Peterson Bros

Delicious food. Nice guys working there. The three stars is for my water glass having lipstick on it, and my wife getting the wrong sandwich.

My 4-​star review still stands, as well as all that I had to say in my original review. (Still no gf buns, but the salads are still *drooooooooool* amazing)
I just had to come back and update my review to talk about the service. I have been there on average once per month (some months it was 1x per week) since my first review 13 months ago, and the service is really ⁵⁰⁄₅₀. There’s a 50% chance you’ll get super awesome «I love my job and I want you to love my job too!» service, and another 50% chance you’ll wonder how your server ever got an interview for the job in the first place. To be specific, sometimes my server would just walk away in the middle of my order (and surprise surprise, get my order wrong) and/​or roll their eyes at me, which sucks.
Other than that, though, everything is still great. Would still recommend.

Ordered the pesto turkey bacon sandwich with a porter and it was simply great! The bread, bacon, turkey, and pesto was well balanced and vey filling. I would easily come here again and enjoy a pint. Thanks!

The owner made me feel like a «regular» the moment I walked in for the first time. Good atmosphere, stiff drinks, and good food!

This bar is fantastic! Loved the tuna melt and grilled cheese w tomato soup. Great ingredients and a good bread for a yummy sandwich. I really like the ambience — very classic bar good drink and beer selections.
Food comes out quick w good service. I look forward to bringing company to this spot.
Nachos were pretty good– like the sandwiches better.

Although I don’t live in Tacoma, every time I come through I make a point to stop in. All their sandwiches are on point, especially the roast beef, Cali Turkey, and Reuben. They also have one hell of a soup chef because they’re always delicious, so make sure you add a cup of their soup of the day. Vibe is killer, service is great, can’t go wrong!

I’ve been to Peterson Bros. twice now. The first time I guess I didn’t get around to writing a review for my visit. The second time here was for a friends going away party and on the second visit here I actually liked it a lot better!
The bar is quirky, fun and the staff are very cool! One thing that impressed me with the second visit is the delicious sandwiches that they have here! I got a Turkey Chipolte sandwich which was amazing! Wow! That was something that I just wasn’t expecting at all!
They have an impressive bar where they have the option of mixed drinks at their disposal and they have a decent selection of beers on tap.
The staff here is very friendly and the place seems always busy so the service can come off a bit uneven but if you go up to the bar you can place your order or pay your bill there as well in addition to waiting for the waiter or waitress to come to the table.
Since I loved the sandwiches so much I will have to not make the gap so long before my next visit!

OMG! I had the Reuben and it came on a rye hoagie! Rye hoagie? Who had ever heard of that? It was amazing! I can’t wait to go back on a Friday and have the special, Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf on an Asiago Hoagie!!! My lunch companion had one and let me try it. I was blown away! So much so that apparently I was loud enough for the server to hear and he said «See you next week then?» And found out they have a sister restaurant… Tacoma is very lucky they are here!

I went in for the French Dip. It was perfect. I drank some red beer that was okay but the sandwich was the best.

My husband and I have been here quite a few times over the last few years and I keep forgetting to come and Unilocal it. Not only is the food *amazing* (seriously, I bring people here just for the reuben because it’s so damn yummy) but this place makes everyone comfortable. I’ve brought friends with bright red mohawks, my brother who has a beard to rival the brothers’, my mom, my dad, my uncle. My 70 year old aunt comes here on the regular. They are occasionally out of a certain beer or menu item and it can be hard to find a place to sit during popular times. But really, that’s the sign of a great place.

It’s a comfy hole in the wall spot with really great sandwiches. Perfect spot for a beer and lunch. The staff was friendly and the service was quick. What more do you need?

This place is shady as they try and get you to tip based on the post tax amount. Sorry doesn’t work that way. The potato sausage soup of the day was awesome! That was why this place got an extra star. The Cuban and meatball subs were blown away by Subway (yes, Subway). Subs were dry and had lack of sauce. This was only topped by the crappy service. The bar tender did try and make up for it by filling our drinks twice (wahoo!). He was a complete a. hole when I walked up to the bar because the waitress ignored us for over 10 minutes. Plus this place lets dogs in here free to annoy people. I have two dogs, and this crap would never fly by health inspectors on the east coast.

We randomly found this spot on our way home to Portland from Seattle. We were delighted with everything. The food was awesome, and the staff was so nice and on top of it. If I lived near I’d make this a regular spot! I’ll be sure to hit it up again if I’m ever in the area.

I was just told about this place this week and it is so good I’ve already eaten here twice!
Cool atmosphere, friendly staff & great food! Highly recommended!!!

I love this place! Pure Tacoma grunge scene right here. They play fun music, service is fast and somewhat friendly, and their food is super good. I normally get a hot sandwich and upgrade my side to soup. I eat half the sandwich and the soup and bring the rest home. Everything is always so fresh and yummy! Pretty great deal for like $ 10. Their drinks are reasonably priced too. Great people watching too. This place just gives a fun, grungy vibe with great food. Love it!

Hilltop’s coming back, isn’t it? Seems that way, anyway. I must confess that there were pretty blue and red lights flashing on the cars parked around the corner when we came in Saturday night, but last week was an unusually rough week in this neighborhood. Been about 20 years since this neighborhood seemed crazy, and businesses are starting to put down some roots again. The 1111 is a great example of this little renaissance. There are plenty of others, of course, but this one is the one we visited Saturday night.
It’s funny, I’d done a search for places in T-​Town, and this was one of the top. I’d have suggested it to my mom, who was joining me for dinner that night, but she’s watching her sodium now in her golden years. So we agreed to hit up an old favorite in the Proctor for sandwiches. Turns out, when I called her after she’d had a bit more time to think about it, this was the very spot she really wanted to check out. She said «it’s supposed to have even better sandwiches than that place over on 6^th, and I’m eligible for a cheat meal tonight.» I’m glad her dietician told her an occasional serving of saltier foods is OK, because she’s been scrupulous about her intake, and she’s earned the occasional treat.
We scored parking right outside – the boys in blue with their shiny yellow tape around the corner might have helped us out there; seems uncanny that you can score parking five feet from the door of your destination when you’re downtown. But, as mom pointed out, if they’re there to clean up one crime, there probably won’t be another one for a while, even after they leave. We headed inside, and you’d seriously never guess that anything rough was happening outside. All kinds of interesting characters lined the booths, all having a ball. The bartender spotted us, grabbed menus, and followed us to our table. He and the waitress were both very sweet and welcoming to my mom, even though she’s hardly a Saturday night regular here. That goes a hell of a long way with me.
The menu’s short; it’s a good run of hot sandwiches and a few cold ones, followed by a brief list of salads and appetizers. But it’s pretty clear that sandwiches tell the story in this place. We watched at least a dozen waxed-​paper-​lined baskets full of sandwiches come out while we were there, along with quite a few pints of beer. The place seems pretty focused on beer – there are dozens of vintage (and vintage-​looking) tin tackers hanging around the place, along with old mirrors and other brewery memorabilia. I personally never get tired of this theme – I just brainstorm ways to get stuff down and take it home. They focus on local and West coast beers, both in their signage and in their taps. That rocks.
The sandwiches here are pretty awesome – good chewy bread, fresh ingredients, nice proportions to the fillings. The bread could actually be a little thinner (or the fillings a little fuller) to get the overall proportions dialed perfectly, but you can’t beat the flavors. I had the cheesesteak, which definitely didn’t pretend to be an exact philly match (probably the smart play). Mom had the first Cuban she’d ever, ever had, and she thought it was great.
For a beer and a couple sandwiches, we were out the door for under $ 25. Nice! They have TVs up everywhere, all tuned to sports. We didn’t dawdle, though, and there were people streaming in by the time we headed out. We went down the hill from here to catch Hal Holbrook in his Mark Twain show, and I have to say the waitress very sweetly showed interest in our plans when we said we had to go. Everything about this place left me with a good feeling – good food, good beer, good people, and a great presence in a neighborhood that I’ve spent most of my life thinking was a damn mess. Because it was a damn mess, but not anymore. As an old college friend said on Facebook after noticing my check-​in: :Hey, I hope you get to meet the Peterson brothers while you’re there. They’re great guys, and people like that are what Tacoma is all about.

Had the Mac n cheese with today’s special bacon wrapped meatloaf sandwich. A great home style meal paired to perfection.

Fab sandwiches.
Ample sides (but no fries).
Relaxed atmosphere and service.
Shady neighborhood.
Drive the older car.

I was walking around Tacoma and found this place on Unilocal.The pictures looked promising, so we decided to check it out.
If you are unfamiliar with Tacoma, the Hilltop neighborhood is famous for drug-​related activities, crime, and violence.
I was thinking about this as I parked my car on the side of the street in an area that has obviously seen better days.
…but don’t let that scare you away. Peterson Bros is worth getting mugged or assaulted.
Just head up 11^th Street, passed L Street, and right before Martin Luther King Jr. It’s there on your right next to some type of convenience store with bars on the windows and a couple of old cigar store Indians guarding the entrance.
Peterson Bros or Eleven Eleven (as some call it) is a total dive. There is no other way to describe it. I actually walked passed it at first and had to look at my phone to verify the location. «What? This crappy-​looking bar? Uh… okay, this is going to be interesting!»
The door should already be open so just make your way inside, passed the group of flies loitering near the front door and seat yourself. A waitress with nice cleavage will arrive promptly to provide you with menus and take drink orders. And, don’t worry about the flies. They will leave you alone.
Is it just me or does everyone sitting at the bar have the same tired, disheveled, shaggy, bedraggled appearance? Anyway…
The Eleven Eleven has a sort of «Cheers-​like» atmosphere. Everybody who works here seems to be involved in a huggable relationship with the woman who was sitting next to me. Much like how I yell to my mom across the house, the employees and locals also yell questions to each other across the bar, which I found to be somewhat endearing. I aspire to one day be this cool.
We ordered two sandwiches: a Cuban and chicken, bacon, ranch special. Our sides were: salad and chili.
The salad was… a salad: boring. My chili, however, was damn good. It had ground beef, black/​white beans, tomatoes, red onions, red/​green bell peppers, and shredded cheese on top. Not bad. Not bad at all.
My first bite of the Cuban blew my mind. «Who the… what the…» How is this an actual thing… and in a shitty, little bar, no less. Who are making these and how? I must know! These sandwiches are for real. I’m not joking. I tried the chicken-​special-​whatever and that was amazing as well.
This place is confusing and mind-​boggling. It looks like a sketchy dive where people are stabbed outside, but they make some of the best food I have ever had!
Eleven Eleven is easily in my top 5. Off the top of my head, my list is:
1. Royal Grinders (Fremont)
2. Paseo (Fremont) /​Un Bien (Ballard)
3. Casella’s Italian Deli (Scottsdale) or Peterson Bros (Tacoma)
4. MSM (Tacoma) or Cheese n’ Stuff (Phoenix)
5. Defalco’s (Scottsdale), Tats (Seattle), Niccoli’s (Phoenix), or Calozzi’s (Seattle)
Drop in, say «hi» to a few locals, grab a beer and order a Cuban. You won’t be disappointed.

I will admit, the location made me a bit skeptical. But damn do they make some exceptional sandwiches (I had the vegan). By far the best sandwich place I have ever been to (even better than the famous MSM), and might I add that they’re cheap. Staff are friendly and attentive, atmosphere is great, just an awesome place to hang out. Definitely a new go to spot for me.
You’re missing out if you’ve never been here yet!