One of the first things you'll probably notice as you walk into the Madhouse Sandwich Shop in Brandon is the huge, wooden hand greeting its onlookers with a huge outstretched middle finger.
That's the general attitude at Madhouse; tough, rude, strong, and rebellious. It's a risky move, especially if your customer base is easily offended, but if you fancy yourself as one who can roll with the punches, you'll discover a damn good sandwich shop beneath Madhouse's rough exterior.
Opened back in June, Madhouse sits in an unassuming shopping center at the intersection of Bloomingdale Avenue and Gornto Lake Road. They take the idea of the quaint sandwich shop and gives it a signature makeover with a unique assortment of gut-busting sandwiches, craft beers (many from Tampa's own Cigar City Brewing), unique sides, and deserts.
The Palomila Steak Sandwich may be ode to the Tampa Bay area's strong ties with immigrant hispanic communities, or not, who knows? What we do is that this is a sandwich lover's sandwich. Packing a huge slab of breaded Palomila steak with mayo, mustard, onion, and swiss between two slices of pillowy Cuban bread, the Palomila packs a savory, but never overbearing, punch thanks to its tender texture and masterful blend of flavors.
The Continental sandwich, an ode to Ybor's legendary Continental Deli, takes a more traditional route with its blend of pressed pumpernickel, ham, swiss, salami, roast beef, mozzarella, pickles, mayo, and mustard. This thing is a three layer delight (think, a deli sandwich version of the Big Mac) that could easily feed two. While nothing particularly spectacular or original, the Continental does what it needs to do and makes no fuss about it.
Madhouse's Cajun steak fries are another knockout worth the try. A regular order comes with a ton of crispy, evenly-seasoned fries packing enough flavor to render your ketchup packets absolutely useless.
Overall, Madhouse Sandwich Shop is a much-welcome addition to the Brandon dining landscape which some might argue is far-too-plagued with bland, corporate sandwich chains and other restaurants. Give 'em a try and let us know your thoughts with a rating and review on the Madhouse Sandwich Shop 813area business listing.
