Togo’s is a quick-serve restaurant that my mother and I like to get dinner from every couple of months.
Togo’s started in 1971 with one sandwich shop in San Jose. Since then, Togo’s has grown to become a well-known West Coast sandwich chain with locations in California, Oregon, and Washington, as well as one location in Arizona.
We find that Togo’s has tastier sandwiches than its primary competitor Subway, and Togo’s prices are on par with other fast-food restaurants. Togo’s also offers salads, wraps, soups, chips, fountain drinks, and even light desserts like cookies.
On June 3, I went to Togo’s on the way home from Safeway. Togo’s is located in the Amador Ridge Shopping Center at the southwest corner of Industry Boulevard and Prospect Drive. Togo’s sign is easy to see, and it’s (almost) next door to the AT&T store.
I picked up two sandwiches for dinner. My mother wasn’t sure if she wanted egg salad or albacore tuna. She chose the latter, which was good because I found that the egg salad sandwich had been removed from the menu after being available for a few months. I chose the Turkey Bistro Hot Pretzel sandwich that comes on (you guessed it) a pretzel bun.
My Meal
The Turkey Bistro Hot Pretzel is one of three pretzel-bun sandwiches Togo’s introduced last year; the others are the Pretzelrami (with pastrami) and the Chicken Dijon Hot Pretzel.
The Turkey Bistro Hot Pretzel sandwich includes a stack of smoked turkey, bacon, provolone cheese, slices of tomatoes, slices of red onion, and Togo’s “bistro sauce.” The sandwich came in a thick cardboard sandwich container—like a Styrofoam container, but environmentally friendlier.
When you order at the restaurant, you can watch the sandwich builder make your sandwich. The advantage of ordering in person is that you can see what the builder is doing and customize your sandwich in real time with produce and/or condiments. I didn’t have to do this because I wanted to try the sandwich in its original configuration.
My sandwich builder, James, constructed the sandwich using plastic gloves and an orange facemask to match his orange Togo’s T-shirt. When he was done, he heated the sandwich in a small oven behind the counter for a couple of minutes.
The pretzel bun definitely tastes like a pretzel. What’s more, the bun thick enough to handle all the meat, vegetables, and sauce without getting soggy, but not so thick that the sandwich was hard to eat. James also didn’t overwhelm the sandwich with bistro sauce.
So, I was still able to taste a little bit of the sweet sauce, but it wasn’t strong enough for me to get an idea of what the sauce contains. The sauce didn’t get in the way of the rest of the sandwich, either, and the only (brief) aftertaste came from the turkey and bacon spices.
Mom’s Meal
Togo’s allows you to select from several different types of sandwich bread, and my mother prefers sourdough. I also know what my mother wants from years of practice: a six-inch albacore tuna sandwich on sourdough with light mayonnaise, no mustard, lettuce, tomatoes, and pickles. No salt or pepper, either.
James constructed my mother’s sandwich first, and he wrapped it in one layer of paper and cut it in half. Then he wrapped it in another layer of paper before he put it in a paper bag.
When my mother unwrapped her sandwich after I got home, there was so much tuna that it was spilling out of the sandwich. My mother ate some of the pieces of tuna salad that spilled out before she dug in, and I could smell the tuna across the table. (It wasn’t too strong that it interfered with my meal, though.)
The somewhat-fresh bread loaf was thick and easily handled all the food within it. This time, my mother got the heel of the sourdough loaf, but she didn’t mind.
The Verdict
The Turkey Bistro Hot Pretzel was satisfying but didn’t weigh heavily on my stomach. I was pleasantly surprised that both the turkey and the bacon were spiced well enough so it wasn’t overwhelming, but still satisfying.
My mother enjoyed her tuna sandwich, as usual. Her only complaint was that the sandwich may be too much for her to eat, in large part because the top of the sourdough loaf was so thick. Togo’s offers mini-sandwiches that are three inches long instead of six if you don’t need too much, so I’ll suggest that next time.
Our experiences with Togo’s can be uneven at times, but not so much that it keeps us from going back. This time, James did a fine job putting our sandwiches together, taking his time and getting our sandwiches right. Thumbs up.
As of this writing, Togo’s does not offer dine-in service. You can order and build your sandwich inside at the counter, pick up your food from the curb when you order ahead using Togo’s app, or have the food delivered to your home with Doordash.
The cost of our meals was about $16.
Want to Try Them?
You can visit Togo’s website, click or tap the Order Online button, and then type in your zip code to view the Jackson restaurant menu and order ahead. You can also order with (and get rewards from) Togo’s online app. Or you can call them at 209-223-1531.
Amador Business Ticker food reviews are adventures in local dining with Editor Eric Butow and his mom.
