Bob’s Pantry & Deli

Went here last night, delicious food, many different options. Love the pantry aspect because you basically have unlimited choices for sides and drinks etc. Owner is so friendly and accommodating. Wish it was a tad bit cheaper for the sandwiches but with the portion size you can’t complain! Awesome spot. Can’t wait to come back. A must try.

hey recommend this place to anyone who is in that area of​Sheridan and Lake Cook rd, Or botanic garden a small shop with fresh deli, sandwiches, soups, etc., etc. to eat, to drink, I recommend to step buy and recharge battery of live without fresh meal ;)

A great stop to pick up some food before enjoying a show at Ravinia. The one frustrating thing is that most things here do not have a price. However, the sandwiches can be made in the spot and are yummy! Last time we grabbed a couple sandwiches and a cold macaroni salad. It made for a great dinner before the show!

So I have been to Bob’s now WAY too many times. Refer to my original review of what i think of the subs in more detail but cutting it short, they are great. Probably the best locally.
That being said, The portions have seemed to of been cut down a bit. I remember my sandwich being packed and eating half at a time and it being worth the $ 7 and tax. Now i noticed certain toppings are left out and some others are skimped a lot.
I’m putting up there as a consistency issue rather than the store trying to cheap out. The owner is a good chat and the food is good. I won’t be condemning them but i may go a little less out of my way to try and get there. We’ll see.
Either way, get in there and make your own decision. and Unilocal it up

We don’t cook anymore in our house, and it turns out that someone is always starving and needs to eat pronto…
It’s been a long time since I stopped in and ordered up a sandwich. Tonight was one of those nights where I just needed to make that happen. My picky eater kids were making me nuts, and I’m burned out on the convenient sub stop around the corner from my house (that they always insist on going to), so a light bulb went off in my head and we headed to Bob’s.
Kids ordered up a ham sammie with pickles, mayo and cheddar and of course they got it toasted on a sesame 12″ sub roll. I got their Italian sub with a mix of meats and cheese. They call it the Crimo Supremo with Genoa salami, sweet capocolla, ham, mortadella, pepperoni and provolone cheese with lettuce, tomato, oregano and sub oil on a sub roll. Rich and filling.
We don’t live in the Ravinia neighborhood, but we pass by often. It’s a convenience store, soup and deli stop, and they advertise root beer floats and have tasty soft serve ice cream when the machine is working (out of order tonight).
Note: There is a dry cleaners right next store, so the next time you stop in, don’t forget your laundry!

I decided to ride up here on a bicycle from Chicago for lunch. Nice thing is the North Branch Trail extension is nearly completed to the Green Bay Trail, which passes right by Bob’s.
That’s all great but here’s the problem. Bob’s doesn’t provide a bicycle rack. This makes NO sense. First the Green Bay Trail passes right in front of the place, second there is now a connection to the North Branch Trail and Chicago Botanical Gardens.
Bob! You need to provide a way for people to park their bicycles, think about how much more of a draw that would be for your business. I did knock off a star in the rating for the lack of bicycle parking.
Now on to the sandwich. I had the roast beef toasted. It was very good. The meat, cheese and toppings were all fresh and flavorful.
I really liked the sandwich and look forward to going again, but please put in an area for bicycle parking and locking.
I will probably return.

Great sandwich selections as well as the fact that it is always opens makes it a great spot. Also mix of a typical convenient store with a great sandwich deli.

I’ve eaten here a few times. However, after your first visit, you suddenly realize Bob’s is an overprice convenient store with lousy staff (who eat while making your sandwich).
As a person who wasn’t familiar with the community, I thought Bob’s was your average convenient store with overprice goods because of their location.
Unfortunately, there’s a history with the owner of poor decision making and cheap scams.
I’ll give you three:
1. half of the items you want to purchase aren’t labelled, and you’re shocked by some of the prices. (I.e bagels, drinks that aren’t scanned)
2. (Which I find to be rather embarrassing) is he fact that Bob’s lost his liquor license because he sold alcohol to minors. (Which is why you can’t buy beer or wine at bob’s)
3. Multiple accounts of customers combining about being charged twice on their debit card.
People in the community have this right, Bob’s is there to just make money. He doesn’t give a damn about his customers, and I’m happy that people DON’T want to buy from his store. He doesn’t deserve it.

I’ve been to Bob’s Deli before, a few times. The food was convenient for Ravinia, and costs a tiny bit less than inside Ravinia. That’s just about the only thing Bob’s has going for it now.
I own a smart phone. Bob needs to get one. Here’s why: Ravinia.
Last night — CSO Show at Ravinia = Sold Out Show. Thursday Night.
Rocket science = Have enough English speaking staff on hand to make a sandwich in less than 20 minutes per sandwich before the show starts that you can look up on your smart phone, a computer, the guy directing parking out in front of your shop, the cop who wandered in, or call the box office to find out how sold out the show is.
Sandwich science = no matter what the customer orders from the board — ASK them what they want on their sandwich. Don’t just make the sandwich Bob taught you to make, because not everyone likes everything listed on the board in the sandwich.
I watched this play out at least 3 times before I decided to buy a pre-​made sandwich instead of watching the Spanish-​Speaking-​Only lady behind the counter throw an angry tantrum about having to re-​make (yet again) another sandwich, then angrily throw the sandwich like a football into the trash to start over, all the while glaring at the customer.
Also, lower your prices and stop freaking gouging the hell out of your customers.
1 can of tea
3 sandwiches
1 bag of pretzels
1 small box of yogurt pretzels
1 container of sabra hummus
40. Freaking. Dollars.
No. I won’t go back. No. Don’t private message me about this post to placate me or to remove it.
Yes. Do. Fix. Your. Business. Model. Enough said.

For being a convenience store type place to grab and go before jumping on the Metra I was really impressed with the sandwiches. A BLT was three bread slices thick with bacon on each level, diced tomatoes and shredded lettuce. The owner (I’m guessing Bob??) was so friendly when I would stop in, he definitely knows the locals. Since it is a convenience store you can grab any type of chips you want, all different types of drinks, and other snack items. If I lived in the area this would be my go-​to for lunch.

Bob’s is a 3 minute walk from the south parking lot of Ravinia, and it’s the only food source I know in the surrounding area, complete with what people have told me is the only ATM near Ravinia (really?), a deli and sandwich counter, ice cream/​shakes counter, and few shelvesful of typical convenience store items and a limited selection of pantry staples.
I’ve ridden and driven by this place many times but never had a reason to walk in until today. Thank goodness it’s here! I had a sandwich and sat in the surprisingly clean eating area. $ 6.79 for a footlong packed with meat and toppings is ridiculously cheap, and it was well worth the money I paid. Very happy with the #4 Bob’s Special. Because of the bread, the sandwich reminded me of Potbelly’s a bit, only much better.
Big complaint is the speed of service. Wouldn’t say they are outgoing people, though the service wasn’t rude at all. But boy was it SLOW. Sure, each sandwich takes a few minutes to make but there was no assembly line or a sure order in which customers are served between the 3 counters (register, deli, ice cream/​shakes). Line built up and there was only one person slowly taking care of all the customers.
Can’t complain for the convenience and cheap food though.

This place is cool. I’ve tried a few of their sandwiches and was thoroughly satisfied each and every time. Bob and the rest of the staff are extremely friendly and helpful. Check this place out if you’re in the area!

3.5 stars for Bob’s. My wife and I enjoyed a nice little drive out here yesterday before football action started.
Bob’s has a nice little setup, spacious and right next to the train stop. I like the cafeteria area with the TV, nice little touch if you want to eat there.
I had the Italian sub and it was good… not as good as Minelli’s or Red Rooster though. The meat they use is Dietz and Watson… def good quality but maybe I’m bias to Boars Head a bit more. The sammy had italian dressing smothered on it which I think made my bread just a tad bit soggy.
I will be back to try more, this is definitely a good spot to hit up before Ravinia!

Based on the previous reviews, I expected better.
Very clean store, carries high quality meats. We thought the sandwiches were mediocre. The bread was ok. Only ok. There are some chains that do as well or better.
The service was ok. Only ok. Not bad, but not overly friendly either. I guess Bob’s is ok for what it is, but I expected a lot better.

oh bob’s, how often can I get ice cream from you? way too often, that’s the answer. Bob’s is everything you want in a corner store. Great sandwich counter, delicious softserve, great cooler case — once they were out of 2 liters of coke, so Bob let us have 2 one liters for the price of a 2 liter– clean, interesting goodies, etc. If you’re a local, an easy lazy night is to pick up a sandwich from bobs, maybe some chips, a coke, a carole’s cookie, etc., and walk yourself over to ravinia, buy a $ 10 lawn seat, and eat a delicious sandwich while listening to one of the best symphonies in the world.
You won’t regret making bob’s a part of your local routine.
I thought about removing a star bc the ice cream machine seems to not work with some frequency, but then i remembered carol’s cookies, and like, they are just as delicious, so it evens out. five stars.

After reading the various Unilocal reviews of Bob’s, I was cautiously optimistic that the food here would live up to its rep. Happily it does. This is absolutely the perfect spot for a pre-​or post– Chicago Botanic Garden visit lunch. The place is literally less than five minutes away from the park entrance and is directly across the street from the Braeside station on the UPN Metra line.
But back to the food. I ordered a Blazing Buffalo Chicken BLT, while others in my party had the Crimo Supremo. We all chose to have the sandwiches on sub bread, which was a good move. The toasted sesame seed rolls had a nice crunch and tasted great. The toppings were all fresh and had the right balance of ingredients.
The convenience store setting made for a very casual experience, but that was fine for us. I would love to have a location in the western suburbs, as I don’t make it up to the north shore that often. If you live within 15 or 20 minutes of Bob’s Pantry and Deli, do yourself a favor and check it out.

The only decent late night deli in the north suburbs.

Oh how I love this place! Let me tell you their subs are awesome but I recommend getting double meat for sure. The bread is heavenly and there is choices might I add. I am pretty fond of their buffalo chicken (deli meat) sammich. They also have a variety of snacks and drinks that I’m a fan of that are pretty hard to find especially the ever elusive Carol’s cookie which sits next to the register calling my name (toffee one is my fave yet you really can’t go wrong. I love the fact that even though this is a little deli/​convenient store there is seating inside and outside. My only thing I’m not a fan of is that if you happen to go there when it’s super busy which has only happened to us once… You will find they will make a few people’s sandwiches before the ring anyone up which sucks cause you know your food is ready and you wanna eat it!!! But it’s well worth the wait!

grabbed lunch with the fam today. waaay low key. People were friendly and helpful. Just about all the sandwhiches are good.
My girl got a blt
My boy got a grilled cheese
My wife and I split a #20, turkey, blt, avocado with swiss on multigrain
kids washed down with huggies, wife and I split a rock star light
In store eating was convenient and we managed to beat the lunch rush when the train arrived.
We will return

Imagine 7 – 11. Then imagine a locally owned (non-​chain!), fairly priced, slightly classier version — you get Bob’s. Bob’s is exceptionally close to the adorable Braeside Metra station, and its hours are shockingly wide-​ranging. The service is friendly enough, and the selection of typical convenience items is enhanced by a few deli items, though I haven’t tried the latter. Bob’s is hardly somewhere you should seek out, but it is convenient and doesn’t coast on being in a convenient, relatively non-​competitive location.