Bain’s Deli

Well its official. This store is closed. It has a zoning application on the door to become a juice-​bar/​fitness center.
They had some good sandwiches there.

Good place to grab a filling sandwich! I always get a cheese hoagie with lots of vegetables, and it always comes out delicious! Also, they’re not cheap with the amount of ingredients they put on! (: love it! Also, heads up to any college students-​they give a 10% off discount if you show them your school ID.

I decided to check this place out to see if they had anything good to eat. I ordered a B.L.T, and not only was it good, but it was filling, so I decided this would be my regular when I am in the neighborhood. The atmosphere is vey relaxing, and the prices are not too high.

I ordered a side of Chicken Salad from here, and not only did I pay almost $ 7 for just a side (no sandwich, no fixings, nothing!), but it was absolutely disgusting. The chicken was clear and quite frankly looked, smelled and tasted like fish. GROSS!
I brought it down to tell the ladies who worked there and I was informed that it was chicken and when I told her how gross it was she just gave me the recipe of everything that was included. I wasn’t offered a refund, or even to swap it out for something else.
The food, customer service, and prices were terrible. They lost a customer for life.

With limited lunch options in the area, I have enjoyed all 5 or so of my visits to this deli. The highlights for me include having at least one daily $ 5 special sandwich (although meatball 3 days in a row makes me wonder…), a frequent buyer punch card which I’m always a fan of, and being able to sample the meats before making your sandwich choice.
Service can be slow (but friendly) and a regular price sandwich with chips and a drink is over 10 bucks for not THAT much food. Nonetheless the quality of the meat reigns supreme over my cafeteria or Subway any day. I’ve never tried breakfast or the crepes (which seem out of place and not very popular) but for a quality deli midday sandwich this is a solid choice.

UGH!!!
I’ll never go back.
The breakfast sandwich.
I watched the sandwich maker drop my bread in the toaster 7 minutes after I ordered, (there were only 2 of us waiting for food.) After the bread popped up burnt, she retoasted another kaiser role. She then proceeded to crack some eggs, swirl them around in a plastic dish, and throw them in a microwave.
The entire process took close to 20 minutes.
I kept looking around for the hidden camera. It was that bad.
I gave 2 stars because the manager (who watched the train-​wreck unfold) was somewhat sympathetic.

I had to go here a few times and try different things off the menu before I gave my review, so here goes.
This place is okay– I guess. Not amazing by any means, but definitely an okay addition to Spring Garden. I will start by saying the good, then the bad, and the ugly.
The Good: The breakfast sandwiches. YUM. I was a little worried how my bacon egg and cheese on wheat toast would come out since there isn’t a grill and they microwave the eggs (SAY WHAT?!) but it worked and it worked well. I really enjoyed the taste and amount of bacon they put on the sandwich so this may become my breakfast spot on my treat myself days. I’ll also say that the service is generally pretty okay. The guys who prepare the food are awesome, but the ladies who work at the register could be a bit more attentive. But, generally no complaints.
The Bad: Well it’s not really bad, per se. It’s just not 5 star worthy. The coffee tastes straight meh. Watered down and worse than the dunkin donuts down the street and I can’t stand that place. I also got an italian hoagie here. Was not impressed, especially for the price. There was way more bread than meats and fillers and it just didn’t taste that great to me.
The Ugly: I really had hoped for them to open a Chipotle there (you heard it hear first folks). Would have been a perfect location except for parking, but I digress. The reality is, this place isn’t that amazing. And with all the other spots located up and down spring garden and even callowhill, I don’t think this place will remain open long. Unfortunately, the prices and tastes for many of it’s items just can’t compare with even the street trucks. I’ll never get coffee or a hoagie here again because the truck just a block up has better and cheaper! coffee and 3Js hoagies blow this one out of the water. And a 3 something breakfast sandwich is quite steep when the trucks offer it for $ 2.25 or so. I also don’t like crepes– so there’s that. I was really hoping for something that no one else offered and I guess that was the whole crepes thing– but I don’t really know too many people in the area (especially the CCP students) who eat crepes and on the regular at that. I just don’t see this place surviving if they don’t lower their prices or produce better food. But I guess we shall see.
Note: So this review was originally over at Crêpe Town since I didn’t realize these were considered two different places? But I’ll try the crepes over there and definitely update that review.

Went in this new deli sandwiched between CCP and tall office buildings and it was pretty good. I got an egg salad sandwich with provolone, lettuce, and tomato, and it was definitely respectable. Ingredients were fresh, if nothing special, and portion size was fair. The pickle was very good.
The staff was courteous & moved the line quickly, which is notably good for the first couple weeks of business.
Most of the other places on this block are pretty grungy, and the CCP cafeteria sucks, so this is a great place to go if you don’t have cash for the food trucks along 17^th. The deli is sharing a storefront with «Crêpe Town,» an idea that seems more appropriate for a fancy downtown food truck. Everyone else grabbing lunch here seemed to agree, as there was a 6 – 7 person line for the deli, while employees in the Crêpe Town assembly line were looking bored & didn’t have any business the whole time I was there.
I do think there is room to up the ante with the sandwiches, maybe even just getting some higher quality cheeses (selection was no better than Subway chains, consisting of a few square white cheeses & one circular white cheese that I bet all tasted about the same), but I would try it again.
Update: Pretty consistent. Went again and got the same sandwich.

Good deli and sandwich spot when in a rush since the line moves quickly with friendly service It has become a popular office lunch destination since recently opening. Their variety of sandwich choices are well received with about 10 breads, plus wraps and open faced too. And if you’re not wanting a sandwich, they also have salads, soups and other sides. There is also a breakfast menu that I’ve not tried yet.
All of the above makes Bain’s Deli a good on-​the-​go deli for lunch during the work week.