Lion's Choice
Lion's Choice Takeaway. Choose Wisely, Choose Lion's Choice. Surprisingly solid 7.0 / 10 sandwich score. Crosses The Flood Line. Best of the faster food ones, this came out in 22 seconds before the receipt finished printing. $7.89 for 7.7 oz and 5.4 oz of meat. Cheapest in the city by a mile.
Great choice if you're on the go and need to pick a sandwich up that's considerably better and cheaper than Subway.
Only sandwich place with a drive-thru so far. Parking in dedicated lots. Reddit recommended.
How Lion's Choice Stacks Up
Weight, meat, and price weighed against every other St. Louis sandwich I've reviewed. Lion's Choice is highlighted below.
| Place | Score | Price | Type | Weight | Meat | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blues City Deli | 9.7 | $10.50 | Roast Beef | 13.7 | 5.2 | 8.0 |
| Carl's Deli | 9.3 | $11.95 | Pastrami | 14.3 | 9.6 | 6.0 |
| Legrand's Market & Catering | 8.8 | $10.49 | Special | 11.4 | 7.6 | 8.0 |
| Parker's Table | 8.7 | $13.00 | Special | 9.0 | 4.8 | 5.0 |
| Nomad | 8.3 | $14.00 | Pastrami | 13.6 | 7.6 | 6.0 |
| Gioia's Deli | 7.8 | $12.00 | Italian | 24.0 | 8.0 | 10.0 |
| Eovaldi's Deli | 7.2 | $11.95 | Italian | 27.8 | 13.8 | 9.0 |
| Mom's Deli | 7.1 | $9.50 | Special | 16.9 | 9.8 | 9.0 |
| You're hereLion's Choice | 7.0 | $7.89 | Roast Beef | 7.7 | 5.4 | 4.0 |
| Adriana's on the Hill | 6.9 | $13.50 | Roast Beef | 17.0 | 6.8 | 12.0 |
| Snarf's Sandwiches | 6.4 | $13.50 | Italian | 24.4 | 5.6 | 12.0 |
| Pickles Deli | 4.1 | $10.99 | Special | 8.3 | 3.6 | 6.0 |
| Fozzie's Sandwich Emporium | 2.1 | $12.95 | Roast Beef | 15.0 | 6.8 | 6.0 |
| Protzel's Deli | 1.9 | $13.00 | Pastrami | 12.8 | 6.8 | 6.0 |
Lion's Choice Experience Summary
I thought I had finished my galavanting around St. Louis looking for the best sandwiches, but I drove past Lion's Choice and figured I give it a stop.
Surprisingly, a solid 7.0 sandwich score crosses the Flood Line. The roast beef sandwich was notably better than many other sandwiches I've had around St. Louis. I went with the king-size to compare to other delis' size sandwiches. At a compact 4 inches wide, the 7.7-ounce sandwich contained 5.4 ounces of meat.
The cheapest yet at $8.49, the 5.4 oz of meat is nothing to sneeze at as the sandwich is all meat all the time.
Lion's Choice is more Arby's than Blues City in vibes, feel, and the fact that the time to sandwich was less than 23 seconds. The receipt had literally not been printed by the time she handed me my sandwich.
They also have a drive-thru to round out the high-end, fast-casual corporate vibe.
The Food At Lion's Choice
I honestly did not know what to expect going into Lion's Choice. It's a St. Louis institution that Reddit really likes. When it was first recommended to me, I thought they were talking about the Food Lion and figured I'd be too snobby to ever eat there.
Well, I'm no sandwich snob, and a Lion's Choice sandwich is actually a fine choice for a Tuesday.
The sandwich came in at a rocking 7.0 / 10. Lion's Choice earned the first round number sandwich score for me, beating out several local delis like Adrianna's.
It's as plain as you could possibly get. A pile of roast beef on a hamburger bun.
The roast beef around the edge was initially a tad dry, but that's because it was the darker part of the roast beef. The middle of the sandwich revealed a tender, pink, juicy cut of roast beef that packed flavor with every bite. However, the punches sometimes failed to land as hard when they went overly salty.
Eating it again, I'd cut it down the middle and work my way out.
The price, size, and calories are the best deal in the city. For $7.89, you get a 7.7 oz sandwich with 5.4 oz of meat. The 4-inch diameter sesame seed hamburger bun's sole purpose in life is to deliver the salty goodness into your face. And because they are a corporate-y, Arby's-y chain at the point, I actually got the exact calorie count at 440. That's actually totally doable on my diet as long as I skip the fries.
The food came out so fast that I forgot to ask for the au jus; the 23-second time to sandwich is a record by a long shot.
Lion's Choice Atmosphere And Miscellaneous
The hours are a big plus for Lion's Choice. Open daily from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., it offers reliability that's next to impossible to find in St. Louis, where many sandwich shops offer "St. Louis hours" - weird times like only 11 am-2 pm T-F.
The lady at the counter was pleasant enough as I fumbled through reading the menu, and, as I said, the sandwich came out hot and ready to eat in only 23 seconds.
Lion's Choice has the Subway feel at this point and is totally indistinguishable in that regard from most other fast food or fast-casual places. It was spic and span inside but had no charm or vibes. Just that fake-ish, modern, sterile feel you'll get in any chain.
Not a minus.
You're coming here for a fast, solidly above-average sandwich without talking to the owner.
Parking At Lion's Choice
Parking is really easy because there's a giant corporate, dedicated lot. Unlike any other sandwich place I reviewed, they also have a drive-thru.
Lion's Choice Receipt
