Sauced Fills the Sammie-Sized Hole in Our Hearts

Here at HoLi we loved Muscle Maker Grill, which offered surprisingly delicious fare despite a commitment to healthy eating, and we were dismayed when they shut their doors earlier this year. So we were pretty excited when Sauced showed up in that space, giving it a fresh remodel and offering a delightfully simple menu: Sandwiches, sandwiches, and more sandwiches (and the sandwich’s cousin, the wrap). As the name of the place might imply, there is also a sauce component in operation here (and a LOT of sauce-based puns, including “locally sauced ingredients” which is just awful ... ly entertaining).Still, Hoboken has seen a lot of gimmicky eateries over the years (we’re currently enduring an invasion of what seems like an infinite number of “bowl”-style restaurants), so just throwing a side of sauce onto every order doesn’t guarantee anything. Like the brave souls that we are, we decided to do our own research. In other words, we got sauced (hey, when in pun-land, do as the pun people do).

The Works

Sauced has a simple concept that nevertheless allows for a lot of variety. They offer a short menu of pre-built sandwiches, like the Red Gravy Train (meatballs, mozzarella, peppers and onions, and red gravy on a hero) or the Trailer Park (breaded chicken, bacon, jalapenos, onions trips, chips, lettuce, pepper jack cheese, and Mook Sauce on a hero), and a few sides (French fries, sweet potato waffle fries, coleslaw (light or creamy in house, spicy lime, or kimchi styles), mac and cheese, roasted vegetables, chips, or pickles). Each signature sandwich comes with its own paired sauce (more than 22 varieties!).

You can also build your own, staring with white or wheat hero or wrap (white or gluten free) or a bowl (served over farro or basmati rice with roasted veggies) and then choosing your protein or veggie base, your toppings, and cheese—and, of course, your sauce.

Since the space isn’t really designed for dining in (if you were ever in the Muscle Maker space, trust us it hasn’t gotten any bigger), we ordered a Chief Cheesesteak (grilled hanger steak, shishitos, onions, Mac Sauce and Mook Sauce on a hero), a side of fries and creamy house slaw. The food came fast and hot, and was pretty damned delicious. The Mook Sauce is spicy without being overpowering, and having it on the side for extra dipping was great. The fries were crisp and perfect, and the slaw—which is an often overlooked sign of quality—was really, really good, though there could have been more of it.

Options

Sauced offers vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options—in fact, half their sauces are labeled vegan, so everyone should be able to put together a delicious meal in this place. They’ve also spun up a pretty robust social media, posting daily specials on their Facebook and Instagram accounts.Sauced is a refreshingly simple spot that packs a lot of flavor into their sandwiches thanks to their robust sauces and fresh ingredients. Check ‛em out!