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Without any kind of signature sandwich of its own, Portland’s purveyors of meat, cheese and bread vary from creative experimentation to attempts at faithful renditions of regional styles. Hardcore hoagie-heads love to debate the accuracy of these stills based on factors like type of bread, hinge slicing, meat-to-bread ratio, condiment choices, vegetables and toastiness. Now, one of Portland’s most acclaimed breweries has quietly stepped into the hoagie ring with some serious contenders that fall right dab in the middle of these two approaches to win over even the most cynical sammy savants.
Opened in 2018 by longtime friends Shaun Kalis and Devin Benware, Ruse Brewing quickly forged a reputation among beer nerds for its bright West Coast IPAs, hype-worthy hazies, supremely crisp lagers, and delicate saisons. With the success of their Brooklyn neighborhood taproom along the MAX line in the Iron Fireman Collective building, Kalis and Benware moved into food service in 2022 with their Vancouver, Wash., waterfront outpost Crust Collective. Paying homage to Kalis’ roots with Detroit-style pies, they added a Slabtown location in 2024. Looking to add a more accessible lunch option, Kalis and Benware started tinkering with another culinary creation close to their hearts.
Enter the hoagie. Applying the same perfectionism and high bar of quality of its beer and pizza, the Ruse team sought to make sandwiches that straddle the line between the founders’ East Coast and Midwest upbringings and what you can find in the Bay Area. The four hoagies on offer are still something of a secret at all three locations—sold five days at week in Vancouver and the Alphabet District, and on Thursdays at the Brooklyn neighborhood location—aimed partly at stirring up the same kind of loyal, word-of-mouth following they have built for their beer and pizza.
“The house-baked bread is a process alongside running the whole pizza kitchen and bar, so we kind of need to keep it limited to lunch hours for space constraints,” Benware says.
For Benware, the inspiration came from the gas station grinders that are ubiquitous around New England as well as close-to-home spots like Portland’s Bakers Mark and San Francisco’s cult favorite Deli Board (minus the famous Bay Area bread Dutch Crunch).
“Our freshly baked bread is definitely the star,” Benware says. “We describe it as a light sourdough. It’s got a very gentle salt profile with just the tiniest amount of tang.”
Ruse’s lengthy trial-and-error process resulted in bread that’s not too dense with the proper balance of crunch and chew that feels like a hybrid of San Francisco-style sandwich and East Coast deli rolls. That may offend purists, but trust this former East Coaster to say it works. It’s also the perfect vessel for the star of the hoagie lineup at Ruse, the Stallion ($17), which is comfortably stuffed with a charcuterie board’s worth of capicola, soppressata, finocchiona salami and prosciutto, along with a curious but tasty white American cheese.
“With the Italian, we wanted it classic—a variety of fresh sliced Italian meats, finely shredded veggies, and house-roasted garlic aioli,” Benware says. “Keep it simple.”
Even with so many fatty meats, the Stallion doesn’t feel overly decadent and conjures descriptors like “zing” and “tang” with just the right amount of heat coming from the pepper relish. It’s simple yet layered in flavors, with each bite providing the kind of proper cross section of the fillings. Ruse’s sandwiches offer a refreshing departure from the meat-gorged behemoths designed more for Instagram fodder than for human consumption, and they leave just enough room to enjoy another beer or two. Speaking of beer, the Stallion pairs impeccably with Altar of Light Czech Style Premium Pale Lager or the Lightbound Pilsner ($8 each), both of which are refreshingly crisp and moderately bitter enough to complement the chorus of cold cuts in each bite.
Ruse’s second-best hoagie is its veganized riff on the New York City bodega classic chopped cheese called Chop Shop ($17). Even meat lovers will like this interpretation that gets an extra kick from the zippy and addictive “chop sauce.”
“We’ve enjoyed lots of chopped cheese sandwiches over the years, but hadn’t personally tried a vegan one,” Benware says. “Through tons of experimentation with plant-based meat and cheeses on our Detroit-style pizza, we knew we could create that same melty, meaty, saucy flavor while still being a vegan sub. It’s definitely a good gateway sandwich to get more people open to trying out plant-based meats and dairy.”
In Portland, restaurants, food carts, and pop-ups often wear their ability to sell out before closing time as a badge of honor, which creates the kind of scarcity and demand that looks good on social media but is downright annoying for customers. Lucky for us, Ruse’s hoagies don’t require waiting in line or ordering a day in advance. They aren’t trying to be the purist version of any particular style, and that might be what makes them so enjoyable. Simply put, these are damn fine hoagies that reflect the roots and craft of the talented team behind them.
TRY IT: Hoagies at Ruse Brewing & Crust Collective, rusebrewing.com. See website for locations and hours.