The Great Outdoors Sub Shop

I’ve been going to Great Outdoors since the early 1980s and after living in 3 other cities around this great land of ours I can still say this is the best place for a traditional cold cut sub.
The breads, white, wheat, or croissant are great. Meat and cheese are freshly sliced at a deli slicer. Ingredients are fresh and free aside from avocado. The «juice» is a mixture of oil and vinegar, so it’s not for everyone. You will taste the vinegar. Sandwiches served warm are microwaved so it’s not as good as toasting. I stick with the cold sandwiches. My favorites are the turkey, rare roast beef, tuna, and turkey pastrami. Chicken salad is amazing on a croissant but I assume not as healthy as other options. The potato salad side is the tastier than any local BBQ joint’s if you don’t mind a little sweetness. And they have the best dill pickles I’ve ever eaten. Lemonade is awesome — freshly squeezed to order. No Coke — Pepsi!
The employees vary from newbees to folks dressing sandwiches since the 80s. I’ve seen so many long-​timers I’ve wondered if it’s a cult.
The sandwiches today are indistinguishable from 1983. Unfortunately the only reason I’m not giving it 5 stars — the décor is indistinguishable from 1983, or much earlier. If you don’t mind character it won’t be an issue. But I don’t think the floors have been redone since it was a feed store.
Still, this is THE sandwich I jones for. Someday I’ll retire to Colorado and open a knock off.

We have eaten here for decades. Always delicious, staff is always friendly.
#7 and #8 all the way, yum!

I just placed an order over the phone not less than five minutes ago. The lady that answered was so rude. I’ve only been to the one in Fort Worth and they were all nice. I was actually thinking of trying this one out the now I’m completely turned off from it. I can’t deal with rude people. Customer service is number one for me when I go to eat anywhere unless the food is phenomenal and from past experience this place doesn’t serve phenomenal food it’s just good.
Yep. I went to go pick up my order and got the same rude woman to check me out. Terrible service and the neighborhood is low class, low income and I see where they get their workers also it’s unsafe to go at night if your a woman. This area has a high crime rate.
I only came here to pick up an order for a customer. I will never come back for myself ever again.

I generally like Great Outdoors so I know what they are like, but had never been to this one. Wow, what rude people. I went there to get a to-​go order today and was standing in line when the counterperson started making sandwiches for the people behind me and the other girl in front of me started cleaning. I asked what was the deal and the woman yelled at me and told I was standing in the wrong place. When I asked how would I know this? She told me, you just should (I had just stood behind the people in front of me). She continued making food for the next two groups behind me when I asked her so are you going to make something for me or should I just go elsewhere. She replied you can do what you want. The only reason I stayed was that my wife had specially requested a sandwich from there and had just given birth to our second child last week so you do what they ask ;-) I got the other girl to make the sandwiches finally (after 20 minutes of standing) and got to the check out person who makes the drinks and asked for a couple of shakes, which she replied that she put together a to go order for someone person waiting in the dinning room so it would be a while. I was so tired of standing there I just paid for my sandwiches and left. Not once did they apologize or try to make things right. All the service you would expect from the US Post Office (only worse).
The sandwiches were ok, but nothing special. The meat was the typical processed stuff that you would get at a cheap deli. The vegetables were probably cut up yesterday so were wilted and warm. Frankly, subway is better.
Overall, terrible service, a complete dive (which I am ok with) and mediocre food for $ 10 per sandwich… there are so many better options. Personally, I like Grapevine Subs (all Boar’s Head) ten times better.

I have a hard time adequately rating the place… It’s in a weird, dare i say bad, location, plus the inside looks old in a dated-​looking way (as opposed to old in a charming way).
Pastrami and cheese was fine, just small. Really, there was nothing too different from other chain-​based sandwich shops like Jersey Mikes or Firehouse. I just don’t see what was so special about it. Maybe Great Outdoors, at one point in time, was a pretty good sandwich shop that put care into its product and atmosphere; it’s just not that anymore.

People who judge this place so harshly are ridiculous. It’s a hole in the wall deli that freshly slices your meat and cheese. Add whatever you want and call it a day, it’s a sandwich people. If it’s so bad or expensive go home put in some effort and make it yourself! Tired of unnecessary bitching, could it be better? Sure. But honestly ITS A SANDWICH!!!

Incredibly rude employees, especially the girl who runs the drive through. It’s really unfortunate that they have such rude service, but such incredible sandwiches. The Great Outdoors in Fort Worth has much more friendly employees. This location has a problem.

I’ve been wanting to try this place for awhile but never got around to it. On my way home I’d have to turn around and the area looks so small and tight.
Im crazy about sandwiches but was disappointed in this shop. I ordered a turkey and provolone sub, cheese broccoli soup, chips and brownies. Sorry to say the brownie I ate after was the best of all.
The sandwhich seemed lacking. Not sure how to describe it. It wasn’t horrible but I would have been happier with jersey mikes or which wich. Toppings: lettuce, cucumbers, tomato, pepperoncinis, sprouts, red onion and avacado. It was fine but nothing special.
The cheese broccoli soup tasted like bacon and broccoli. Very very little cheese flavor. And I still had to add salt because it was bland even with the smokey bacon flavor.
Chips are a big thing for me too when I eat a sandwhich. I ordered jalapeño and said and vinegar. Synders brand. Were fine enough.
I was disappointed in general. Wanted to give it 3 stars because I thought maybe I was judging too harshly based on other tasty sandwhich shops I’ve been to. I decided on 2 stars on the basis that I will most likely never eat here again.

To be clear: This is only about sub sandwiches, not fine dining, yet we are still paying money for it and thus can justifiably rate quality and experience. If anything, the bar should be set higher than other restaurants because the preparation and skill is so basic. It may seem trivial but any of us can make a sandwich at home, and competition exists almost on every block.
Overall, this North Texas chain lives by its 40-​year legacy, not by the greatness of its fare. This Greenville Avenue store is obviously a grandfathered location with an awkward, tiny lot with limited parking and servicing a drive-​thru window on the side. There is a front door but you enter through the back, unless you want to dodge cars in a narrow lane and circle the building.
Breakfast and lunch sandwiches and salads are ordered by number and dressed as you specify. Had the Outdoorsman (#12) on wheat, which is a specialty sub with a variety of meats all sliced thin and stacked together, essentially making them into a thick, indistinguishable slab. I went with «the works» for toppings and ordered it warm, and was disappointed when it was simply popped into a microwave.
Was it a tasty sandwich? Meh, decent food but a soft, squishy mess as the microwaved bread was soaked through by the end. Ordered a cup of broccoli cheese soup, which was redeemable with fresh veg in a Velveeta sauce. («Soups» are advertised as a menu category but only two are ever available.) All this and a drink topped more than $ 12 for just lunch.
As I said, competition among sandwich shops is found everywhere so your game has to be better than the shop or grocer next door, or even within your own office tower. Too easy to find much better sandwiches almost anywhere, especially for the price.

I felt like I was at Dick’s Last Resort with their attitudes… The food is great here. I think they have some of the best sandwich bread around. That being said, their attitudes suck. They very apparently hate their jobs and yell to get customers attention. They are pushy and I was done with it. Today I bought $ 40 worth of food for myself and my friends and at the end of it the cashier /​drink preparer explicitly asked me to sign my credit card receipt (and thus give a tip). I looked at her and told her I would give her a tip, «learn how to treat customers and your next tip will come in the form of a monetary reward.» Again, great food. TERRIBLY RUDE (unnecessarily rude) staff.

Probably just a bad day and short of help. Service was extremely slow and the food was decent. Nothing spectacular but a solid place

I get my all time favorite sandwich here… the #21. They have a drive thru… takes a bit but nice when you don’t want to get out of your car. Staff are nice.

I actually do not like this location as much as I like the ones in Richardson and West Plano. I am a huge fan of Great Outdoors, but a couple things were off when I visited this store.
— The parking lot has space for about 3 – 4 cars, and this is a somewhat high traffic area so sometimes that will not be enough. I noticed afterwards there is a small lot in the back, but it feels a bit out of the way to access it.
— I always order the Outdoorsman #12: Turkey Pastrami, Capicola, Spiced Ham, Salami, Bologna, Pepperoni & Cheese. It is by far their most delicious sandwich, the sandwich was just ok, usually I rave about the Outdoorsman. I don’t know how to describe what was wrong with it, maybe the meats were sliced thinner then I was use to? It just didn’t taste the same, it could have been an off day =/​.
I will probably try it again since Great Outdoors is my absolute favorite sub shop with Jersey Mikes coming close in second.

Delicious subs! They have a gluten free option, which is an actually 6″ sub size. They have a unique way of making their sandwiches, they add the regular lettuce, tomatoes, onions, oregano seasoning, parmesan cheese and thousand island dressing. I found it to be very satisfying and delicious.

I stopped here this morning on my way to work for a breakfast sandwich. The prices were reasonable for sub sandwiches, but the breakfast sandwiches were a little high, in my opinion.
I ordered a breakfast croissant, with bacon, egg and cheddar cheese. While the sandwich was large it still cost over $ 6 which was tad too much when I could get the same sandwich for $ 2.10 at Maple Donuts.
The employees were very friendly and offered me a punch card. Tuesday is double punch day. Which is good to know.
All in all, I will probably give this place one more shot and order a sub sandwich instead of something for breakfast.

Finally I had stumbled upon the Great Outdoors Sub Shop when I was in Dallas. I had heard so much about this shop from people, even some tempted to drive hundreds of miles just for a taste of their offerings, so I had to try it for myself.
There are a variety of sandwiches on the menu, however many seemed geared towards a pork base [ham, salami, pepperoni, etc]. I opted for the Outdoorsman [turkey pastrami, capicola, spiced ham, salami, bologna, pepperoni & cheese]. They slice the meat in front of you, so they’re not pulling it out pre sliced from who knows where like other sandwich shops.
I wanted to see what the works was all about [lettuce, red onions, tomatoes, wine vinegar, salad oil, oregano, parmesan & salt], but I 86’d the onions. Unfortunately the sandwich wasn’t anything special to me. It wasn’t bad, but seemed «basic» to me. I added some italian peppers to the sandwich for some kick, but overall the salami and pepperoni flavors shined through many of the others. I do have to note that the Sinclair’s salt & vinegar chips which are served here are quite good. The vinegar offers a very good «bite» with the salt coming on after.
There is a small lot in the back and the staff is fast and friendly. The soda fountain was out of order on my visit, but these things happen. They have a variety of bottled drinks available as well.

The sandwiches are good but they slice the meat, cheese and tomatoes so thin you can see through them. You will still be hungry after eating one and your going to pay about $ 7 – 8 for a regular size.
Their portions make u wish they at least sliced the food the size of subway… and u know that’s a portion you don’t want to be less than.
Take my word for it or find out the hard way

This place seemed like a hole-​in-​the-​wall that I had to try, and for some reason I built up expectations for this place and was unfortunately let down.
I got the Summer Sub on wheat. Unique combo of ingredients that I appreciated but it was also nothing really special. I was not full at all, and was surprised at the cost for the unfulfillingness.
Maybe I need to try something else next time?

I’ve been coming to this location and the one byRichardson for almost three years now and I’m always impressed with every sub I try. My favorite is the #17 with the works, campfire mayo, and I add capacola mmmmmm.
The ice cream specials everyday are amazing and taste nothing short of home made. Everyone has always been courteous and sometimes go above and beyond for people that might be exhausted with the menu. Everything can changed or substituted to my knowledge and with all the ingredients being fresh and sliced to order in front of you.
Reasonably priced and they offer a punch card for rewards which I love to go on Double Punch Tuesdays. After eating at Subway, Jimmy Johns, Jersey Mikes, etc for the first part of my life and then finally finding the best sub for me after moving to North Dallas area was like gaining entrance to Shangri La.
Repeat guest for life

For me this The Great Outdoors is a landmark type of place. When I moved to Dallas years ago, one of the first places I started eating at on a regular basis was TGO.
The staff has always been fun, friendly, and fast! The product is fresh and made the way you like it and want it. You can’t beat that, that’s what you want in any place you do business.
So needless to say, after all these years, TGO is still at great place for lunch or a quick sandwich grab.