Better Being Underground

I paid $ 11 for a fist full of kale here! Hardly any toppings on the salad; not sufficient for a meal and outrageously overpriced. Also, they don’t tell you it’s cash only until you’re at the register (apparently the sign fell down).

Love this lunch spot! Be aware it’s cash only and is grab and go. Can sometimes get a little crowded during lunch hour but I never feel like I’m waiting longer than 10 minutes. The guy at the register is really nice! I usually get salads and they always taste restaurant quality. My coworkers love their sandwiches. I also like that their menu is updated everyday, always exciting.

Great food, but their website is chock full of malware. Fix that! I’m referring to the betterbeing dot net site.

I love this hole in the wall (technically it’s a hole underground) but the sandwiches here are on point. This is a grab and go spot and it does get pretty tight inside during prime lunch hour. Not in a grease elbows kind of way. I would say that the sandwiches here are more or less a treat since they are a bit on the pricey side but so worth it!

Holy Mosses. This place is great. Their chicken sandwich is so juicy and perfect. It’s below the sidewalk and always has a line around lunch, but it’s worth it! The enthusiasm the two that run the shop have may be the best part though.

As a New Yorker, I spend enough time underground. But if there’s something other than a subway or a speakeasy to get me subterranean, it’s sandwiches.
And really, the argument can be made that Better Being Underground is somewhat of an «all of the above» combination. It sports an organic-​looking, subway-​style sign (MTA Helvetica and all) atop the descending stairwell entrance. And while signage may technically disqualify BBU as some sort of speakeasy, the fact that it’s in a basement on an otherwise residential West Village side street certainly adds an off-​limits allure. But lastly, and most literally, well, this place sells sandwiches. Pretty darn good sandwiches.
Now, these sammies change daily, so I suggest starting with a good website perusal to see what’s on tap. I’ve had my fill here and sampled a good amount of the menu (no shame, people), so I’m willing to put my money on the Slumdog Millionaire (Tandoori Chicken, Spinach, Red Onion, Curry Mayo, Naan) and the St. Luke (Fried Buttermilk Battered Murray’s Chicken, Pickles, Brioche Bun with Chipotle or Rosemary Horseradish) as my two favorites. The latter seems to be the one constant — I’ve never seen it missing from the rotating menu — suggesting this is their signature sandwich. I can also never decide between the chipotle or rosemary horseradish, so I order both and the combo is worth it (though chipotle may have the edge with its spiciness; ask me again tomorrow). In any event, it’s always nice to see a spot be so liberal with their sauces (:cough: McDonald’s :cough:).
The space is industrial kitchen-​stark and awfully tight, with a controlled chaos vibe (impossible to know who’s ordered and who hasn’t without asking), so claustrophobes and the socially anxious (a two-​for-​one if you’re both!) need not apply. Still, as some subway-​speakeasy-​sandwich shop hybrid, its uniqueness is off the charts, and unapologetically New York. And what’s also unapologetically New York are the prices, naturally (not to mention, it’s cash only) — so this is typically a Treat Yo Self Friday kind of lunch for me. You start eating $ 12 sandwiches on a Monday and your week just spirals out of control, trust me on this one, guys. Wild, I know.

Great place. Sandwiches are great. I particularly love their burgers. But this place has to be the most expensive sandwich in new york. Not only are their sandwiches expensive, but they are also tiny. I sometimes have to go for 2 12 $ sandwiches to satisfy my hunger. Thats a lot. I undersrand, this is an expensive place, and inflation and blah blah. But this place seems to be affected more than any other place

Awesome lunch spot. Fresh ingredients and a menu that changes every day. No seating and can be a bit hard to locate. But go down the stairs and to your right and you’ll be in a cave of delicious wonders. The St Luke is a classic that is always on the menu as it deserves to be, one of the best chicken sandwiches I’ve ever had. It is a cash only place, so I make sure to take out money before i go. But I mean… c’mon…you’re ringing us up on an iPad. get a little credit card reader for that! That’s my only complaint. Other than that, love it. Go earlier as well, as they tend to run out of ingredients later.

The Quick: Incredible (yet expensive) sandwiches for lunch, out of the ordinary and completely satisfying. Try to get your hands on a menu before going or show up before the lunch crowd. Everything is fast paced — don’t be that indecisive guy everyone hates. The staff is very friendly. They sometimes run out of the more popular options. Only open for lunch. That’s all.

Delicious sandwiches and salads, but WAY too expensive for what it is, and especially for a take-​out, cash-​only spot.
Will I come back? I might, because it is a cool place for out-​of-​towners (the ‘secret vibe’ makes it a fun experience) and because the food is delicious. Yet, the high price-​tag will make it a rare occasion. :(

This place has the BEST SANDWICHES. Its a small, badass little underground shop on a cute West Village street. Very tiny. Menu slightly different each day but so many options and staples. The guy i super friendly. Only open for Lunch weekdays — wish it was weekends too! Cash only. St. Lukes, Newyorican and their crinkle cookies are to die for!

Got lunch here with a friend on a Wednesday several weeks back but I think I can pretty accurately review this place because those sandwiches were ~unforgettable~.
Ordered on the phone ahead of time to make the most of our lunch break (thanks for the tip, Unilocal!) My friend and I shared the Nuyorican and the Fu Man Chew — both were explosions of flavor and very creative!
Being hard to miss from the street and having a simple take-​out-​counter-​in-​a-​basement layout, you feel like you’re eating from a place that’s a well-​kept secret that you happen to be in on.
Also found out that this place is apparently either near or right below the house from The Cosby Show, and there’s supposedly some «Theo was here» graffiti nearby, which I will be sure to scout out next time I go.
Can’t wait to try all of their other creations! (Also, their website is awesome, so check that out too!)

So so good but so so pricey (for me). The chicken sandwich with rosemary mayo was so good if it is on the menu next time I go back I will have a hard time trying anything else.
Stinky like garbage when you walk down to get into the hot entrance area. I recommend ordering or going late!

I went here for lunch today after hearing good things from co-​workers and it definitely lived up to the hype.
Everyone in my group got the St. Luke which was a buttermilk fried chicken cutlet with pickles and horseradish mayo on brioche. We all really enjoyed it. A couple people wished the horseradish mayo had more of a kick, but I thought it was pretty dope the way it was.
Also, the employees were super nice and friendly.
When you come, you should plan to take your food to go since there aren’t tables. We ate in one of the nearby parks and it was just lovely.
I will definitely be going back to try more sandwiches.

I like this place and Love their St. Luke’s chick sandwich with Chipolte mayo but seems like the chicken is getting smaller? Watermelon Mint Ice tea yum but $$$.
I’d give it another star if the prices were a little cheaper…

My Nuyorican ($ 9.99) was fresh, unique (roasted plantain), and satisfying but it needed something to tie together, more Peppercorn Mayo? The white meat chicken was not dry and the romaine lettuce have a nice crunch to the sandwich wrapped in a soft pita bread. The sandwich may appears small but it was a solid lunch but not a four star.
The open hours are limited, 12−3pm, so naturally, it’s busy so call for pick up and place your order. Oh! one more thing, some items will be sold out if you order late.

I have been stalking this place for a while online, checking out their daily food porn pics, and what finally got me in the door was The Po Girl sandwich (Fried Shrimp, Thai Chili Aioli, Green Papaya Salad, Coconut Toasted Potato Bun $ 11.99). Sandwich size was around 4 and a half inches in length and it was served on baguette bread, I guess they ran out of the potato bun (I picked the sandwich up around 1:30 PM). The fried shrimps were small in size but tasty, and the aioli was good but tasted more like a remoulade than a Thai Chili aioli. The sandwich included a bag of chips and a ¼ of A Half Sour Pickle. I love half sour pickles, so no complaints there.
At $ 13 including tax, I just wasn’t blown away. I can think of two other sandwiches in my work-​hood that run $ 13 and do blow me away, one of which is ginormus and not 4 and a half inches. Come to think of it, no girl likes anything that is 4 and a half inches! I also wanted to try the Peanut butter rice crispy treat, but I did not have enough CASH; which brings me to my last gripe, have I mentioned I hate CASH ONLY!
I will definitely give BBUG and another shot before I write them off, because the sandwich was good, just not amazing. Sadly, the $ 13 sandwich market in Soho/​South Village is very competitive.

This review is for their pop-​up shop at Pier 60 (Hudson River Park/​Chelsea Piers). I have ridden by here a number of times and today I decided to stop. There are about a dozen small shops here, and Better Being by the water seemed to have the most interesting selection. I wanted the St. Luke but they were sold out so I went with the Nuyorican. Spicy! But very nice. I noticed it is $ 1.00 more than what is advertised at the regular shop, but filling and no small bag of chips but better than those tiny ones some other shops offer. There are plenty of picnic tables so you can watch the runners, bikers, & skateboarders on the Greenway or check out the Hudson River.

One of the best places to grab a killer sandwich (or dessert) in this neighborhood. It’s small and only open from 12 — 3pm, which will suffice for the lunch time rush. The menu is updated daily online so you can preview and plan before heading over. There was an earlier comment about how this place stays in business with such limited hours, IT’S BECAUSE IT’S THAT GOOD. Everyone flocks there at lunch and they run out of some items if you get there late. That’s okay though, b/​c they have plenty of items on the menu that are delish. My favorite is the Slumdog Millionaire: curried chicken w/​spinach, cilantro, mint and red onion on pressed garlic nann. YUM. Their St. Luke is quite delicious as well.
It doesn’t end there. The cakes at this place are to die for. My favorite is the Chocolate Basil Cake. I have yet to hear anyone that I’ve introduced say the opposite. It’s the perfect mix of basil in a delicious chocolate cake with chocolate icing. They also have one of the best Red Velvet cakes I’ve ever had. Oh, and the Banana cake is pretty damn yum as well.
Don’t just take my word for it. Check them out yourself. It’s totally worth it.

Who knew sandwiches could taste so good!
If a friend hadn’t shown me this place, I would’ve never known it existed. It’s located under the steps of another house and the subway-​looking sign disguises it almost as a subway stop. But if you venture down under, you’ll come across a tiny tiny kitchen and counter and home to multiple gourmet sandwiches and salads.
I wanted something hearty and ordered the Saint Luke sandwich, which consists of buttermilk fried chicken, pickles and your choice of chipotle or rosemary horseradish mayonnaise. (I went with the rosemary). When I got it, it reminded me of a traditional southern fried chicken sandwich, except without the biscuit. The chicken was cooked perfectly, juicy and moist, and the batter had a little spicy kick to it, which I enjoyed. The pickles added some texture, although not too much flavor. The mayonnaise didn’t have as much horseradish flavor as I would’ve liked, but I did notice they used fresh rosemary instead of dried which was a pleasant surprise.
Overall, an extremely tasty sandwich that I thoroughly enjoyed for lunch. Unfortunately, I don’t think I’ll be back. Strange, I know, but honestly, I can’t justify the price. I basically paid $ 11 for a chicken sandwich and chips. I know I’m a cheapskate, but even $ 11 is pricey for most. If this isn’t out of your price range, I 100% recommend you try this place out. Even the staff is really nice, giving me suggestions as to what to order. BBU, if you guys ever lower your prices or offer a discount, hit me up!
Pros: Tasty!, quality of ingredients, combination of flavors, helpful staff
Cons: Price