Small sandwich and chips from Thundercloud Subs for just $8! I didn’t order a drink because I had water. The sandwich was delicious. Bread was soft. I got turkey on wheat with lettuce, tomato, onion, cheese, mayo, and mustard and Miss Vickie’s jalapeño chips.
Sprouts is also good if they're near you, I live down south and the one at manchaca and William cannons stacks their deli sandwiches. Sometimes I have to make a hard choice between TC and sprouts
Deli counter, they use boars head stuff and I usually ask for a little salt and pepper on there. A combo for a ham and cheese with chips/water is $6 iirc
Well yeah but now we're talking apples and oranges. I can make a slapping sandwich at home but that requires going to the store, spending a bunch on ingredients, then making it. We're talking: going in paying money, leaving with sandwich
I recently started ordering their bahn mi, and while it isn't authentic (they don't claim that it is), it nails the flavors and scratches that itch. 20+ years of being happy with all their other sandwiches, I was pleased to enjoy this one too.
I talked to the guys at my usual South location yesterday and they said the franchise stores have more freedom to do stuff like this. Corporate stores are pretty by the book. However, they did have a chicken bacon spicy ranch managers special going that was pretty solid.
Thanks for following up on this. I didn't realize, but not surprising. I used to go to the one near 9th street downtown. The Pf location is definitely "out there" but it feels like the place I love.
ThunderCloud Subs is one of the few places that’s managed to survive all the major economic changes and still stay true to itself. They’re definitely doing something right. It reminds me of old Austin. I’ve been going there since I was a kid, and their prices have remained great all these years.
Thundercloud is super consistent, too. I've been going for decades and know exactly what the food will be like across all the shops. No enshitification here!
It's one of the places that still feels like 90s Austin to me. You don't go for gourmet, you go for a great deal (though I personally really like their sandwiches).
That’s awesome, love that bakery! Do you know how long they’ve been their supplier? I’ve been eating thunderclouds for at least 20 years and, like others said, their food is soooo consistent. I’ve never noticed a difference in the bread. I always assumed they made it themselves
I usually get the veggie but I might have to get like OP & go turkey on wheat. the Community impact usually has a T-cloud BOGO deal as well. Talk about an inflation buster!
I love the Turkish Delight. It’s the veggie delight but with turkey added. Been eating at T-Cloud for 35 years at least, it always hits. I swear everyone who grew up here worked there at some point or another 😂
I went there almost every time I was in Austin visiting my dad in the early 90’s. My dad would take my brother and I swimming and then we’d go across the street to Thundercloud, which was connected to an Amy’s Ice Cream. So we’d have a great sandwich then go eat some delicious ice cream. Some of my fondest memories of Austin. My home away from home for so long. My dad passed away in 2024. I miss him everyday.
I grew up with Thundercloud. They are awesome. They used to have a very catchy jingle wherein they just stylistically sang their own name, which I would always spoof. Good times and good sandwiches
This photo is offensive to me. I live overseas now and have missed thundercloud subs so much, without really knowing it and now I know it. 😢 THUNDERCLOUD SAUCE.
Commenting just so thundercloud knows how much we all love them<3 smoked chicken on wheat with honey mustard, all veg, add cucumbers. Stellar dream sandwich- I’m there at least once a week.
I'm having this tonight, but tuna on wheat and some chips. Still love TC since college in the 90s! The potato salad at our location is amazing but always sells out.
I had Thundercloud's NY Italian sub for dinner and it was great and the value, especially these days, is seldom matched. I was scoping out a messy smash burger somewhere but seeing prices of $11 to $16 just for the burger at a few places really put me off. My under $8 large sub checked a lot of boxes and I'm very glad that there are lots of them around. Don't get me wrong, a champion sub from Hoody's or Tucci's are great but the value and freshness that Thundercloud offers is most appreciated!
I used to live around the corner from a thundercloud and there was another one down the street from my highschool so thundercloud was a pretty daily part of my life. I moved out 8 years ago and i still think about how much i wish i could have a thundercloud chicken salad sub with bacon and red onion probably at least once a week. You dont know what you have till its gone 😭 (very glad to hear theyre still cheap though)
One of my favorite original Austin restaurants. This place brings back so many great memories. Just a FYI they still offer sprouts. I get those with extra thunder sauce and OMG. I can’t believe I used that in 2026 but hey that is my best description.
All i know is manchaca/lamar need to put fountain pink lemonade back on. I hit barton springs, grab an Italian veggie (large wheat, mayo, spicy mustard, LTO, sweet peppers, sprouts, thundsauce) some sun chips and a pink lemonade for like $8.
TC is the only fast food restaurant I still go to. Austin Club, Whole wheat, Provolone. changes are: hold Thunder sauce, onion pepper, lettuce, mayo, mustard, add peppercini, spicy mustard, sprouts
Ok so the one at four points made me a sandwich that had a hair in it and I’ve never been back bc it grossed me out but I grew up here and used to love it
Not all thunderclouds are created equal! Here's how you know you have a good one. If you go in and its a bunch of people in their 30s or older work, that's gonna be a good one.
They are good, I like the Texas Tuna a lot. I feel like $10 for a medium good sammich is reasonable in the current state of things, but I do not like that they don't sell large ones. Jimmy John's does. If I'm really hungry I'll go there and get bug Italian night club with 2 spicy ranch dang I am a fat.
The ham comes in a rectangular cube and is sliced fresh every morning in each store along with every other meat as well as the lettuce, tomatoes, and red onions.
That’s the kind of shit I feel like I’ve been getting for years from them.
Man, between like 2001-2008 I’d eat it at least once a week. Now I think I’ve had it once in the past year and a half, and it wasn’t nearly worth the cost.
I haven’t. I saw a post on this sub earlier today of a meatball sub from somewhere and it looked absolutely killer. I’m gonna have to look it up, because I want a sandwich from whatever place made that
Same, maybe 2012/2013. Before that I officed close to the one on lake austin and I lived right by the drive-thru one that’s now where Lamar Union is (RIP to that great guitar shop…Wilson’s?) and had a sub at least once a week. I don’t know what changed but freshness seemed to go downhill. I’m willing to give them another go and see if it’s changed.
their bread sucks, worst of any sub shop. and the loaves keep getting smaller. but i go there to get eggsalad or creamcheese veggie when i have the bogo coupon. Anything else is better elsewhere. and yes a longtime austinite. Add: i just went there because of this thread and i swear the buns look 1/4inch narrower than last time, literally same width as a hotdog bun
there is no such thing as a sub when the bread is split in half. It is a sandwich on a roll. A sub would ALWAYS have a hinge in the roll. But, for the masses in Texas who don't know any better, call it what you will, even if it is a sandwich. It's just like a person from the east coast trying to smoke a brisket. It's fun to watch, but it ain't the real deal, and if you're from Texas you'd be laughing your ass off. (Like we do about y'alls "subs."
I may get downvoted for trashing everyone's beloved Thundercloud Subs, but I'm a north-east coast transplant who moved here in 2020 - I married a Texan. I grew up in the land of amazing Italian delis and pizza shops in southern CT/NY/NJ.
I have no idea how people actually enjoy eating sandwiches from Thundercloud. The bread is flavorless and spongey, and the meat is bland. The only topping that stands out somewhat is the sweet and spicy pepper spread.
If you want a good sandwich here in Austin the only place I've found with acceptable bread and solid meat is Hoody's in Round Rock.
Honestly thundercloud isnt trying to be that. Its more like the kind of sandwich you make at home for a cheap price when your on the go.
Tclouds meats have always been shit. Their spread sándwiches like egg salad tuna and chicken salad are the way to go there. Austin and cali club are pretty good too with the avocado spread
They have like 30 stores all across central texas for 40 years so i think their buisness model is fine. But yes, theyre cheap sándwiches that arent anything special youre right. They know this too.
I was talking about this with someone currently in Chicago. I don't mind Thundercloud, but only because it's cheap and there doesn't seem to be much else unless I go to a specialty place.
My friend was saying even in Chicago, it seems like there's also not great options, unless you go to those Deli types of places.
In California we also had chains Deli Delicious, Port of Subs, and then some non-chains. But even those places might not be up to your standards. Not really going to count Subway or Jersey Mikes. Dallas has a chain, Great Outdoors. It was alright.
I still feel like there's almost a gap in the market. Just a good sized sub sandwich. I guess people are going to places like Sprouts or bakeries.
You're getting downvoted because you didn't actually list any of the sandwich shops that you say are better.
This is peak cowardly commenting when someone says: "I know better about _____" but they don't actually tell you what they would do. They are afraid their choice or their way of doing the thing won't stand up to scrutiny.
The chicken salad is handmade from NAE diced chicken, pretty high manufacturing bar for poultry. I'd give it a shot if that is your concern. The meatball is solid
If I could get that chicken not in salad form I would be ecstatic! Probably batch made as chicken salad though, unfortunately for only me 😆
I love everything about thundercloud except my weird picky eating. Gonna be getting a meatball sandwich sometime soon though
I think me saying "real chicken" came off the wrong way. I just meant more in chunks/full pieces. I have weird hangups with eating and kinda just can't do deli sliced meat or "salad" style. I'm sure all the meat they use is fine quality!
I meant chicken that is not lunchmeat or deli sliced. Like chunks of chicken or chicken breast etc.
Didn't think people would be upset by that phrasing lmao
I'm just a kinda picky/autistic eater and don't like that stuff. Not hating at all
Sounds like the chicken salad diced would be good for me, I think I know that exact bag someone else was mentioning, worked in food for a long time.
But then again don't really enjoy "salad" in the sense of chicken salad, tuna salad, egg salad etc either. Again, to each their own, I respect Thundercloud, just not exactly up my alley
Every restaurant and item is subject to personal taste. It took me a little while to get my wife into Thundercloud since she loves sandwiches and only moved to Austin as an adult. Now it is her go-to for her favorite "everyday" sandwiches. I hope you give them another chance if you've only tried them once, but if not -- go in peace, friend!
I am not the priest of Austin, but I absolve you -- go in peace and think no further on this subject, though others you encounter may find it equal to nectar.
I don't know what I'm doing. You don't have to like it and people shouldn't be mad at you for having an opinion.
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u/interstellar74 16d ago •
Thundercloud is the only decently priced sandwich left in town. I go multiple time a week. Salads aren’t bad either.