After numerous suggestions from the regulars that I check out Blue Ox Sandwich Factory over near Burnsville Center mall, I finally had the chance to do so today after getting fitted for a tux for a September wedding in Ohio. Both Josh and I are in the wedding so we walked in at around 2 PM today for a late lunch.
The space is clean, the menu is varied and I really thought the service was phenomenal for a sandwich shop. I must admit that I came in with very high expectations due to all the hype that’s been run up in various threads and e-mails generated by this site and before eating the food, I must admit that I was already impressed.
The menu was posted on a chalk board and wasn’t your typical mom and pop sub shop offerings. Kim and I just got back from vacation and I was starving so I wasn’t much into wasting time and ordered the first things that caught my eye. I was ordering for Kim too so after a quick glance I ordered the #6 and #7 for us and Josh nabbed a #6 as well. The #6 or “The Chicken Ranch” is listed on their menu as “aka The Chicken, Bacon, Ranch – Sliced Fresh Chicken Breast, Hormel Bacon Bits, Provolone Cheese, Ranch Dressing, Lettuce, Tomato, and Red Onions” The #7 is listed as “Paul’s Favorite – The Meatloaf Classic – Homemade Meatloaf on a Deli Roll with Wisconsin Cheddar Cheese, Lettuce, Tomato, Mayo, and Sweet Peppadew Peppers for $4.79″.
Josh, as usual, went sans veggies but I asked that Kim and I both received the sandwich as intended on the menu. Josh and I ordered ours on wheat and I got a sandwich roll for Kim. I didn’t bother with any side salads or soups but they were also mentioned to me as I ordered. I will check them out more closely, on a future visit, when I am not in such a rush.
The total bill was just over $14 and definitely inexpensive for three sandwiches but remember we ordered nothing else (no drinks, no sides, no nothing). As I have said before, mainly with La Luz Cafe, I think that the sides should come as a default option with the sandwiches so that you don’t have to think about ordering them but they do offer several “baskets” which include various sides for a few dollars more each.
I ordered the sandwiches to go but found that there were plenty of people eating even as late as we were there. There weren’t many booths available but a few regular tables and only one couple eating out on the back patio. Definitely looks like a very popular place for lunch.
Once I got home I took some quick photos of Kim’s #6 and my #7 and left Josh’s plain old sandwich to him. He was already eating his by the time I unwrapped the sandwiches and the first thing out of his mouth was, “the bread is really fresh.” He enjoyed his boring old sandwich and said that while he’d normally save half for later, he ate it all outright this time. I was surprised at how small the sandwiches appeared but they definitely looked good.
I took a bite and agreed with Josh that the bread was great. The sandwich itself was nice and decent for meatloaf which I can only compare to my mother’s recipe. I am a big fan of her (and my) meatloaf but this was definitely a good meal. I was unimpressed with the size of the sandwich and being that I hadn’t eaten since 8 AM EDT at the Memphis airport, I was really hoping for something more filling. The Peppadew peppers were nice but not my favorite sweet peppers but they definitely made the sandwich for me. I would certainly order it again in the future but I am looking forward to try something else next time we stop in. I didn’t care for Kim’s sandwich at all but Kim said that it was good, “a sandwich,” and when I asked if she would get it again she replied, “maybe, probably.”
For the service, price and different menu alone, I recommend Blue Ox Sandwich Factory but as with any sandwich place, there can always be improvements made and in this case it would be with the sandwich size and the offering of side salads with the dish instead of an add-on. Overall, good stuff here at the Blue Ox!
Address:
Blue Ox Sandwich Factory
14270 Buck Hill Rd
Burnsville, MN 55306
Phone:
952-898-2583
Hours:
Monday to Saturday from 10 AM to 8 PM
Sunday from 11 AM to 5 PM
See all the pictures from Blue Ox in Burnsville on Flickr here.
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July 26th, 2008 at 8:44 pm
Bill, I am glad you made it in to Blue Ox, and that you enjoyed the food. I always find the place clean, and the people friendly. The speed and quality have both improved over time, and I as I live really close, we eat there quite a bit.
If you go back, give the Buffalo Chicken a try, I think you will enjoy it. The soup and salads are pretty decent as well.
July 26th, 2008 at 9:57 pm
Nice, I’ll definitely try it next time.
August 5th, 2008 at 7:45 pm
[...] to recap, we have been to Blue Ox Sandwich Factory in Burnsville, Otho Restaurant & Street Lounge in Minneapolis, Junior’s Grill in Eagan, [...]
August 6th, 2008 at 7:56 am
I ate there with my coworkers once last summer and really enjoyed the roast beef sandwich. Unfortunately it’s far enough away from our office that it’s usually just easier to run to Jimmy John’s off of Cty Rd 50 in Lakeville even though the variety isn’t as great, and the bread is dicey at times. You either get fresh bread or a seemingly 2 day old roll you could use to beat someone senseless.
February 23rd, 2009 at 2:27 pm
Stopped in for lunch today and had the “Sorry, Babe”. From their online menu:
8. Sorry Babe – The Beef and Blue – Fresh Sliced Roast Beef, our Special Blue Cheese Sauce, Crisp Bacon Slice, Lettuce and Tomato ($5.99)
Great sandwich, fantastic bread, excellent service.
December 31st, 2009 at 10:31 am
[...] The winner of the best comment of the year will receive a gift certificate to Blue Ox Sandwich Factory in [...]
May 18th, 2012 at 1:00 pm
The owner of Blue Ox recently contacted me to let me know they’ve added Banh Mi to their menu as a special and “healthier” item. It’s homemade roasted pork with Chinese five-spice, cilantro, cucumbers, homemade pickled daikon and carrots, fresh jalapenos, mayo and Sriracha.
I liked the sandwich. It was inexpensive, meaty, and flavorful. It could use a little more crunch on the meat and a bit more sour and crisp veggies but those are personal preferences of mine and not meant to reflect the wants and desires of the general public.
I liked the sandwich so much that I ordered a second one. Yes, it will be something I go back for time and time again as long as it stays on the menu. You should try it, especially if you’re a banh mi fan.
—
On a related note, The Wife really enjoyed her buffalo chicken sandwich. The Buffalo was spicy, the bleu cheese was chunked and tasty, and while messy she said she wanted to come back again soon to eat on the patio and have lunch there. I agree.
If you haven’t been to Blue Ox, go. If you haven’t been in a while, as I admittedly have not, go again. I was pleasantly surprised at how good it was. With me working 5 minutes away, I have a feeling I’ll be there a lot more often.
May 18th, 2012 at 4:02 pm
I eat there once or twice a week. I agree with Bill that the Binh Mi is quite good. I’m not that familiar with the native sandwich so I don’t know how true it is to the original, but I like it the way Blue Ox does it. Good folks at a locally owned joint with decent food — what’s not to like?
May 18th, 2012 at 4:29 pm
Congratulations to Bill on his 6300 comment!
May 19th, 2012 at 10:27 am
I have had the BahnCard mi, and while it’s far from my favorite thing on their menu, it was still quite good, and seemed pretty healthy to me.
Their buffalo chicken sandwich is awesome in my opinion. Best thing on the menu, and probably the best buffalo chicken sandwich in town. Crunchy bread, sauce with a little zip, good blue cheese, and juicy tomatoes.
Oh yeah, as noted, the people who own and run the place are genuinely nice.
May 22nd, 2012 at 2:33 pm
Thanks a million to Bill, Chad, Micheal M et al for the kind words. We started out with only 9 sandwiches way back when, now usually have 15 or 16 choices. Whenever we run a special that gets lots of positive feedback we end up keeping it around, like a stray kitty that wanders into your garage and just can’t be gotten rid of. If the sales on the Banh Mi continue positive I’m sure we will keep it too, even though we are bursting at the seams already. On a related note we plan to have the Gyro back up and selling again by the end of the week. We had to drop it for a while to get a fire sprinkler head added to the hood over the Gyro grill; customers have been asking ever since about bringing it back. For readers of this site: any feedback is always appreciated and carefully considered. Ask for me when you stop in, I’m there almost every day until 3 or 4, my wife is there on days when I am not….Thanks again, Bill Mel Allen, owners
June 5th, 2012 at 1:43 pm
I finally made it to Blue Ox today on Bill’s recommendation. Blue Ox still has the Banh mi on the menu, i just ordered one to go, $4.99
I was pleasantly surprised. It was not the equal to some of the Eat Street outlets, but it had fresh ingredients and was well proportioned. The pork was tender and had some 5 spice hints to it, the veggies were fresh and no one component overpowered the sandwich, which isnt always an easy task to accomplish. I ordered it “spicy”, and was worried too much sriracha would be applied, and that i might have done better applying my own at home. No need to worry, It was Minnesota spicy , so it was very mild.
overall it was above average and an unexpected treat. Like Bill, I would recommend this Blue Ox sandwich to readers.
June 5th, 2012 at 8:01 pm
I had a rare moment of freedom this evening (no wife or kids) and went to Blue Ox for the Banh Mi. I thought it was excellent and I hope it stays on the menu.
My one and only nitpick about the sandwich was that I’d prefer the cilantro to be cut up a bit more (less stem).
Thanks for the tip Bill.
June 6th, 2012 at 12:35 am
Drove down to Burnsville tonight to grab some Blue Ox real quick. Wanted to try the banh mi that Bill tasted a few weeks ago. Pulled on the front door at 7:52 and it was locked. The sign said closing time was 8pm. Really disappointed I drove down from Bloomington for nothing. All I wanted was some quick takeout. I mean a few minutes early is cool, I’ve worked retail, I understand wanting to get out of there ASAP. But more than five minutes early is unacceptable. Just post 7:52 as the closing time on your website so that I don’t waste my time again.
June 6th, 2012 at 5:44 pm
The Bahn Mi is ok, but you guys are really missing the boat getting that over the buffalo chicken.
June 7th, 2012 at 10:21 am
Hey Dan N., this is Bill Allen, the owner. I apologize sincerely for the 7:52 locked door. This is entirely unacceptable and really pisses me off. A certain person is going to get reamed but good, and if I find out he has made a habit of this I will probably just fire him. Would you please confirm that you attempted to visit on Monday June 5th? I want to be clear before I discipline someone.
If you would, please email me at blueoxsubs@frontiernet.net with your address and I will send you a gift certificate to make it worth your while to try again….Thanks
June 7th, 2012 at 10:51 am
Wow. I will make sure to get into Blue Ox in the next few days, if for no other reason than post #16 above.
June 7th, 2012 at 11:03 am
Let’s all caravan over there at 7:55 one night! (The Ox, please show this post to your idiot shift manager)
June 7th, 2012 at 11:03 am
This reminded me that I needed to bring my team there for lunch. Because I’m certain Dan G wouldn’t serve me a Fat Ass burger if his life depended on it, I’m taking them to Blue Ox this afternoon instead.
June 7th, 2012 at 11:19 am
He might not serve you a Fat Ass Burger (TM) but I bet he’d give you a knuckle sandwich!!
June 7th, 2012 at 2:00 pm
Had the Buffalo Chicken sandwich and some chili. Both were quite good. While they note that the chili is “Minnesota spicy” I added jalapenos and banana peppers as well as some available hot sauce (they have a selection) to heat it up. I could have went with some sour cream though. Maybe next time.
June 7th, 2012 at 10:12 pm
The Swamp Thing and The Mighty Buffalo are my two favorites. It might just be me, but the deep fried chicken always seems much bigger than the stuff that isn’t. That is not including the breading. I would be willing to pay a little more for a slightly larger chunk o bird. Great sandwiches though!
July 10th, 2012 at 11:58 am
Bill reminded me that I didn’t mention I followed up on my promise above a while back.
I got over to Blue Ox and enjoyed my sandwich. I appreciated most that the sourdough roll tasted like sourdough — the standard nowadays seems to be putting out a baguette or even just a white bread roll and calling it sourdough. The place had a very friendly and lively buzz unlike the chain sub shops which can be kind of ho hum to downright depressing (Subway).
I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Blue Ox for a quick meal if you’re in the horrendous wasteland of food that is the Burnsville Center area. For sure if you bypass Blue Ox and eat at the disgraces called Subway and Quiznos, you suck and you should lose your right to eat food forever.
July 10th, 2012 at 1:20 pm
MSPD…thanks for the kind words, it is always gratifying to know that what one tries to accomplish actually works. We keep plugging away.
To John…sorry for the tardy response, but thanks for the comments on the chicken. Alas, the chicken on the Swamp Thing is the exact same cut as the Buffalo, minus the breading. We order a fresh 4 oz breast from Golden Plump and unfortunately the size does vary more than I think it should because they are hand cut down at the chicken factory. Maybe you have gotten some of the smaller ones. Don’t be shy, ask for a “big one”, and tell them Bill said it was OK if I’m not there!
To all, regarding the Banh Mi: If you didn’t have one yet you may have missed the boat. The special ends this week. Thanks for the support alomg the way.
July 15th, 2012 at 5:25 pm
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July 16th, 2012 at 12:32 pm
I had a banh mi on Saturday July 9—does this mean it no longer is being offered or just at a higher price? Enquiring minds who like banh mi like to know.
July 17th, 2012 at 2:07 pm
Hello Mulch, alas the Banh Mi is no more. I had fun with it as an offering but the demand was pretty low, so it goes in Old Specials file, maybe to return next year, or maybe not if I find something else that sells really well.
Thanks for stopping in. Was that you and Mrs. Mulch both having Banh Mi last Saturday?
July 17th, 2012 at 3:46 pm
The Ox… nope there were about 4 of us… my daughter, son and his girlfriend… just back from a soccer tournament on Saturday morning in Northfield.
Keep Lazy Lightning informed on the banh mi return!
July 17th, 2012 at 4:02 pm
The Mighty Buffalo….my new favorite sandwich! FANTASTIC. Simple, not overly sauced, great flavor, nice heat, and the blue cheese dressing cut through the heat. Also, love that the chicken is fried to order.
July 18th, 2012 at 5:09 pm
I haven’t been in for awhile (although want to stop as I drive by every weekday), although am happy to hear the Gyro is/will be back as my wife orders it almost every time it has been on the menu. I have tried several of the Blue Ox subs, and I have always been very satisfied. I actually look forward to winter so I can have the Hot Roast Beef special. I would order the taters and gravy with a regular sandwich, those mashed potatoes are about the best I have had. On that note, Ox are you still thinking about adding fries as a side option?
July 18th, 2012 at 7:19 pm
Hi Alan…thanks for the kind words. The Hot Roast Beef will definately be back in October; I’ll post it to the web site and Facebook when we get started. I wish we could keep it year round but it’s not a summer item. If I can’t keep those taters fresh I shouldn’t serve them, so we don’t. The fries have fallen to the same principle, sort of. My fryer is just barely big enough to keep up with the Buffalo and Shore Lunch during peak times. I could get another fryer but it can’t be fitted under the vent hood unless I cut my stove in half, then I’m screwed on the stove capacity. Oh well. Lately I have been getting an itch to improve my offering of sides beyond the chips. Keep your eye peeled later this year for some new stuff.
February 1st, 2013 at 7:02 am
[...] Another reviewer noted they can get the same food in less time and for less money at the beloved Blue Ox in [...]