Galligaskin's Submarines ~ Fort Worth, Texas

Last visit: Jan 2009

First visit: Jul 1989 (Dallas NW Hwy - closed)

Thanks to a reminder from Food and Fort Worth, Texas, the Mrs. and I decided to journey over to Ft. Worth and visit Galligaskin's. You may think it's a bit far to go for a sandwich, and it is, but I wanted to revisit a place I haven't to in over 20 years.

Galligaskin's started in Dallas (near SMU) in 1972 by some guys who wanted to recreate the sub sandwiches they could get in Boston while attending college there. According to their website, they are the oldest sub shop in Texas. Really? Well a quick check of two of the most known of Texas sub chains, The Great Outdoors of Dallas (1973) and Thundercloud of Austin (1975) does indicate that Galligaskin's may indeed be the original - at least of those that are still around.

At one point, the chain had grown to quite a few stores throughout DFW, including one near Bachman Lake in NW Dallas. Even though Dad and I were loyalists to the nearby Great Outdoors, we did cheat on them a couple of times and gave Galligaskin's a whirl. In the end, we felt The Great Outdoors was the better of the two. Unfortunately, this location of Galligaskin's bellied up shortly thereafter (the Bachman Lake location of The Great Outdoors, though it held out much longer, has also been closed for some time). That was over 20 years ago. This may be the only place in DFW that I have a 20 year interval between visits.

Today, the Fort Worth store on Camp Bowie (opened in 1973) is all that remains of the chain. It's independently owned / operated and seems to do quite well. It has attained a cult following, especially those who have nostalgia on the brain.

I had the Italian, generally my test sub for these kind of places. Soft hoagie roll (plus), light on the meat (minus), with flavorful toppings and dressings (plus). It's a good sandwich, but I'd be lying if I said there isn't better out there.

I mentioned to Mrs. RJG, that the Philly is recommended here, and since that's one of her favorites, she made a go of it. It was a hit - and she allowed me a bite (what? half a sandwich isn't a bite?). We both loved the seasoning of the meat - a special salty blend. And the soft roll was perfect for the sandwich. We also went in for an order of tater tots, something that Mr. RJG remembers fondly from his days working in Boise, Idaho. Yep, these are homemade tater tots! Good and greasy, the latter sealing the deal on its authenticity.

Everything about the place recalls a Northeastern sandwich chain, from the lighting to the seating to the lettering of the sandwich board. Definitely brought back memories for me.

7/4/89; 1/27/09 (new entry); 1/29/23 verified