She Said: Worth Takeaway is worth the drive to downtown Mesa

In the heart of Mesa, right smack in the middle of Main Street, sits a quaint sandwich shop called Worth Takeaway.

Worth caught my attention on Instagram with their mouthwatering posts of artisan sandwiches and I knew I had to pop in for a visit.

The restaurant has an urban feel as soon as you enter with its contemporary décor and walk-up counter service. One large table sits in the center of the establishment and high-top counter seating borders the sides.

As I was scanning the menu, I struck up a conversation with the owner and got a bit of Worth’s backstory. Worth’s husband and wife team duo dreamed up this tasty idea after traveling throughout the East Coast and Europe. They encountered many small sandwich shops with a quick and quality concept and wanted to incorporate that feel back in Arizona.

Pairing their ideas with a wonderful chef resulted in the birth of Worth Takeaway.

Their love for Arizona and passion to promote other local businesses shined throughout the conversation. Using Proof bread, Danzeisen Dairy products, Provision Coffee and soon partnering with a local brewery opening down the street are just some of the examples of their local pride.

This is the type of Arizona camaraderie I love and I could have chatted with them for hours!

But, back to what we came in for — the food! Worth’s menu is fairly small with the focus on sandwiches with a few sides, soups, rotisserie chicken and one option for dessert: banana pudding.

I opted for the Crispy Chicken Sandwich — fried chicken, house made sweet and spicy pickles, lettuce, Sriracha honey spread and a hint of mayo served on a Proof bun.

Absolutely. Delectable.

The crispy chicken’s breading soaks up the spicy-sweet combo of the Sriracha honey as the tangy pickles add a bit of crunch. Fresh Proof ciabatta perfectly hugs together these southern-influenced ingredients resulting in a stellar sandwich.

Next was the banana pudding. I figured if they offered only one desert it was probably was going be good.

This banana pudding was better than good. It was phenomenal.

My mouth is watering just thinking about it — rich and creamy but not too sweet with the perfect banana-custard-cookie ratio. The surprise was a subtle salty element that balanced all the flavors giving this desert an addictive quality.

I found myself making “mmm” sounds in between bites!

Clearly my visit to Worth Takeaway was a tasty success and I now sigh with envy when I see their Instagram feed because I know the deliciousness on which I am missing out.

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