Counter Service - West 14th Street — Restaurant in New York

Update: I went with a colleague again this week (3/4/2025) and we ordered ahead! It was super quick in-and-out. We both got the Banh Mi and it was honestly so tasty. I definitely enjoyed it even more than the Cortese. I also got the pretzels again which had a little more heat to them that I really enjoyed not sure if I just got a spicier pack or they tweaked the recipe but yum. I also got the Chocolate chip cookie and wow.. really nice flavor with the little sprinkle of salt and slightly caramelized bottom. The flavor of the browned butter also comes through nicely. Definitely a contender for best chocolate chip cookie in the city. Although, I think, Culture Cafe's cookie is still my favorite.

The overall atmosphere is still very rough, but they remembered me when I came in. This, along with the addition of the Cookie and the Banh Mi im upping my review from 4 to 5 stars.

Original Review 2/27/2025

I throughly enjoyed my pork (The Cortese) sandwich and the Sweet & Spicy pretzels. I also appreciated the touch of a handwritten note in the bag! The space was pretty rough it felt like I just walked into a ghost kitchen rather than a storefront and was a little surprised to find that to order you need to scan their QR code and order through their website.

You don’t often find a quick serve place with such complex flavors. The Cortese sandwich features thinly sliced pork loin, broccoli rabe, provolone cheese and a bright almost creamy salsa verde. I think for me it was a little heavy on the salsa verde and muted the other flavors of the sandwich and made it a little messy to eat at my desk. The pork was flavorful when I pulled it out from the sandwich and the broccoli rabe was cooked really nicely but I lost a bit of the bitter bite through the salsa.

The pretzels were a nice crunch and it’s clear they are either making or sourcing some excellent pretzels for these. My only note is I felt like it lacked a little heat from a sweet and salty pretzel it was missing either heat or another element to really make them crave worthy.

I was also surprised to find the addition of the pickles on the side. It was a nice bonus and helped to break up how heavy the sandwich was.

The overall portion size was perfect for me. I look forward to trying the Banh Mi and I'm very curious to try the Yeuben. I'll...

First things first, the food was delicious. I ordered the yeuben and the banh mi. Both were great. The yeuben was a little small for the price, but I do think it's an innovative sandwich and the flavors and bread were good. The banh mi had a good ratio of meat and pickled vegetables, but I could have done with less mayo and maybe more pate.

The service was fine. It's a pick-up/delivery spot, so there is limited interaction, which is honestly fine with me. The door has the name of the restaurant on it but is a little discreet. A FedEx guy went through the same entrance for his delivery, so it feels like a service entrance. Or maybe a speakeasy sandwich shop. The pick-up area is a little haphazard but clean and mostly organized. Not much atmosphere, but again, I'm here to pick up a sandwich. No seating.

All in all, I thought the sandwiches were delicious, and I would order again if I'm in the area. The price for the yeuben was definitely on the high side (but I hadn't seen this kind of tofu skin preparation before), while the banh mi was...

Friend and I stumbled upon this sandwich place and I’m sure glad we did! We split the Bahn Mi and the Cortese (Roast Pork and Broccoli Rabe) and both were incredible! As other reviews have mentioned the flavors are amazing but what was so unique for me was how clearly you could taste each of the ingredients - from the herbs to the perfectly roasted meats to the pickled veggies in the bahn mi and provolone in the Cortese - before everything comes together for the perfect bite. They should also bottle the salsa verde and sell that! Where other places stumble and Counter Service also shined was their bread - perfectly textured on the outside and pillowy soft on the inside. We topped the meal off with their sweet and savory pretzel pieces and a chocolate chip cookie topped with a touch of salt. Perfection!

I can’t wait to go back to try the rest of the menu - particularly the roast beef sandwich and...