Restaurant Review: Frenchi’s Mammoth Sandwiches Find a Home in Old North

Columbus used to have a few places Downtown where you could score a serious sandwich. And by serious, we’re not talking about fu-fu standards that might involve a layer of pate or artisanal cheese in the mix.

We’re talking about a mega-meat masterpiece. A combo where the protein element is almost shameful, piled sufficiently high to make you question whether your jaw can unhinge to expand widely enough to manage ingestion.

That sort of sandwich is harder to find these days, but go north. Frenchi’s Deli has what you seek.

As a qualifier, you don’t even need to travel that far north. Frenchi’s set up shop on Hudson Street, just off High Street, north of Campus. While you probably won’t notice it while barreling down High Street proper, Frenchi’s is there, waiting for you with its veritable towers of cold cuts.

Let’s get right to it; Le Pastrami ($11.99). The “Le” keeps the sandwich in line with the Frenchi name, but if the notion of French foods engender expectations of precious petite dainties, this ain’t it. Le Pastrami is a perfectly magnificent ode to protein centered on a tall pile of savory, full-flavored pastrami bundled in a soft, perfectly compliant hoagie. Now, there are wrap and bread options for less conventional packaging, but the hoagie is perfect in this context. Shredded lettuce, tomato and onions add a little variety and texture. And for sauce options – mayo feels about right, but the range of choices include blue cheese and buffalo sauce for adventurous types.

A pastrami sandwich piled with toppings on a hoagie bun — Le Pastrami

What could be better? Well, there might be an answer here: a combo. The house combo sandwiches put multiple meat-stacks in the mix. Consider the Le Buckeye ($13.99; again, the “Le” for the French accent). Therein lies an inspired mix of roast beef, turkey and pastrami. Together, the trio honestly merges into a vaguely indistinct meaty overload, but the variety legitimately adds some flavor depth, creating a sandwich that changes a just a little bit in every bite. There is a clear, defined joy in excess, and Frenchi’s understands that sensibility. Case in point, there’s another sandwich option called The Crew that prompts diners to choose five (FIVE!) deli meats as filling.

An open sandwich hoagie has sauce on one side and meat and veggies piled high and topped with melted cheese — Le Buckeye

The sandwich options expand into opportunities that involve grilled chicken and gyros. That said, Frenchi’s also hosts a serious fresh-made crepe scene to investigate, and crepes are unmistakably on-theme. Generally speaking, the house crepe options stay in the sweet lane. Start with something modest, perhaps just a Butter and Sugar Crepe ($5.99). An order affords an opportunity to celebrate the sweet unadulterated happiness of a folded crepe in a mostly unadulterated form. After that, you can load it up.

Custom options will let you put Oreo, Snickers, brownies and Nutella in the mix, but just a straightforward Nutella and Banana Crepe ($7.99) holds plenty of both elements and delivers a ridiculous amount of joy for the price.