Growler's Pourhouse has been noted time in time again to have one of the best reubens in Charlotte. I had to try it for myself - it was without a doubt the most overrated sandwich I've ever eaten.
I was excited to stop into Growlers as part of my reuben adventure after all the hype I heard about this particular reuben (and seeing in mentioned numerous times in the Charlotte Agenda). I don't think I could have been more disappointed.
I'm all about creativity for a chef - it's great to deviate from the classics and find a new combination of flavors to fall in love with. I tend to do that every single time I cook. I know this was the idea when they decided to use juniper berries in their red cabbage kraut, but the sweetness of the kraut overpowered the rest of the sandwich in a very negative way. The corned beef was pretty good, the cheese was non-existent, and then bread was way too thin leading to being under-crisped and quite soggy on the bottom. If they had used standard kraut on this reuben (which pretty much makes it a classic reuben, which I understand they were trying to avoid), it was have been a pretty good sandwich. But the sweetness provided by that kraut just didn't work on the reuben.
I understand the people at Charlotte Agenda think this is one of the best sandwiches in the city, but it wasn't even in the top half of the reubens I've tried in Charlotte.
As a side note (after I posted this review) I received a message from Growler's and very much appreciate that they reached out just to let me know they appreciate the review and were sorry I didn't enjoy the reuben. I'll likely be back to try something else on the menu instead.