Lee’s Sandwich Shop is part of a California-based chain of sandwich shops which has recently opened a branch in Chandler.
As you might imagine, Lee’s stock and trade are sandwiches, but not just any sandwiches, these are Vietnamese-inspired. (The French colonial period in Vietnam’s history has apparently indelibly left the baguette and croissant in their cultural heritage.) Their menu consists of roughly four main areas, European sandwiches, Asian Sandwiches, Specialty Drinks and some miscellaneous items such as appetizers, ice creams and pastries.
There are 30 types of European sandwiches, 15 Asian sandwiches, 2 columns of specialty drinks including coffees, iced drinks and a dizzying 26 flavors of smoothies (ranging from avacado to taro by way of such choices as carots, durians, green beans, mangos and strawberries) to choose from. The choice of 30 European sandwiches is a bit deceptive as there are only 15 types of sandwiches, but each is offered on either a baguette or croissant. The Asian sandwiches are all on baguettes.
I’ve only had baguette-based sandwiches and although the baguettes themselves are not the most flavorful, they are always fresh and crusty. In fact, one of the centerpieces of the enormous 8,000 square foot establishment is what I call, “the Infernal Baguette Machine” which is prominently displayed behind glass in the center of the restaurant. The claim is that baguettes are made every 30 minutes. Considering how busy this restaurant is, I can believe it.
The European sandwiches are quite tasty, and come standard with lettuce, tomato, mayonaise and cheese (the default cheese is American, so it you want Provolone or Swiss, make sure you ask for it.) On the side you get pickle, pepperoncini, red onion and mustard. Unlike other sandwich chains that prepare the food in front of you, Lee’s has a vast work area where your sandwich order disappears to for 10 minutes or so until they call your number. Good luck keeping your receipt as they insist you turn it over to pick up your food.
The Asian sandwiches are topped differently, coming standard with their house pickle (a mixture of pickled daikon and carrot), onion, jalapeño, cilantro, house mayonaise, salt, pepper and soy sauce. Some of the sandwich types include “sliced jambon, headcheese & pate”, “shredded pork” and “sliced chinese BBQ pork.” the Asian sandwiches are very different from the European ones and can be quite spicy for the unsuspecting.
For some reason, Asian sandwiches are served wrapped in paper, while the European sandwiches are served in large, wasteful, ecologically unfriendly plastic serving containers. Although there is plenty of seating, all food is packaged “to go.”
The restaurant itself is always clean, modern, and almost always busy. (I was there at 9:30 AM on a Monday and there were only 15 people eating.) On the weekends, especially around lunchtime, it’s packed. The crowd seems to be predominently asian and I most commonly hear Mandarin, Cantonese and Vietnamese being spoken by the other patrons. They have free balloons for the kids, 3 available computers for free internet access and a large plasma TV showing CNN.
Lee’s takes cash only.
My conclusion: recommended.