Well, I have had pizza, sandwiches and soup....skip the soup. Pizza here is pretty good and fresh tasting, but I seriously don't like cubed ham out of the package on my pizzas! Newks, please use canadian sliced bacon instead...that would make the pizza yummy! Sandwiches are good as well and the salads I've seen go by my table look good and are pretty big, as they should be. But this place is still overpriced for what you get...and you can get the same or better other places not as pricy!
The salads at Newk's are consistently good and very plentiful. Plenty of people must like this place because it's always busy. Though I haven't tried the sandwich's, they look rather plain and boring; no one appears to be relishing their sandwiches... The cake was positively the worst I have ever had. (Rosa's Tortilla Factory has AWESOME cake!) It was obviously frozen before being put in the display case. My advice is simple and straightforward: Stick with the salads.
To get it out of the way, yes, Newk's is a pricy sandwich shop. It is expensive when compared to budget sandwich / sub shops, but it definitely makes up for it in quality and variety. They have delicious sandwiches that you don't find in the common cafes, such as the Pesto Chicken and the Newk's Q. It has a diverse enough menu that we have a group from work that goes together weekly and everyone manages to find a favorite dish.
The portion sizes are friendly for those of us trying to eat healthy meals. I usually get a half sandwich and half soup and manage to keep the meal around 500 calories. If you are expecting a 2,000 kcal meal served on an 18" platter then I suggest going down the street to Don Carlos. The nutritional information for Newk's menu is available online and can be found in MyFitnessPal if you use that service.
So while it might just be another soup and sandwich joint right next door to Panera, it offers a lot in terms of a diverse menu with healthy options. If you are on a tight budget, then there are better choices for sure but if you are after a pleasant change of pace then I suggest Newk's. Just go early during lunch so you don't have to wait for a seat.
Everyone gets excited when a new place opens up in Waco. However, when I saw that Newk's was another sandwich shop, I was not that excited.
I gave it a try anyways for lunch one day. They do have a nice selection of sandwiches and salads. I went with a basic turkey sandwich. When I went to pay for it, I almost choked! I am sorry but when you end paying 10 bucks or more for a meal, it better be good. And it wasn't! The bread was dried out and tasted a day old. Turkey was dry as well. And the portion size was not that great. I was still very hungry by the end of the meal.
Next time you crave a sandwich for lunch, try the place next door(Panera Bread) or even Subway to save money.
I've been twice now and so far I'm really not impressed....at all.
The food to me always looks great, and then I eat it and it's not. They use some spices that just do not flow well. I had a sandwich that was overwhelmed with horseradish and the same with a salad. I tried not to be too upset because that's mainly my fault (I hate horseradish) however, I did ask about the sandwich and the gal said nothing about it. Oh well, I don't necessarily blame her either.
The only thing I ate here that was good was the pasta side and the pizza my boyfriend didn't get to finish because I stole it from him when I gave up on the salad.
