The Submarine

Best Donairs in the city and that’s saying something in Halifax. Have great sandwiches too. Best spot for lunch in the south end. Also have great Lebanese food, hummus is amazing and tabaloui is some of the best I have ever had. Not open very late so get in for lunch or supper some time. Really nice people who work there. When you get there tell them you know Anthony, I don’t know who that it is and neither do they but it is a great ice breaker

Down in the restaurant district of Inglis Street, there’s an old school sandwich joint that has vaguely been on my radar for the better part of a few years now. Inglis restaurant district you say? Well if a southern BBQ place, casual Italian resto, bubble tea joint, pizza shack and sandwich/​Lebanese place all within a two minute walk of each other don’t make for a district, I don’t know what does.
The Submarine is quaint inside, with seating for about 30 and a front counter to order at. The art on the walls is somewhat random, but at least it isn’t the pictures of miscellaneous Mediterranean ruins. I’m not sure if the menu has changed under the new ownership, but the menu board does look pretty new, with a significant portion dedicated to Lebanese dishes — hummus, kibbeh, tabouli, falafel, shawarma, donairs and more. However, there’s still lots of traditional sandwiches in 8″ and 12″ form — cold cut, Italian, roast beef and every combination of cold cuts you can imagine.
I kept things fairly simple, wanting to get a feel for the place so I got an 8″ cold cut with the works — havarti, lettuce, tomato, pickles, mustard and mayo, on white. I went with the smaller size to save room for a side order of kibbeh, one of my favourite Lebanese foods.
My sandwich came first while the kibbeh got re-​heated in the toaster oven. The cold cuts were a decent quality, better than the sliced meat you’d get in the deli section at the grocery store. The bread was fresh, with just a bit of chew to it, and while this wasn’t the fanciest sandwich in the world, it was enjoyable and certainly something I’d advocate over Subway. Two kibbeh were brought over on a small plate with some garlic sauce about halfway through my sandwich. A dark brown, they had a nice earthy flavour to the shell, with light hints of cinnamon or nutmeg, and moist ground beef and some pine nuts inside. The garlic sauce was incredibly potent, with just a small dab packing a huge, raw garlic punch. Again, not the best I’ve ever had but still a good effort.
The couple that runs the place is really friendly and as talkative as you are, as I witnessed from some of the regulars that came in. The food is quite reasonably priced, and I wouldn’t mind trying some more of their Lebanese fare in the future if I’m in the neighbourhood and not feeling like one of the other ethnicities’ foods in the Inglis St Restaurant District (ISRD).

Besides newfoundland this is the best donair place ive ever had. So happy to live next to this amazing place. Fresh bread, such a clean and friendly place you would never guess its been there so long. Love that cheese they put on the donair. Ill be getting one for later tonight :) the soups and other plates are awesome also but im a huge donair fan.