A Philly inspired sandwich shop is hitting Grange Road
The previous owner of Neighbourhood Espresso in Prospect is opening Gabagool, bringing hoagies to the west.
Jimmy knows the sando craze has taken over Adelaide but opening a sandwich bar was an idea he’s had “for years”.
He sold his previous business, Neighbourhood Espresso Bar, in Prospect approximately six months ago.
“I just always wanted to do like a fresh… Subway but not shit,” Jimmy says. “Like a nice fresh sandwich.”
“But then all of a sudden, every second person in Adelaide started opening an Italian panini shop and I didn’t want to do the same as everyone else.”
Gabagool, set to open in late November, will have a focus on “Philly style, Jersey style subs [and] hoagies”.
“We don’t really get any of that here,” he says.
“There’s no shortage of good sandwich shops around, but there’s nothing like those big American-style subs.
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“I just thought there was a bit of a gap in the market that somebody wasn’t doing, so I thought I’d give it a go.”
Jimmy says one of the key differences is the size of the sandwich.
“The more Italian style ones, they use a similar bread – the focaccia bread and then every single one of them has mortadella, burrata and pistachio [and] they charge 22 bucks for it,” he says.
“Whereas these Philly style ones and Jersey style stuff, they load them up with lots of different meats like ham, mortadella, salami, capocollo, prosciutto.”
But the main thing Jimmy will make sure of with Gabagool is “value for what you’re spending”.
“I think a lot people don’t have the money to throw around like they did a few years ago,” Jimmy says.
“Most people used to go and eat out for lunch nearly every day, but now it’s once or twice a week.
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“So you want to be getting your money’s worth when [you consider] interest rates and things like that going through the roof, and people just don’t have the spending money like they had a few years ago.”
The menu is still to be finalised, though there will definitely be a meatball sub and Philly Cheesesteak. You will also be able to come in and pick what fillings you want.
“Most places just have a set menu, but I thought I’d put a few good ones if people don’t want to be creative and just want to come up and grab one, but I thought people can make up their own stuff,” Jimmy says.
Gabagool will also have a selection of pastries and coffee.
The inside of Gabagool
The American theme is apparent throughout the cafe. Jimmy says he got the inspiration from “looking up a whole bunch of old sandwich shops in Jersey and Philly”.
“I found some more cool ones that have been around since the 50s and 60s and things like that and I just wanted [something] real bold and basic,” Jimmy says.
“You know, it just looks like something out of a little corner shop in Jersey, or something not too modern. I just wanted to stand out.”
Muchos Studio designed the logo for Gabagool, and Jimmy describes it as “very 60s” and “old school”.
Jimmy says there’s still work to be done like organising outdoor seating and park benches, but plans to open at the end of November.
“The building is pretty much what I wanted – like a little corner shop – and I used to always come in because it used to be Mondo Pizza,” Jimmy says.
“Those guys were moving on… so I snapped it up pretty quick because it was just perfect and what I wanted.”
Gabagool is located at 170 Grange Road, Flinders Park and Jimmy plans to open at the end of November.
Connect with the business on Instagram for more.