Capriotti's

Update: Closed.

In a word: Novel but not notable.

The specs: #0538  
Address, hours & details via Isthmus; reviews at Jacki's Kitchen, The Sunday Chef, 77 Square, Tasty Lies, mention at Isthmus, listing at EatDrinkMadison; official web site, Facebook,

Latest Capriotti's news and reviews

JM ate the Bobbie with a fountain drink.
Nichole ate the Capastrami with a fountain drink.
The bill was $20, or $10/person.
JM gave Capriotti's a B; Nichole gave Capriotti's a B- (see our grading rubric).

Capriotti's is a Delaware chain transplant that's arrived in Madison by way of Vegas, baby. This we gathered from the friendly folks behind the counter and the friendly timeline on the wall. The place was dead for the dinner hour, but they said lunch is brisk - not as brisk as the store on the Strip, but sounds like they're doing OK.

The pastrami on the Capastrami was pretty dang good. A good purple slaw plus Swiss and Russian dressing led to perfect sandwich fusion but the bread was soft... too soft.

JM liked the Bobbie (Thanksgiving on a roll) well enough, though it might have been better warm. The stuffing was moist and full of herbs but otherwise nondescript. The cranberry sauce was homogeneous as jelly - as expected, it was indeed his least favorite part, though it is playful.

Though $20 seemed a mite steep for a couple sammies and drinks, to be fair, both subs were bigger than advertised (9" was more like 11" and 12", 14"), and we did have an insane amount of leftovers. Still, there wasn't enough at Capriotti's to draw us out to officeparkland on a special trip.

Comments

[Kat]

As I'm sure you've deduced, Officeparkland = the reason they're brisk at lunch. I work across the street, and while we have some pretty decent lunch options already, we're always grateful to have more. A few of my coworkers have tried Capriotti's and loved it, but I haven't yet found anything on the menu that's called to me. My lunch money still goes to Panera.

[John]

I've actually eaten there twice now, and thanks to a second $3-off survey deal, will likely be back. Both times, the Philly cheesesteak was a large, delicious, mess. It takes a while to make the food (though that means its fresh), and they are a bit on the expensive side, but it's a lot of food - and its darn good, though I can't speak for its authenticity.

[Bobby]

get a share or facebook like button...it's 2010 already

[Jon]

I went there today for the first time and tried the Bobbie - I thought it was pretty good. As you mentioned, it probably would have been better if served warm. My friend had the cheesesteak which looked awesome. Yes they're a bit pricey but not a bad value for the amount of food and the quality. I will definitely be going back.

[Mike]

Those are kind of their gimmicky sandwiches you guys tried.

The regular turkey, with mayo, pickles and crushed peppers, is pretty much divine. I'm a little addicted to them. Other standouts are the roast beef which is like leftover grandma's brisket on a bun, the grilled italian, and I like the capistrami without slaw or dressing, with provolone, pickles and brown mustard.

Then again, I live here out in officeparkland and Capriotti's is on my way home from work. It's usually not too crazy busy nights and weekends, but lunch time on a work day the place is mobbed and then some.