Sub Station Downtown

I generally only write reviews if I have an outstanding experience somewhere, and Substation definitely was outstanding. Not only was the food great, the owner and cashier were extremely personable, and helpful! They even brought out a doggy bowl with water for my dog, as well as a piece of tri-​tip (it’s now my dogs favorite place to eat). I will definitely be back, awesome service, amazing food!

Super noms! I’m crazy picky about sandwiches and these are actually pretty good! Even though they close at 4 they’re still open two hours later than Sequoia…
Thumbs up Sub Station, you rock.

Best sandwiches in town. The meats are so fresh and full of flavor. The bread is always fresh. It also helps that the owner is so awesome and so are the other employees. We always leaves full and happy!

Can’t go wrong with the number 1, but they have other good stuff on the menu as well. Cold or hot sandwiches, pastrami, tri tip, deep pit, but the alternate weeks when they serve, this week is tri tip. Also the cucumber salad is another favorite of mine.

Love this place… great sandwiches! My personal favorite is the anti-​pasta salad, it’s awesome! Russell the owner tries to greet as many people as he can, of course he’s busy making sandwiches but it says a lot when he acknowledges you and thanks you for coming in. You also get what you pay for, no skinny sandwich here… this place rocks!

Really glad we stopped in here. We arrived about 11:35am, and the place was almost empty; by noon it was packed both inside & on the patio. And we found it to be worthy of that crowd.
Three of us had sandwiches. My #22 Roast Beef was thin sliced and piled high on a french roll, with provolone cheese, served hot with lettuce and mayo. It’s a simple sandwich, but delicious here. Companions had turkey & ham, and Italian, both similarly stacked with meat and condiments. Everything tastes really fresh, down to the lettuce, the bread, and one side salad my companion enjoyed.
Employees were very nice. As newbies, we had a lot of questions and they were patient and pleasant. I observed that they handled the large lunch crowd with efficiency and friendliness.
I’ll be happy to come back here!

Sandwich was good even though they messed up my order. I never said anything because we were in a hurry but they messed up my boyfriends order too. He wanted mayo no veggies on his #1 and I ordered mustard no mayo on my new Italian sandwich. We got mayo & mustard on both and all the veggies. I hate mayo but I tolerated it.

Great sandwiches, good vegan options! The rolls they use are amazing (Pyrenese?), and the thinly shredded lettuce is a perfect nest for a really nice vinaigrette. I used to eat here all the time but quit going once I became vegan. About a month ago, I went back again. I was happy I did!
They have about five vegetarian sandwich options, most of which are simple to shift to vegan and still taste amazing. Maria’s marinated artichokes are in a great home made dressing and are vegan as well. Good prices too.

The food here is amazing, have been in here multiple times and the man that works here always remembers us, they are so sweet. The bread and lettuce here is awesome. #3 is my favorite thing!

Fast and awesome customer service. The #1 is always my go to sandwhich here. Always made to order. I have never been disappointed.

I head downtown about once a month JUST to get sub station. The employee (Russell I think is his name?) who works there is very friendly and though their hot sandwiches take longer they are still fast. Something about the oil and vinegar at this place is magic. They also have a sauce called pepper plant sauce I always get on the side. I’ve been getting the hot turkey her for 10+ years, no need to try anything else, it’s perfect. They also have really good side salads, macaroni is my favorite. The side salads are a little pricy but worth it. Wouldn’t change a thing.
EDIT: went in last week for my hot turkey and the guy who runs the place (not an employee as I previously thought) SNUCK an entire BOTTLE of pepper plant sauce into my order. Cause this place is just the best. Good people, good food. Enough said.

I’m not 100% sure what the other reviewers were thinking. This place is awesome. I work in the Downtown Bakersfield area and visit here once a week every week, and it never gets old. The people that work at Sub Station are nice, personable, and they make great sandwiches. I like the hot sandwiches but I know the cold sandwiches are great as well. The pastrami is excellent. I believe this to be one of the most underrated sandwich shops in Bakersfield. If you want a great sandwich and a mellow scene, this is your spot.
Note: I have never tried the soups but the vegetarian tortellini is pretty good. I prefer the veggie tortellini from Country Club Liquor but Sub Station’s is not bad.

The best no frills sub sandwich in town. The oil and vinegar is outstanding. The key to a great sandwich is to get it hot. Bow tie pasta salad is very good. I don’t go as often as I would like. If I could I would here several times a week. Nice and quiet and good service.

I tried the New Italian sandwich and a small bow tie chicken salad. The sandwich was pretty good and at a good price. The side was a little pricey, but good. Great service and I appreciate the low noise level. Will try other subs and adjust rating as needed. I don’t it deserves a 2 star as some have rated. They take ATM and credit cards.

Lunch, roast beef!

I go a couple times a month. Always good service, and the sandwiches are super tasty. The oil-​vinegar dressing is fantastic, not sure what they put in it, but the spices are great. Nice location too, it’s nice to sit outside on a nice weather day. Enjoy.

I ordered the tuna on wheat. The employee answered the phone while he was making my sandwich. I asked him if he was using gloves. He said he washed his hands. I didn’t see or hear him wash his hands after answering the phone. He did not wash his hands. He seemed bothered and agreed to wash his hands and make another sandwich. Is it to much to ask to wear bloody gloves! If you see restaurants make your food without gloves say something. It’s your health your jeopardizing in the end. Now on to the sandwhich. I ordered a tuna sandwich right? I walked out with a turkey sandwich. I didn’t want to be an inconvenience to the employee. So I let it go. The bread tasted old and hard. Mustard overload. It was gushing. I dont recall sandwiches’ gushing. Hmmm… Overall WEAK! One word of advice to the owner and or the manager. Hire people who are capable of wearing gloves and making a sandwich.

The sandwiches here are ok. That’s it, just ok. The minestrone soup I would swear is Campbell’s. And I should know, I eat the Campbell’s minestrone constantly. Imagine my surprise when I ordered minestrone at Sub Station and wound up with run of the mill Campbells. Also, I order the same order every time I go there, and I get charged a different price EVERY time — on the EXACT same order. Isn’t that odd?
Beyond this, the staff (except for the young girl up front) is rude. All in all, this place is ho-​hum. I would recommend Too Fat or Union Station Deli downtown.

Sure, I ordered my sandwich with no mayonnaise, but I don’t think that even the most amazing garlic aioli in the world could have saved this from a jaw cracking «meh:» I could have made that sandwich myself.

The first word that comes to mind is «Eh…» I went here with my brother one day for lunch in a escape from our usual journey down the street to vests for nachos and junk food (nerd’s gotta eat!) and when we arrived the staff was very turned off, not very personable.
Now granted this may an issue of the day, but at the same time, I have not gone back yet, food was dry, tasted like it was prepared in a rush, plenty of other sandwich shops downtown, even the local mini-​mart makes a sandwich with a smile and it’s tasty — plus for the price, and ease of payment, it’s a lot easier elsewhere as this place only took ATM the day we went.
My advice, keep walking.