515 Williams StreetFourth of July weekend is a fun time to be in South Haven. It’s kind of the peak of summer season. The water in the lake has warmed up. The sun is hot. The atmosphere downtown is just kind of electric.
I typically avoid crowds so it’s odd for me to be in South Haven during the time but I got sent to do a quick job for work.
It took me about an hour to do what I needed to do. I was a little surprised at how laid back things were still on the Friday of the holiday weekend. Finding a parking spot downtown was difficult but there wasn’t a crush of people in restaurants and walking around like there would be later in the weekend.
I get sent to South Haven quite a bit so I’m always on the lookout for new or different restaurants. I have my typical go-tos but there are still a few places I haven’t made my way to yet.
One of those is Round Bread Sandwich Company. I had heard quite a while ago the shop opened but I actually had no idea. While I was sitting in my car on Phoenix Street, I looked it up to see if I was close.
Round Bread Sandwich Company is on Williams Street near Center Street right along the Black River. The restaurant is in Old Harbor Village. You can’t see the restaurant from the street. You will need to park then walk down the the sidewalk between the shops. This is the same area where South Haven Brewpub and Idler Riverboat are.
The restaurant is on the southside of the complex. It’s a rather small shop with menus hanging next to the door. There were a couple different groups of people looking over those menus when I walked up. The larger of the two made their way inside just before I got there.
The restaurant is counter service and sandwiches are made in a little prep station right next to the cash register. They have paper menus on the counter in case you walked by without stopping to look at the ones in the window.
The rest of the space is a small dining area. Round Bread Sandwich is a pretty good grab and go option in downtown South Haven but there are a few tables for those looking to sit and eat before heading back out in to the summer heat.
There used to be more Round Bread Sandwich locations. There was one in Portage for a while and one in Texas Corners. I don’t know what happened to those locations. I bring this up because I had a little bit of familiarity with the menu so I knew the mistake I made last time.
I ordered the same sandwich that I ordered at the Portage location. The #13 is a pastrami sandwich with Swiss cheese, grain mustard, a horseradish aioli, and pickles. I left the aioli off. I got it last time and it really didn’t add anything to the sandwich. In fact, there was way too much on it and it actually took away from my enjoyment of the sandwich.
It took about ten minutes for my sandwich to be made. It was wrapped up and handed to me. I was heading back to Kalamazoo so I took my sandwich back to the car before opening it up.
I made the right choice leaving the aioli off this sandwich. The signature round bread is stuffed with thin sliced pastrami, Swiss, and just enough mustard to give it a little bit of a kick. These sandwiches are such a welcome change from the typical sandwich shop. The uniqueness of the bread, which is made fresh, just takes this simple sandwich to another level.
The cost of my sandwich was a little over $12 with tip for a half sandwich. I’m a pretty big guy and the half sandwich was more than enough to satisfy me.
Round Bread Sandwich Company is a great option in downtown South Haven. There are a lot of great restaurants but there isn’t really enough grab and go. Sometimes you want to sit and have a nice sit down meal but too many times, at least for me, I want to grab something and head back to the beach.