So Much Sandwich for So Little Money - $5 Crunch

Recently Becca and I visited the always raved about Zingerman's in Ann Arbor. The place is popular for their huge sandwiches and fresh deli meat, which was all there, but the price for what we got wasn't exactly awesome and the sandwiches weren't quite as big as we expected. What can I say?!? We like a lot of food and we love sammiches, but we're also kind of cheap! So after spending about $15+ each, we started comparing this sandwich with other places, which led the conversation to a lunch spot that we frequent and decided to share with you.

$5 Crunch is basically a sandwich shop, which is about the only thing it has in common with Zingerman's. Regardless, they have huge sandwiches, along with a menu full of other delicious food like pittas (pizza made on pita bread), soup, salad bar and shaker fries. The name $5 Crunch eludes to one of the best things about the menu; everything is $5 or less. Keep in mind, everything is a' la carte, but you get quite a bit of food and you don't have to dish out a lot of dough, which makes it a great place for lunch especially.

So, the majority of the menu is made up of sandwiches, with anything from a Philly to Turkey to a Veggie. However each of their sandwiches can be ordered in one of two different ways; either a footlong hoagie OR a "Crunchy Sandwich". What the heck is a "Crunchy Sandwich"? Oh, just a sandwich WITH FRIES ON THE SANDWICH!!! Which leads me to the second great thing on the menu... Shaker Fries. These skinny, fresh cut fries are awesome on their own, but you can also get them shaken up with pretty much any potato chip seasoning you could want. BBQ, Dill Pickle and Sour Cream & Onion are just a few of the choices with the latter being my favorite. Here's a couple of shots of our food from our last visit. Becca and I both opted for the hoagies that day, one was the Turkey, Bacon & Avacado and the other was the Veggie. We shared a small order of Sour Cream & Onion fries and there were plenty for both of us. 

On top of the great sandwiches and fries, there are some other interesting things on the menu. One thing that catches my eye every time, but I have yet to try are the Potachoes. Think nachos, but on homemade potato chips. I hear they're pretty amazing.

Another thing $5 Crunch has that I have yet to see elsewhere is a giant soft pretzel. It's pretty huge. Probably about 5 times the size of a normal one, maybe even 10. The restaurant claims that it is "Bigger than your head". I've seen some pretty big heads, but I don't think I've ever seen a pretzel this big. Other than the wacky food choices there is a salad bar that reminds me of the ones in NYC delis because you pick what you want and then pay by the weight of the salad. They also have homemade soups that you can get in a bread bowl, which you don't see all the time. There's also all sorts of fried appetizers and a bunch of other tasty stuff that you can check out on the full menu here.

So, if you are interested in giving $5 Crunch a try, there are two locations for you to choose from. One is in Madison Heights on the northwest corner of 12 Mile & Dequindre at 29151 Dequindre Road. The other is in Sterling Heights on Van Dyke & 15 Mile at 37012 Van Dyke. Definitely worth a try the next time you are in the area or can't decide what you want for lunch!

~C