Capriotti's Sandwich Shop — Restaurant in Fresno

SHORT VERSION: Good sandwich, good service, average price. Worth it!

LONGER VERSION: I've never been to a Capriotti's before. I was looking for an ice cream shop nearby that had a line out the door when I arrived, so I decided to be an adult and eat dinner before dessert.

It's a walk up counter (looked just like a Jersey Mike's with darker graphics, actually) with menu boards clear and easy to read above the cashier. I went back and forth between a couple of the many great-sounding choices before settling on a cheesesteak. That always risky. I've been to a number of really good cheesesteak places in my time, so many of the generic sandwich shops can't live up to my minimum expectations.

A medium sandwich and a fountain drink set me back $21 before tip, which is an the high side of average these days. To make matters worse, this is a Pepsi shop, and I'm a Diet Coke guy. I was worried about my sandwich.

Five minutes later, the woman working the grill arrived at my table and delivered a wrapped sandwich and a slug of napkins. I de-papered and took a look.

It looked good.

I have some weird allergies, so no onions or peppers for me, and I had them skip the mushrooms too (not really the texture I like on a cheesesteak). But the meat was grilled right and the cheese was melted in properly and I could feel the heat as I reached for my first half...

The roll was a soft french roll, which is wrong, but not bad. It was delicious and paired well enough. But (and this was just unexpected and odd, not bad) the roll was cold. Cheesesteaks usually come on a hoagie roll that's been at least warmed and usually toasted on a hot, buttery grill. Again, not boding well...

But my reservations largely passed away with the first bite. The fillings didn't just look good, they WERE good. Very good! No stringiness in the meat. Each bite was tender and tasty. The cold roll weirdness aside, it was a good sandwich and one I would totally order again. Though I might try some of the other sandwiches that caught my attention on the menu. The French dip is probably excellent, if it uses the same basic ingredients.

THE BOTTOM LINE: It was good! A little pricey, but no more so than any other decent shop these days. I'd definitely come back, if I'm in the area again. If you're thinking about...

I remember the first time I walked into Capriotti’s in Laughlin Nevada. 2 old Italian ladies, just like grandma making the best dam sandwich’s known to man. It was in the back of a casino, classic Italian music was playing, I sat down and ate the best sandwich I ever had. I frequented that Capriotti’s at least twice a month it was amazing every time. I moved to Fresno and was excited to see there was a capriottis here. Way way different experance! I walk in and there middle eastern music blasting, the prices are significantly higher and a snot nose kid who doesn’t care about much is making the sandwiches. I get my American wagu roast beef, the lettuce is overwhelming, brown and wilted. It’s by far no where near the same quality or experience as I really enjoyed so much in Laughlin Nevada. I’m really dissapointed. This capriottis is a generic watered down piss poor excuse for...

This is an update to the scathing review I posted yesterday. Jose the General Manager for this site contacted me and explained what was going on at this test location. Once that was done and he made everything right we will once again patronize this shop. And I removed the scathing review I posted yesterday, in all fairness. This is a premium sandwich shop and the product needs to match the price, Jose assured me they have stopped the procedures they were using yesterday and returned to the original way of making their sandwiches. Thank you Jose for the call and actions...