Hanini's Subs
 Akron, Ohio        Date of Visit  08/26/12       http://www.haninisubs.com/

After the gyro disillusionment at Kiflis Bakery and Restaurant, visions of gyros past started flooding my sense memory and peppery lamby loaf has been niggling in the back of my mind for days now. My favorite options are farther away than I can travel for the week, so a local joint I have enjoyed before leapt to mind and wouldn’t dissipate until satiated. Hanini’s doesn’t have the magic sauce of Steve’s in Cleveland or the overall perfection of Bill’s in Atlantic City but they are very good. And they do stand out from both of those in one category. HEFT.
 

That's All of It. Tiny Place Colossal Sandwiches
 

If I remember correctly the first time I went to Hanini’s it was located inside of a gas station and had a counter and a couple of tables, much smaller than Kiflis. Today the gas station is gone but the interior still feels very fill-‘er-up. If you have ever been in a station that has a Subway or Blimpie or whatever; you have the idea. The only difference is it is a takeout only option now as the tables have disappeared. Three folks behind the counter were in constant motion while we were there as folks filtered in and then grunted their way into the parking lot lumbering along with their sandwich “boulder in a bag”.

The gyro was a no-brainer with the three huge cones of Kronos loaf twirling on the vertical spits. This page would be a little sparse with a single sandwich so we added a hot steak and Reuben to get a sense of what else they offered. We bypassed the wall of reach ins filled with beverages and picked up some chips from the racks which only added to the delusional amount of food which traipsed out the door. You could eat from these bags for well over a week.
 

Back in the office we laid out our goodies and got to work. The chips were successful to varying degrees. Steph had a national brand’s kettle cooked version. I saw a company I had not see before…Uncle Ray’s…with some different flavors. I grabbed bags of Kosher Dill pickle (hey, we’re in a deli) and roasted garlic. The garlic chips were intensely and warmly garlic flavored where the dill chips were coated with dill and missed out on the rest of the brininess that makes a pickle. Wouldn’t do dill again, the garlic certainly. The gyro is a small. I can’t imagine the medium, let alone the large. If you’ve had the Kronos cone before you know it is a well seasoned and satisfactory sandwich stuffing. At Hanini’s you just get a pile of it. Add lettuce, tomato onion and a heaping kitchen spoon scoop of Athenos sauce and you have a couple of delicious meals in a pita. The pita struggles to contain the innards and unless you like bobbing for lamb in a pool of tzatziki sauce a knife and fork are mandatory. If you can finish a small you are more accomplished than I, more in the Joey Chestnut/Takeru Kobayashi/Sonya Thomas league. And it’s good and well balanced.
 

Double Decker Reuben
 

The steak sub came with thinly cut steak, provolone, peppers, onions, mushrooms, lettuce, tomato and little smear of mayo. The steak isn’t as tender as the original Philly options at Pat’s or Geno’s but it is real steak with a distinctively beefy flavor and a couple of stringier pieces are the price you pay unless they are ordering primo stuff. Again the sandwich was enormous and loaded with protein nicely offset with fresh veggies and cheese. You can order a Reuben regular or New York…I’m guessing the New York has more corned beef on it, just silly. The standard comes with all of the usual subjects. Corned beef in two layers, Swiss cheese, Thousand Island dressing and sharp sauerkraut. The corned beef is lean and tender. Everything else works with one exception, the rye either needs additional toast time or the kraut needs a good wringing. The bread was a shambles after the ten minute drive but like the gyro you probably won’t be getting the thing in your mouth sandwich style to begin with. You just lose out the  flavor of the rye which I enjoy in the Rueben but I don’t enjoy soggy bread.

If you like a solid sandwich. If you are seriously hungry. If you are in the falls. If you want a great deal for your money ($5 footlongs will pale rapidly in comparison). It these things are true for you…Hanini’s will do more than satisfy all of your needs.