Rae’s Gourmet Catering & Sandwich Shoppe

Great subs. Sarcastic service & customers. Not the best social environment.
My advice: go early or go late during business hours.

I’ve been to Rae’s several times and they have yet to disappoint!
Shrimp Poboy is amazing
Shrimp Bisque… YES!
TPR Reuben is wonderful
The brownie is to die for!
I didn’t enjoy the gumbo as much. A little too thick.
Definitely a MUST TRY!

I’ve only had their hot sandwiches and every time it does not disappoint. The three that I’ve had were the hot brown, Monte cristo, and crab cake (only available on Fridays) sandwiches. Their soup changes daily but I’ve only had their potato and leek soup. It is very delicious, flavorful, and super creamy.
My favorite part is that you can get half a sub with a small cup of soup for less than $ 8. That is a deal for lunch. However, the lunch crowd is pretty bad and the line can get very long. I always try to get there at 11 when they open so that I don’t have to wait for a long time. It’s definitely worth the wait though!

Five stars for a terrific made-​to-​order sandwich. It’s not quite a deli, but it’s definitely five steps up from any Subway or Quizno’s you’ll ever have. I opted for the «Hot Brown» which was a smoked turkey sandwich, topped with bacon tomato and a creamy cheesy sauce. Very peppery, but very tasty. Good sized sandwich, it was excellent.
This place gets busy and there can be a line, but it’s totally worth it. Some seating inside.

Great little sandwich place with fresh sandwiches and soups. It’s a good option if you need to escape from bbq/​heavy food for a bit.

Go on Thursday’s for the beer cheese soup. Super spicy and delicious! Creative menu and friendly staff. Thanks Rae’s!

Absolutely love this place! Food is great and they have great soups. Come early on Thursday or the line for the beer cheese will be out the door!

Got in just before noon and the line was… at the door on a Thursday.
Plenty of amazing options on the board, make sure you look at the specials for the day because I missed that, but. it. did. not. matter.
I had Rae’s Reuben and it was absolutely glorious. $ 7.50 after tax so your standard lunch price in downtown Nashville. Love the bread, and getting pickles with it was a good idea. The texture and juiciness of the corned beef was perfect, although I wish there was more of it than the sauerkraut. Either way… awesome place to get food! Looked like there was plenty of space to sit, but I had it to go.
They accept Apple Pay and Google Wallet now, too.

They made the line experience fun by joking with regulars. The best reuben I’ve ever had.

Two sandwich shops sit across the street from one another, and they couldn’t be more different, at least in regards to quality. One one side of 5^th Avenue is Subway, with it’s Jared-​inspired subs heaped with pounds of imported vegetables and funky sauces. For $ 5 you can get a footlong Italian BMT.
But, across 5^th, nestled in-​between a law firm and a sub-​par Tex-​Mex joint sits Rae’s Gourmet. For all intents and purposes (i.e., eating) it’s the only place on this corner that matters. I’ve been a fan of Rae’s for years, but today I decided it had earned a glowing five-​star review, complete with all the superlatives and accolades.
I don’t normally give out 5-​star reviews, but Rae’s deserves it. It’s combination of quality, value, service, and friendliness, makes it a must-​visit spot in downtown Nashville. Ask any of the 55,000 downtown employees what they’re favorite downtown spots are, and you’ll hear Rae’s on almost every list.
First off, they get all the basics right. Fresh bread, high quality meats and cheeses, and plenty of delicious combinations thereof. I’m a fan of the Angus Po-​Boy, which is topped with «magic mushroom,» cheese sauce, and tomato (you need a fork to eat it). Also, their take on a Reuben is legit.
But even more impressively, they do daily specials, from crab cakes to beer cheese soup. And allow me to pause for a minute to praise this beer cheese soup. Spicy, cheesy, with a hint of lager, it is ri.dic.u.lous. I’m a little sick today, and I think the combo of hot, cheesy, beer-​y goodness is nudging me towards healing (insert praise-​hands emoji).
When you walk into Rae’s, you get asked to call your order out from the back of the line. If you’ve been there before, you get asked if you want what you got last time. If you’re a regular, they list your usual choices and ask you to pick. By the time you pay, your food’s ready. Yeah. They’re that good. You feel just ever-​so-​slightly cared for in a way that makes you want to come back tomorrow. Don’t know what you want? Ask for help. They’ll get ya served up right.
I’ve yet to meet a person who didn’t like Rae’s. If you are downtown and want to eat like locals eat, stop in at Rae’s. It WILL NOT disappoint.

Rae’s lives up to reviews. I ordered the wicked chicken and the calypso. The sandwiches were both very good but not great. Rae’s has great prices and very friendly staff. Parking is bad. I would not bring anybody from out of town here but it is a solid sandwich shop for locals and people that work downtown. I will come back.

I rarely eat sandwiches because I don’t think they’re great, but this place was incredible! The Italian princess is the perfect mix between chicken parm and delicious mushrooms. I rarely write Unilocal reviews but had to for this place– I walked in and asked for a brownie five minutes before closing time, they said they were out. I replied I was disappointed because I had been looking forward to trying their brownies — they looked really good the last time I was there — — and this was my last stop before getting on the plane back to DC. They were so nice, they took a sample off a catering plate in the back and gave it to me for free, to enjoy on my trip! Now that’s southern hospitality :)

I know a lot of you sandwich folks rave about Mitchell Deli. And, the praise is well-​deserved. BUT, if you haven’t spent time at Rae’s, I don’t know that you’ve really experienced pure sandwich bliss. If you don’t know it, you need to fix that now. Today. It’s almost lunch time. Rae’s caters to the work crowd and isn’t as convenient (hours, location and parking). BUT the product is every bit as magical as you might imagine and definitely worth the time and effort it might take to get there.
I came here for a work lunch on a busy Friday. It’s location on Union is no fun because you know parking is a pain around this area. [Point of Order: Nashville, we have to talk about viable public transit. It’s time and your downtown businesses aren’t getting as much as business as they should (see my Ichiban review) because you haven’t figured out the transit/​parking issue. You’re, at least, two years late on this fix it.] Once I looped the block a couple of times and suggested* to a woman who was idling in a parking space that she should move, I was able to come in and see what’s happening.
There’s a huge menu board to the right, once you enter, that’s filled with specials, sandwich choices and all other goodies. Depending on the day and time, though, you may have to change your plans. I had crab cakes on my mind but arrived too late to enjoy them. Everything’s made fresh and to order. Once it’s gone, it’s gone. I ‘settled’ on the Wicked Chicken sandwich, bowl of red beans, pomegranate (hallelujah, holla back!) San Pellegrino, and a huge brownie. Lay off me; I was starving.
I didn’t have to wait too long before my food was ready and I ready to dig in. Oh, you seat yourself after going to the counter and ordering all the food. My sandwich was a stack of chicken, chipotles, lettuce, tomato, and green chili sauce. If it weren’t already hot, I could have had my fill from the hot sauce bar that adorns the pay counter. When I tell you this sandwich was incredible… child, please. I was reat’ to testify in Rae’s. My red beans (to which I *did* add hot sauce) were the perfect compliment to my behemoth of a sandwich. I tried taking small sips of my soda, as this was a San Pellegrino flavor I’d yet to have. #heavenly I was so stuffed, I couldn’t fit my brownie in my belly. But, best believe, I destroyed it as a late afternoon snack later that day. Rae’s is worth me scheduling meetings downtown JUST so I can go hog-​wild on the menu. Wacky hours, difficult parking and non-​glam location and all… it’s just that good. Go today!
*We’re just going to call it that.

I had the best experience here! The food is amazing, the staff is extremely kind. I ordered the Monte crisco and southern BBQ Sandwich, which were full of flavor and very filling. If you have room for dessert the brownies are the way to go!

The dining area was clean and neat. However the customer service was not that great. They got the food out on time, but the attitude of the food prep was opprobrius. His LOUD voice Is unnecessary when speaking directly at you. His unsuccessful attempts at being intimidating and eloquent come across as irritating at best. It’s humorous, but not enough to want to come back. Move him to the back, not a pretty face to make me want to RETURN. Plus he ruined my sandwich, it was SOGGY AND LOOKED NASTY. Would NOT RECOMMEND!

I have found myself downtown more often lately for work. I wanted something good to eat. So I checked Unilocal and found Rae’s very close by. I went in at an unordinary time. it was well after the lunch crowd had been through.
I ordered the Reuben. I could tell each order is made from scratch. They use cast iron skillets. The staff are very personable. My wait was not long at all. The sandwich was delicious. The bread was soft and fresh on the inside and the crust was wonderful.
I will return often! The guy will ask if you want a pickle and I suggest yes!

It was my first time in Nashville and Rae’s was the first restaurant I stopped at and can now say, I made a good decision. The staff is friendly, knows regulars by name and order, though welcome newcomers and make recommendations upon request. Conversation is abundant here, as friends, not as staff and guests. And the food matches the service; my choice was the wicked chicken– flavorful with soft bread… so good! If you are downtown looking for lunch, Rae’s is your place.

When I started working downtown, I heard from more than a few people that there weren’t really any great places to eat within walking distance from our office. There was a Subway and some middle of the road Mexican food, but not much else. Unless the food trucks came to visit us. Then all bets are off.
Regardless, I started riding a new bus route and was walking up Union (had never had to come this way before) when I saw the sign for Rae’s in the window. So I did some research and, of course, found all the good reviews. And only a few blocks from my office! I knew I had to check it out so I walked over shortly after 11 on a Friday. Despite the fact that they had only been open for 10 minutes, there was already a line of people waiting.
I checked out the menu online ahead of time so I knew what I wanted upon entering. I opted for the Italian Romeo with a side salad. Although the brownies and cookies looked super tempting, I didn’t get any. I know, I know. But there will be a time in the near future when I try at least one of them.
ANYWAY. I walked back up the hill to my office to devour my sandwich and oh man, is it good. I think the bread is what makes the sandwich so good. It’s soft, but crusty on the outside and super fresh tasting. And they make everything to order, so you know it hasn’t been sitting around for a while. On a side note, definitely get the pickles when he asks.
I can guarantee that this will not be my last time visiting Rae’s and definitely would recommend that anyone working downtown go check them out. Just try to stay away.

Amazing sandwich shop! Stopped in here on a Friday for lunch during a weekend trip to Nashville. Wasn’t a tourist place (which we love), mostly people that worked in the area. Fred is awesome and very friendly. At any restaurant, my boyfriend always asks what their hottest hot sauce is and Fred gave him a winner. 357 I think was the name.
My sandwich was the Beastie Boy. Loved it! Inexpensive too!
Great first time experience here. Thank you! Will be back again.

Best sandwiches around! I walked over for lunch and I see a subway close by, and I’m thinking, who the hell would eat at subway when you have Rae’s right here! I love Rae’s and the food is fabulous! Great service and happy owners! A+++