Food

The Great Sandwich Smackdown: Bub and Pop’s vs. the Italian Store

Old-guard Italian takes on a popular newcomer.

Quarterfinal 3 pits Bub and Pop’s hearty sandwiches, such as the meaty Italian (left, photograph by Andrew Propp) and the Italian Store’s cold cut subs, such as the Milano (photograph via Flickr user williammarlow).

Welcome back to the Great Sandwich Smackdown! Last week we saw epic battles unfold among four great purveyors of fillings and breads. After a tremendous showdown on Friday between G and Taylor Gourmet—not to mention plenty of, um, vocal commenters—the Taylor guys pulled ahead for the win and will compete against Shawafel in the semifinals.

Today we have one of the old guard pitted against a popular newcomer: Arlington’s 30-plus-year-old Italian Store goes up against Dupont newbie Bub and Pop’s. Both family-owned operations make a mean cold cut Italian sub, not to mention chicken Parm, meatballs, and more. Still, only one member of the famiglia can move on, and it’s time to decide.


Food Editor

Anna Spiegel covers the dining and drinking scene in her native DC. Prior to joining Washingtonian in 2010, she attended the French Culinary Institute and Columbia University’s MFA program in New York, and held various cooking and writing positions in NYC and in St. John, US Virgin Islands.