Thinking of Honeybaked Ham, more often than not, elicits visions of hunks of honey-glazed meat at the center of the table during the holidays. But for the other ten months of the year, Honeybaked Ham is, in fact, still a thing and arguably one of the most overlooked eateries in all of Falls Church.
In the shadow of its popular restaurant neighbors in the Broaddale Shopping Center, F.C.’s Honeybaked Ham Company not only has a full-fledged menu but I’m not being hyperbolic in saying it’s one of the city’s best sandwich options. Deli-style sandwiches, chock full of thick-sliced ham, turkey, roast beef and more, make up the vast majority of the menu and, while there’s also salads and soup, the meat-and-bread selections should be your focus here. There’s everything from ham and chicken salads to hot melts and hefty, cold cut creations.
It’s hard to go wrong with anything in this lineup. Take the Tavern Club. While it has all the components of the classic sandwich, it trumps just about every other joint’s attempt at it. There’s no wimpy, borderline-translucent slices of deli meat in this one, instead it’s a fat stack of fresh-off-the-bone ham – complete with crunchy glazed crust on the ends – thick smoked turkey, bacon and cheddar, all between slightly sweet Hawaiian bread. After eating this one, good luck going back to a Subway Club.
Also winners are the Smoke Stacker which ditches the turkey, adds barbecue sauce and swaps the Hawaiian bread for a soft and pillowy pan bread and the Turkey Bacon Ranch which has the above three components plus provolone on multigrain.
Most of the 20-plus sandwiches on the menu are just variations of Honeybaked ham and turkey – solo or combined – paired with different condiments and bread, but there’s just enough variety in the combos that eating there more than once a week shouldn’t feel like Groundhog Day. Plus, while they’re not Honeybaked signatures, chicken and roast beef options help with the meat monotony.
If carbs aren’t your thing, there are salads but eating a salad at Honeybaked Ham just seems wrong. But if you must, stick to the Chef salad which throws ham, turkey, bacon and two types of cheese on top of all that green filler stuff.
Almost as overlooked as the restaurant itself, Honeybaked also serves breakfast – and all-day breakfast at that. There’s omelettes, wraps and even two different types of French toast. My top choice? The Legendary Breakfast Sandwich. Not only because the name is awesome but because an egg souffle topped with Amish cheddar and Honeybaked bacon sandwiched between a croissant is downright delicious.
(Honeybaked pro tip: If your sandwich doesn’t come with bacon included, add it. Trust me on this. Dredged in the same spiced-honey mixture that coats their beloved hams, the thick-cut strips of pig belly are the perfect combination of salty and sweet.)
HoneyBaked Ham Company | 360 West Broad Street, Falls Church | 703-556-4455 | honeybakedforyou.com
