Grinders is a bit like the Cheers of Shuangjing (with some dogs)

People are friendly enough and the table layout and upstairs means you can have some privacy if needed,

Sandwiches are good enough to satisfy the hunger inside you especially after a workout

Toilets could be better , but now im picking

All in all i give it a 4

Thanks

Went to Grinders last night and I have to say their sandwiches were possibly the best I have had. I had the Spicy Sanchez and my wife had the chicken with pesto. Both were massive and she ended up only eating half. We are pretty new to Beijing and just moved into Apple apartments and had walked by the place a bunch of times on the way to the subway station so we thought we would give it a go. Glad we did. Decent draft and bottled beer selection and a relaxed atmosphere.

One thing that might bother people is that there was a couple of dogs in there but they were just sleeping quietly. The owner said they were strays but last winter he started feeding them and they just sort of stuck around. While some people may not like dogs around at least for big sort of hard looking guy his heart seems to be in the right place. The dogs actually give a nice local feel to the place.

I haven't tried many other places but I have to say the food was very good and the people were really friendly.

I had read all these positive reviews and was excited to try this place but was pretty disappointed. It took about 30 minutes to get our sandwiches and one of my friends was on the way to the train station so she had to leave before she could finish in order to make it to her train on time. One friend got the Chicken Parm which had almost no sauce on it. I got the Spicy Sanchez which had lots of disgusting thousand island dressing on it (called their secret hot sauce on the menu) which made the bread soggy. My other friend got the Turkey Club which he said was alright. The owner was only one table away but did not come over to say anything to us or ask how the food was.

My fiancee and I walked in with only 120 RMB on us, hoping we could get a good meal and a beer to share. We asked the waitress how big the Grinders were, and she spread her arms as wide as the little bar table we were sitting at. 120 RMB got us two delicious beers and a HUGE Grinder. I was supremely happy, and will definitely walk here again.

Sidenote: I have been here twice, and the owner was there both times. I like that.

I like the Brick, its a nice bar, so when I went into Grinders I must admit that I wanted to dislike it. Impossible. Its not the bar its self or the location that I am taken with. It is the sheer quality of the drinks and the pleasant atmosphere that you can't help to enjoy.

Everyone who worked their was friendly and outgoing, even if I had not been there with a buddy and his wife I would have still been engaged in interesting and pleasant conversation. This kind of welcome feeling is so rare to find in Beijing these days that it was truly a breath of fresh air.

Good drinks and great people, thats how I sum up Grinders.

Two thumbs way up

Me and some buds dropped in on a Saturday afternoon. One of the foreign owner/managers was there and was really nice. He even made it happy hour an hour early for us without us even asking.

We got two Grinder #1s and my friend got the Grinder burger. The burger my friend got was really small but looked enticing. Considering the size of my sandwich was enormous compared to his lil' burger I traded him two bites of mine for one of his. Very good! That along with American Cafe might be the Best Burger in Beijing!

The sandwiches were excellent too and the manager brought out a squeeze-bottle of their own homemade BBQ sauce which was great!

My only complain was the odd reaction I got from the manager (a big white dude) when I was watching the hockey game. A fight broke out on the ice and I shouted "yeah, f*ck him up!" It was kind of a half joke because I don't really care about sports in general, but the manager immediately reprimanded me and was like "hey! stop that!" or something and motioned over at a woman sitting at a table beside us.

I thought it was odd...I mean we are in a place called Grinders that sells sandwiches and has a extensive beer list, its happy hour on a saturday afternoon and I have to watch my language? what gives? its not like the lady was old or anything, quite the opposite...

anyway...apparently its not a place where you can let loose but the food is quite good.

How bad can a dining experience be??? This is the first negative restaurant I have ever posted but I just have to share what a terrible experience I had at Grinders.

Our group of 14 waited up to an hour and half for our food. One person in our party got so frustrated after waiting for nearly an hour that he cancelled his order and left. Sure enough, half hour after he left, his order wasn’t cancelled, the food came and the server was surprised.

When I inquired why our food was taking such a long time, the waitress said that I told them our group would be 8 people. Yes, our group grew unexpectedly to a table of 14 but shouldn’t they be prepared to serve food up to their seating capacity? Should it really take more than one hour to make a simple tuna melt sandwich? She also said that because of the Spring Festival holiday, they were left with their two newest cooks.

The menu does advise customers to allow for a 20 minute wait for a grinder sandwich. However, the server did not warn us that it would take more than 20 minutes to make the sandwich and their kitchen staff was not prepared for so many customers. We would’ve changed our orders to something quicker. Some in our group who ordered pasta or hamburger also waited an extraordinarily long time.

What makes me really upset is that Grinders did not offer us anything for waiting up to 1 hour and a half for our food. It would have been a nice gesture for the owner Trevor to have offered free French fries or free round of beers for our patience during our incredibly long wait. Neither the server nor the owner Trevor seemed particularly stressed out nor apologetic. Not once did they acknowledge our patience in waiting (with minimal complaining) or utter an apology. When the check came, I had to ask for a discount and was only given 10% discount which was about 130 RMB.

A restaurant/bar with expat owners catering to the expat community should focus on customer service. Grinders needs vast improvement in customer service and managements. Residents in Shuangjing may be excited for a new addition to their neighborhood but they should look elsewhere. I won’t be returning to Grinders because of its poor service and unapologetic attitude.

a fully deserved 5 star rating for a great addition to Beijing's night scene! This little shuangjing gem is probably one of the best bang-for-your-buck values in Beijing. The house wines for 25 RMB go a long way and are better than what other spots serve for 40+ per glass. There's also a great selection of bottles for under RMB 200. The grinders, aka Sandwiches fit for Goliath, are gigantic and tasty. I've had the meatball version as well as the roast beef, both outstanding. I'm not sure anyone can finish a whole grinder on their own, I'm sure not gonna try. but the 1/2 grinder + soup/salad combo is perfect. Another favorite of mine, Strongbow Cider, is available on draft for a reasonable 40 RMB per pint making it the cheaper by far in the city.
I can't think of a single negative thing to say about the place right now. Trevor does an amazing job as a host, always friendly and attentive.
Now can we get some Key lime pie on the menu please?