Lunch At Schmaltz’s Sandwich Shop In Waco

By Kelsey Kennedy | November 22, 2024

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Everyone says Schmaltz’s Sandwich Shop is one of the best restaurants in Waco, so I went in for lunch to finally check it out! It’s a Waco soup and sandwich restaurant that’s been around for years. The original location opened way back in 1975 on Baylor University campus (that location is closed now) and there are two locations in existence today.

Pretty much everyone who has been to this place told me “be sure to order your sandwich ahead during lunch rush” so I called in (so old school!) and placed my order. Yes, you literally have to pick up your phone, dial a number, and talk to a real person to place your order here! No online orders… It was kind of fun. It brought me back to ordering pizzas from Papa Johns on a Friday night in 2005.

Downtown Waco Schmaltz's Location

The downtown location is cute and small! There’s a cool mural on the side of the building, as well as a few parking spots. And since this is Waco, and not Dallas or Waco, there’s plenty of free downtown parking near the restaurant.

The little restaurant has a deli counter (where there’s often someone on the phone taking orders), a little counter with an old-school cash register where you can place an order in person, and a pick-up counter.

The smattering of tables and chairs were already halfway full when I picked up my order at 11:30 am, and the door was constantly swinging open and closed with customers coming in to pick up their sandwiches and soups. This really is a very popular Waco lunch spot!

The Food At Schmaltz’s

Everyone (including Schmaltz’s themselves!) says it: the secret to these sandwiches is the homemade bread. Each sandwich is made from its own round, springy loaf of bread. They bake it fresh every single morning, making each loaf by hand. (Impressive!)

The bread really is SO good. It’s soft, but not too soft. Just the right consistency to hold up the mayo and mustard and fresh meats and cheeses on the sandwich. It’s not as chewy as a sub sandwich or a ciabatta loaf, but a bit sturdier than typical sandwich bread.

Since this was my first sandwich at Schmaltz’s, I just decided to get the classic #1 Schmaltz’s sandwich: mozzarella, cheddar, and parmesan cheese, ham and salami, lettuce, tomatoes, black olives, onions, mustard, and garlic butter.

It was good! I mean, it was a sandwich…it didn’t blow my mind. But it really was very good. I agree that the bread makes all the difference. Without it, it would have been a very mediocre sandwich. But that bread is so flavorful and fresh and kind of made me wish I had ordered a large instead of a small.

**Note: the bread is really “bready”, so definitely order extra meat for your sandwich! I ended up with a lot of extra bread at the end of my sandwich because there wasn’t enough meat on the regular sandwich order.

Schmaltz's Sandwich Shop

WEBSITE | 105 S 5th St #2102, Waco, TX 76701

Other Downtown Waco Things To Do

After you eat lunch at the Schmaltz’s downtown Waco location, here’s a list of a bunch of fun things to do in Downtown Waco. And here are 25 FREE things you can do in Waco!