did before - always seems stale. Most recently, I ordered my favorite for takeout - the “Hey Dude” with added turkey, got charged extra (as expected) for the turkey, and found no turkey when I opened my sub - and of course, it was too late to go back and get it. From folks I’ve talked to, it sounds like this kind of thing isn’t exactly rare these days. Unless I start hearing better things, I’m probably not going to be back anytime soon.

Original review: Best sandwich place in Frederick. I'd eat here every day if I could afford it! I personally recommend adding some turkey to the "Hey Dude" veggie sub for one of the freshest, most flavorful sandwiches you'll ever have.

We tried the fries today after hearing people rave about them, but we weren't particularly impressed. They didn't taste nearly as fresh as the sandwich ingredients, but maybe that's how they're supposed to taste. Still, 5 stars because the prices are fair and the sandwich quality is second to none! Already can't...