The Yellow Submarine is near Coolidge Park. Click to enlarge all our photos.
photo by Janet Wilson
The Yellow Submarine is located at 181 River Street, facing the Coolidge
Park Carousel. Our first visit was in October, and we recently made another visit to sample their offerings. The food was delicious and I think we'll be ready to go back soon.
A lot of the places in these (touristy) areas are not all that clean so I was taken by surprise when we first entered and the cleanliness just jumped out at you. Being in the heart of the park area where there is sand and fountains, etc., they have obviously made a concerted effort towards being
clean. We learned they recently scored a 96 on their health inspection. That is a great score - it is difficult to achieve such ratings. It is also more spacious than we had expected - and in warm weather you can eat on the outdoor patio.
Upon entering, you are greeted by large posters of the Beatles. When you go into the main room, the wall is covered with posters and pictures of 60's rock groups, along with a small area devoted to Gary Volpe's days as the drummer for The Four Seasons, while in the background 60's music can be heard.
They have a large selection of hot and cold subs for everyone, including the vegetarian. Their specialty seems to be the varieties of Philly Cheese Steaks. There are several different ones to choose from and I ordered the Mushroom Cheese Steak - Thinly sliced sirloin steak grilled with onions and
mushrooms with melted mozzarella cheese - $4.75. Wayne ordered the Deluxe Cheese Steak, which was the same as mine with the addition of bell peppers and melted provolone cheese - $5.25. They were both served on 8" sub rolls. The roll seems like it might have been toasted after the sandwich was made,
giving it a nice crunch on the outside.
The Yellow Submarine also offers a Soup of the Day. On our day, the soup was New England Clam Chowder ($1.50 cup; $2.95 bowl) and was probably right up there at the top of the list of Clam Chowders we have tried. It was definitely a winner! The soup changes daily and we were told the Southwestern Black Bean soup is not to be missed.
For the person who prefers the "normal American fare", they offer an American Cheeseburger ($3.95), several other burgers, Fried Chicken Tenders ($5.95) and Hot Dogs ($1.65, with Chili and Cheese, $1.95). They also have
a Chicken Salad plate.
One of the cold subs that I thought sounded good was the Tuna Torpedo. This is a chunky Tuna Salad with Swiss cheese, served on a natural whole-wheat soft pretzel roll, topped with romaine lettuce, Roma tomatoes, sliced pickles and oregano - $5.25. As we were getting ready to leave, we saw a prepared Torpedo that someone had ordered and it's a definite possibility for next time.
For the vegetarian, you will be able to order an Eggplant Veggie Sub
($4.95), Eggplant Parmesan Sub ($5.25), a Portobello Mushroom Sandwich ($5.95), or maybe a Cheese Grinder Sub (four varieties of cheese - $4.85).
Yes, the Submarine also has children's meals, known as "Little Guppy Meals" for children twelve and under at a price of $3.50, which includes fries and drink along with their choice of six menu items.
On our most recent visit we experienced an Italian dish called Grilled Vegetable Ravioli ($8.95) served with a generous salad of baby lettuces and garlic bread. Gary is serving a different Italian special each night - which should prove to be very popular if all are as delicious as what we ate.
On the back of the menu you will find the following statement: To set the record straight, the CREATION of this famed sandwich is given to PAT'S King of Steaks in South Philadelphia. In its purist form, comprised of thinly sliced sirloin, melted cheese (as in whiz) and grilled onions on a bakery fresh sub roll. Lore has it that the first cheese steak served by hot dog
venders Harry and Pasquale (Pat) Olivieri during the depression, had no cheese. THE REST IS HISTORY. Your host, Gary Volpe, former drummer of Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons, takes great pride in the authenticity & quality ingredients in our Philly steaks, Hoagies and Italian Entrees. We value our guests and thank you for eating at THE YELLOW SUBMARINE.
We might also mention that the servers were friendly and very efficient in keeping our table cleaned from empty baskets and cups - they were on the ball - and have been on each of our visits. They also didn't mind to stop and talk for a minute and tell you interesting tidbits about The Yellow
Submarine.
The Yellow Submarine is open Monday through Saturday, 11:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. They are closed on Sunday.
You should make an effort to drive down to Coolidge Park and eat at the
Yellow Submarine. They have more than sandwiches - and the drive is worth it.
And remember - if you know anyone who eats out a lot we have the perfect gift for them or even for yourself. The new Adventures coupon books are now in with even more coupons - 86 in all. These are perfect gifts for weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, and many other occasions. By using our
Adventures book during 2001, Wayne and I saved over $436 that would have
been spent out of our own pockets - and we didn't even use all the coupons. To make shopping easier for you, we now have credit card capability on the Chattanooga Dine Out site. We ship the same day you order (unless it's Sunday) so your books should be received within approximately three days.
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