The Best Non-Traditional Chain Restaurant Reuben Sandwich, According To Customers

Reuben sandwiches, a throwback from the 1950s, are as closely linked to St. Patrick's Day as shamrocks and pots of gold, but you certainly don't have to wait until the March holiday to enjoy the salty, cheesy bite. There are, in fact, a number of chain restaurants that have Reubens on their menus year round, and in fact, Food Republic did a round-up of the 10 very best. Among the Arby's option, with its New York-style recipe, and Culver's grilled version, stuffed with meat, there is one standout choice that actually isn't super traditional, but customers love it anyway, and it's from Schlotzsky's Deli.

The Texas-based sandwich shop, which first opened its doors in 1971 has since grown to include nearly 300 locations across the U.S. This tasty Reuben is on the restaurant's permanent menu and what sets it apart from all the others is the bread. You see, while it has all the other markings of a classic Reuben, like pastrami, melted Swiss, a heap of sauerkraut, and Thousand Island Dressing (the other traditional option is Russian dressing, which is a little spicier), customers have the option of eating these ingredients on the chain's signature round sourdough. One reviewer on Google even proclaimed that they drive 40 minutes to get to the nearest Schlotzsky's to get its Reuben on this tangy white bread.

The deli sandwich chain does offer a rye option, which the customers love. But even Schlotzsky's dark rye bread is different from classic rye.

Schlotzsky's bread is so special that the Food Republic article cited customers as raving about it almost separate from all the fillings in its sandwiches. And the reason is simple: Unlike, say, McDonald's, whose English muffins are shipped in from a variety of regional bakeries, Schlotzsky's bread is baked fresh daily, in-house, and the employees do not cut any corners. Just like at home, the loaves at this chain must rise, proof, and then finally bake, in a process that takes about an hour (it is speeded up a bit by the use of in-kitchen proofers, which can accelerate the entire procedure).

But it's not just the freshness of the bread, it's also the ingredients, namely the proprietary sourdough starter that forms the basis of every bread the restaurant offers, from its Harvest Wheat, to the pizza crusts, and yes, even its rye bread. This is one part of what makes the Reuben from Schlotzsky's nontraditional, because aside from the fact that you can choose any of the chain's breads to fill with pastrami, cheese, sauerkraut and dressing, if you do opt for the rye bread, it isn't a classic, dense rye. Rather, it falls in line with the chain's sourdough, which is crispy on the outside but airy and tender on the inside, and is baked in a distinctive round shape.