The Hero Factory

I am updating my review with 5 starts for their salads because I love them. Az is seriously lacking in good delis in town. The only NY based deli I can find in Phoenix with Long Island Style Potato salad and I have looked everywhere. They also have Knishes which are hard to find too. They do run out though, insert sad face.

I love to come here when I am in Downtown. Nicole reminds me of home. She is so NY. I love her stories. You will hear them if you visit. Don't be shy or prudish when visiting here. Ha! You will get an earful.

Cassellas in Scottsdale and Hero factory in Phoenix are the two best delis in town. The only bad thing is the location and hours. If you do not work in downtown it is hard to get here. I do see they are open on Saturdays now so that is better. The sandwiches are pretty tasty here. So far I have had chicken salad, turkey and roast beef. All of them delish! Some folks have commented on the bread. I like their sesame seed sub rolls. They are not as good as NY, but what is?

^^^CLOSED^^^
Walked over for lunch today to find an 'occupancy terminated, closed for business' notice on the door. A gentleman was leaving as I arrived & he stated that he will soon be renting the space to another tenant. Another one bites the dust, it seems.

Wtf!?

Who puts disgusting, processed American cheese on a sub sandwich!?

Every time I go back to this place, it gets worse.

For...the...love...of...God...

This is why I'm scared to go out for lunch in Phoenix. Nobody seems to have a clue about what you should and shouldn't do.

Also, the bread. Why choose a bread that has millions of tiny sesame seeds? Hmm? No bueno.

Hey, Hero Factory, the 80s called. They love your cheese.

The rest of us, not so much.

I paid about $11.00 for this awesome sub and a small bag of chips.

If you appreciate it when people flaunt their right to wear a gun in public, then this is the place for you.

However, if you want some decent food, I would avoid the Hero Factory.

They get 2-stars for quick service and good jalapeno potato chips.

In short, this tiny downtown sub shop serves affordable breakfast and big hero sandwiches. No vegan options though, but they have vegetarian breakfast items.
I've only eaten here in the morning and usually order the garden platter which came with potatoes and coffee for under $6.
I wish they'd serve tofu scrambles, but they are not that kind of restaurant.
The place is clean and breakfast items are inexpensive and decent. I can't really comment about the other items though.
Overall rating + 3.5

I really like this place...
Taking the advice of Yelp we stopped in on our way through downtown.
We were immediately greeted as we walked in. I told the staff it was our first time in and asked which sandwich was the best.
Following the recommendation I ordered the Crackerjack, cracked pepper turkey and melted pepper jack cheese with lettuce, tomato, onion and Russian dressing. We also ordered the Godfather, cappicola, salami, pepperoni and melted mozzarella on garlic toasted bread.
Let's take a moment and show the bread some much deserved love. It tastes fresh with a chewy center and crisp exterior covered in sesame seeds. You could put a shoe on this bread and it would taste great.
I really enjoyed the Crackerjack. The Godfather was good for a few bites, but too rich for me.

I can't wait to come back...
Great choice for lunch downtown for a very fair price.

Unless you are completely starving, share a sandwich!

This place gets packed for lunch, and rightfully so. Delicious sandwiches that are absolutely huge. Can easily be shared with two people. I think I got the Rachel, which is pastrami with thousand island dressing and coleslaw (I think). Anyway, it was huge. I ate half of it and it was plenty for me.

Make sure to come early or have some time because the lines get a little long.

Oh yeah. This place rocks! Definitely authentic. I felt very pressured to order in that New York nice kind of way.

As a frequent NY traveler (just read my other reviews) it felt every bit like I was in a New York deli, except there was room to move around and not a lot of people talking very loudly.

The subs are huge, fresh and tasty. I am definitely planning on sampling as much from the menu as I can. So far, I would say this is the best sandwich shop in town.

Nice little spot. Kinda pricey, but the staff and owner are cool people.

This place makes sandwiches and sandwich wraps and soups for the most part and they are offering breakfast now as well.

The customer service is good, you will be recognized acknowledged upon entering, ordering and exiting the joint. The sandwiches are really good and the soups are marginal in taste at best to me.

The tables and chairs had crumbs from previous patroons and that was a low point for me but hey it is what it is I guess.
Expect to be out of 12 bucks for a sandwich, chips and soda.

Parking won't happen unless you're willing to walk or pay to enter a parking garage. So take the light rail if you can.

Nice different choice for this area of downtown Phoenix.

I think I'm going to cry. Long Island is finally in the house!

The first thing I saw when I walked in was the potato salad... and I knew I was home. Long Island delis have a certain way of making potato salad that I've never found anywhere else in the world. So when I saw The Hero Factory's deli case my heart started to race a little. I prayed to God that his would be the real deal. By the power of Huntington please be an authentic LI deli run by real New Yorkers.

And it is!!!

The owners did a really great job of maintaining authenticity. Their accents, personality and friendly, familiar way of talking to the customers is refreshing and so very NY.

I actually feel like something good happened to me today because I discovered this place. I'll be back whenever I have a craving for good food or for home.

I came here today with a few coworkers for lunch and enjoyed it quite a bit. Now, I'm not much of a sandwich person myself, but even so I was diggin' it. The people behind the counter were definitely New Yorkers, and I got a huge kick out of their accents. They were friendly and efficient, and we got in and out of there pretty fast, despite the line.

I ordered the Barbeque Ranch Wrap, no lettuce, no tomato, with a wheat tortilla shell. Upon my first bite, I wasn't absolutely loving it, but the more bites I took, the more it grew on me. It had just a touch of hot sauce that gave it a nice kick, and I'd say all of the ingredients went well together. I'm not sure I'd order it again, just because they had some other good looking wraps, but overall it was pretty tasty.

Again, I don't love sandwiches all that much, but if I have to go to a sandwich place, this would be my pick.