Dave's Cosmic Subs

Bites Nearby: Dave's Cosmic Subs

by Jamie Ward, mentor.patch.com
May 5th 2011

If you want to understand Dave's Cosmic Subs, 9664 Mentor Ave., and its culture, there are some materials that will help.

Start with the books The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test by Tom Wolfe and On the Road by Jack Kerouac; then watch the movies Easy Rider (1969) and The Trip (1967); then listen to stuff by Bob Dylan, The Doors and The Beatles.

Dave Lombardy, or "Cosmic Dave," first opened his 1960s-based sub shop in Chagrin Falls in 1997. A handsome man with shoulder-length hair who resembles Jim Morrison had Morrison lived past 28, Cosmic Dave set out to make the best sub on earth.

Many would at least say he has succeeded at making the best sub in Northeast Ohio.

"The meat and vegetables taste fresh and not processed," says Jared, a frequent taster at the University Heights location, “and the two sauces I’ve tasted, the cosmic sauce and Dave's hot sauce, both add a unique kick that you don't get from a place like Subway."

The Mentor location is run by Brian Buehner and Anthony DiBacco, both 30 and born and bred in Mentor. The partners started working at a pizza shop at 15, washing dishes and moving their way up the restaurant chain. It was a trip to Jared's favorite shop near John Carroll University that interested the two, as well as other owning partners, in franchising their own Dave's.

"It's the whole motif of that '60s time period — that Beatles feel — that we're looking for," DiBacco said. Open five and a half years, DiBacco said things have been going really well. So well, it seems, that Buehner was already too busy at 11 a.m. this week to take an initial interview.

Prices are pretty standard, from $5.99 to $6.99 at the Mentor location, for a wide variety of subs, more than 32, that have a variety of ingredients. Jared’s favorite is the Dave’s Cosmic Chicken. Call the Mentor shop at 440-639-1969.

With those last four digits, maybe there’s something particularly cosmic about this location. 

Visit www.davescosmicsubs.com for more.



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