Sub Society closed in early 2021.
Rolling Hills Plaza is a shopping center in South Torrance. It is anchored by Whole Foods Market, AMC Theaters, Stonefire Grill, Islands, BevMo and Nijiya Market. I recently learned that Sub Society, a sub sandwich shop recently opened directly across from Stonefire Grill.
Sub Society is set up as a fast-casual restaurant in Rolling Hills Plaza. The menu is vividly printed on the wall behind the counter. Colorful tropical watercolor paintings painted by the owner’s father give the place a cool island vibe. Upbeat reggae music enhanced the experience.
Customers place their orders and wait for the food to be delivered to their table. Because the restaurant is small, they remember each order and don’t have to issue numbers and chrome stands for the table. Beverages are available from a self-serve refrigerated case.
Their special that day was a Three Cheese Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Tomato Basil soup for $10. They use sharp cheddar, mozzarella, and aged white cheddar cheeses. The tomato soup was thick and quite tasty. It seemed like it was naturally thickened and without any dairy products.
The owner’s family hails from Brazil and their Brazilian Pot Roast ($18) is a family recipe. Grass-fed angus beef is simmered for six hours. They add the beef, provolone, parmesan, and some au jus so that the juice soaks into the bread. It is quite tasty and large enough to share.
Chicken Banh Mi ($12) isn’t quite an authentic Vietnamese experience. Instead of typical ingredients like nuoc cham or lemongrass, Sub Society uses habanero pineapple teriyaki sauce and cilantro to flavor the chicken. Because of the habanero, this sandwich is slightly spicy.
My wife’s favorite was The Capri ($11). Smoked mozzarella, pesto, balsamic marinated tomatoes, and arugula are added to french bread. The pesto sauce has a fair amount of olive oil making this a multi-napkin meal. If you like pesto, this is your sandwich!
Each sandwich is made to order and has a different set of ingredients. Unlike Subway, it’s not simply a matter of stating which vegetables you would like added to your sandwich and takes more time. My order took about 15 minutes to receive.
In addition to sandwiches, they also offer a Chinese Chicken Salad, a Cobb Salad, and a Farmer’s Market Salad.
The owner is trying to minimize their use of plastic. In fact, the drinks are all available in glass bottles or aluminum cans – soda (Fanta, Coke, Squirt, 7-Up, Crush) and bottled water (Pellegrino, Acqua Panna).
With Subway, Togo’s, and Jersey Mike’s in the sandwich market, I think Sub Society fills a niche for people that want to have recipe-focused sandwiches with quality ingredients acquired from local suppliers. It is a nice addition to the Torrance dining scene.
Sub Society, 25364 Crenshaw Blvd, Torrance, CA 90505; 424.263.5811
subsocietysandwiches.com