If you’re near Akron Ohio and want a sandwich, you aren’t going to find better than Primo’s. Not anywhere we have found, period. If we had been taking pictures every time we went, this page would be a study in Reubens and Spicy Italians. This trip, attracting way to much attention from the staff for our ridiculousness, we tried a couple of older-school deli classics in addition to our standards.
 

The Salty Crisps Never Stop, Nor Should They
 

The beef tongue sandwich is tasty in a yummy cow sort of way. I still find the texture of the paper thin slices of cow mouth-muscle distractingly soft. It’s how you make it tender, it tastes fine, but the texture is just not my thing.

We also ordered the corned beef, pastrami and chopped chicken liver trio. I have had their chicken liver before. It’s good. With the mustard they make in house its awesome. The mustard has hints of different style mustards. An unapologetic kick, a little sweet like honey mustard, the round boldness of grainy mixes and maybe even a little winey hint like Dijon. Smear it over the insane richness of the chopped liver and it cuts through beautifully. I was actually worried the livers wouldn’t hold up against a pile of corned beef and pastrami but it overpowered them. Enough that I would probably get the liver sandwich separately as the delicious sliced deli meats don’t add much when confronted by the rich pile.
 

The Tongue Tastes Fine
 

But The Thin Strips Are Too Mealy For Me
 

Corned Beef, Pastrami & Serious Chicken Liver
 

Add Their House Mustard For Glory
 

The Reuben with it’s corned beef, sauerkraut, dressing and Swiss on rye remains an outstanding monster of a sandwich. Still my fav, by the most minute of margins over the Reuben is the Spicy Italian. Salami, capicola, mortadella, pepperoni, lettuce, tomato, onion, provolone asiago, and pepper jack cheese all on a crisp roll. I’ve never had anything come near it on the Italian sandwich scale. Comfortable service and incredible deli fare. Stop in, try to stop eating the chips and enjoy stoopid good classics.
 

Find A Better Reuben Anywhere Around Here
 

I'll Put $$$ On It
 

The Reuben Is Awesome...
 

The Compact Punch Of The Spicy Italian Tops Them All
 

Primos is another location in which the building and trappings might give you the wrong idea and send you fleeing for another dining location. Don’t. Yes, you will be sitting at plastic patio furniture and snacking on generic rippled potato chips as you wait (I dare you to stop eating them). I encourage you to wait it out. Salads and sides are all fine but what you are waiting for are the sandwiches. Service is haphazard, on one day you will be well taken care of and the next you might feel all alone in a big world, still wait it out. It will take a while to get your sandwich to you, yes I know it’s just a sandwich, don’t stomp off in a huff until you know how good what your waiting for actually is.
 

Crunchy Addiction in a Basket
 

Soon to be Empty Tea
 

Many Options
 

My personal favorite remains the Ruben which is as good as you are going to get anywhere West of the Big Apple. The corned beef is lean and sliced like paper before being piled high on a hearty rye bread and roofed by kraut and swiss cheese. My wife prefers hers with double swiss. The Thousand Island Dressing brings everything together in a way that reminds me why this sandwich has been around for so long. If there is a specific ingredient you can't stand, you can still catch a glimpse of this place's determination to reach a perfection in balance by trying the Turkey Ruben. Turkey and coleslaw impersonating corned beef and kraut, it's really good, but will never approach it's namesake.
 

This late comer which has broken my loyalty is the Spicy Italian Sub. A heated conglomerate of salami, capicola, prosciuttini, mortadella, pepperoni, lettuce, tomato, onion, provolone, and hot pepper cheese. The combination is inspired and will claw at you once you start thinking about it, ensuring an impending trip to Primo’s.
 

Classic deli staples from chicken livers, braunsweiger, and tounge to roast beef and pickles will be waiting. For the sweeter tooth try the granite-dense carrot cake topped with two inch thick cream cheese icing. They also have a row of reaching for mix and pick beers from PBR to Belgian Corsendonk. I'm also a fan of their iced tea, first it's good, and if you order it you get your own little refill pitcher. Now if only I could decide which damn sandwich….
 

50:50 Ratio - Cake to Icing...Not a Bad Thing