The Sheik Sandwiches and Subs — Restaurant in Jacksonville

I used to love The Sheik, especially the steak, egg, and cheese in a sack. It was one of my go-to comfort foods, and I remember it always being fantastic. Recently, I moved closer to one of their locations and decided to revisit after several years. Unfortunately, my experience was far from what I remembered.

First off, the prices have gone up significantly. I get it—inflation is a factor, but paying over $11 for a pita with some steak and cheese feels like too much. The menu listed it at just under $10, but there was an additional fee for using a card instead of paying with cash. In 2024, who carries cash around anymore? Still, I was willing to pay for the nostalgia hit, but I was left completely disappointed.

After paying $11, I hoped it would be worth it. Sadly, it wasn’t. I watched the lady prepare my order and was disheartened by the process. She grabbed a pita, opened a few tubs, and scooped out precooked eggs, steak, cheese, and onions into the pita. Then, she microwaved the whole thing.

For $11, I expected much more than a microwaved, reheated meal. This was honestly a horrible experience.

To The Sheik, I have to say: Take some pride in your food. If you want to charge these prices, your food needs to match. The last time I visited one of your locations was years ago at the Atlantic Boulevard spot, and I watched staff preparing food on a flat top. It may not have been cooked to order, but it was fresh, and the flavors were much better.

I understand that cooking steak to order can take time, and I'm not expecting that. But serving precooked eggs is lazy, and it just doesn’t taste good. The steak and onions could easily be reheated on a flat top to bring out better flavor, rather than being soggy and lifeless from the microwave. Given that you’ve been in business for so long, I would expect you to have a better sense of your peak times and traffic, and plan accordingly.

As a Jacksonville native, I used to recommend The Sheik to visitors. Now, I’ll be steering them elsewhere. If someone I’m with still wants that nostalgic taste I was chasing, I’ll just warn them to skip the trip and...

Upon pulling up to the drive thru menu to take our order, we were prompted to place our order more than three times in a minute period, even though we were the only people there to order. Once we placed, we pulled up to the window and gave our card. Then they hold onto my card for the entirety of the process, about ten minutes with my card in their possession. That was a huge security concern, and upon asking, they stated that it was customary for them to hold onto cards until they hand the food out. That alone is enough for me to never go again. Along with the overpriced, concession stand quality food, just save your money. Burger King...

The Burger is like a whopper from Burger King, but better. I recommend it. You can get seasoning on your fries which is nice. Speaking of fries, there's only one size (small).The Steak in a sack is really good. I also like the grilled chicken pita. The camel rider is good, but they put a lot of mayo on it. Also, don't come to the drive thru if you want a fast experience.Actually, most of the places downtown have a slow drive thru.I didn't live in the 70's, but it reminds me of places on old shows from that time. 🙂 It kind of looks like another local place called Lubi's (which I also recommend). So, all in all, I...