A new sandwich shop on Pacific Highway SW is betting that Lakewood is ready for an authentic taste of a New York City bodega classic. Emad's Subs opened on August 9 in the space that formerly housed Erawan Thai, offering a menu of mostly hot, NYC-inspired sandwiches anchored by a halal chopped cheese made by a sandwich maker who spent nearly a decade working in delis across the five boroughs.
The shop is co-owned by Emad Qaifi, a Yemen native who has lived in the area since about 2016 and has become a familiar name in Western Washington's food scene, according to The News Tribune. Qaifi previously opened One Million Cafe in Seattle's Greenwood neighborhood before selling it, and he later opened a full-service Yemeni restaurant in Kent with his brother in 2025, called Taste of Yemen. Per the Tacoma paper's account, Qaifi told the outlet that running the restaurants is a lot of work, and that he thought sandwiches might be easier.
Behind the grill at Emad's Subs is Mazen Alareeki, who moved to Tacoma from New York City after working in delis there for most of his nine years in the city, per the same account. Alareeki said most of the sandwiches are toasted, and Emad's Subs makes every sandwich to order. Qaifi said he was confident Alareeki's sandwich style would resonate in the Pacific Northwest.
A Bodega Classic Gets a Halal Update
The chopped cheese, first on the menu, includes chopped beef, American cheese, onions, green bell peppers and mayonnaise, with jalapenos, banana peppers and pickles available upon request, the report notes. The sandwich traces back to the 1990s at Blue Sky Deli, formerly Hajji's Deli, in East Harlem, where ground beef, onions, and cheese chopped together on a flat-top grill became a bodega staple, according to Tasting Table. Food historians note that Yemeni bodega workers in New York helped popularize the sandwich, a lineage that gives Emad's Subs' version an extra layer of authenticity.
Beyond the chopped cheese, the 12-sub menu includes a Reuben, an Italian hero, a turkey club BLT, and a pastrami and turkey combination with white American cheese and pesto mayonnaise. There's also a chicken fajita sandwich with green bell pepper, cheddar and chipotle mayonnaise, a smoked turkey sandwich with bacon, Swiss cheese, chopped lettuce, tomato and honey mustard, and a smoothie lineup that includes a passion peach, an ABC blend with avocado, mango and date, and a very berry option. Regular 8-inch subs run from $13.99 to $14.99, while giant 14-inch versions cost $18.99 to $19.99. Sides include Greek-style fries with feta and house cheese sauce for $8.50 and a basket of plain fries for $4.99.
From Thai Restaurant to Sandwich Counter
Emad's Subs replaced Erawan Thai, which closed about two years before the article was published, and the new owners kept much of the old restaurant's simple table seating along with the bottom half of its bamboo wall. Qaifi said he and two business partners spent about a year working through permitting before opening the counter-service shop, which offers takeout and is open daily from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. The shop sits next to Fiaola Bread & Deli at 11620 Pacific Hwy SW, a Samoan deli and specialty grocery that adds to the international mix along this stretch of Lakewood, according to WanderBoat AI.
Emad's Subs arrives as part of a broader wave of Yemeni-owned food ventures spreading south from Seattle into Pierce County. Qaifi introduced The Yemeni House in Lynnwood this year, and Seattle Magazine has noted that his earlier Kent restaurant, Taste of Yemen, was widely recognized as the first full-service Yemeni restaurant in Washington State, a milestone that once meant local diners traveled as far as Canada for the cuisine. Taste of Yemen, which serves halal meat, draws crowds from near and far, per The News Tribune, though Public Health – Seattle & King County did investigate an outbreak of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli O121 linked to chicken dishes there in July 2025, which caused two illnesses before the health agency closed the case, according to Public Health – Seattle & King County.
Lakewood's Growing Sandwich Scene
Emad's Subs isn't the only new sub shop to land in the area recently. Mosa Sandwich Makers opened near Pal-Do World in the Tacoma area last summer, founded by Hashed Mousa after more than 20 years at Tacoma's MSM Deli, according to the South Sound Report. That venture has since drawn legal scrutiny: MSM Grocery and Deli Inc. filed a federal trademark lawsuit against Mosa Sandwich Makers LLC in December 2025 in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington over sandwich shop branding in Lakewood, a case that remains filed in federal court.
Other Yemeni-owned spots have also taken root in the South Sound, including Sana'a Café, which opened on South 38th Street last summer, and Gyro Real Kabob, which joined the Tacoma area earlier this year and has a sister restaurant in Ikonos Real Greek Souvlaki. Nationally, the halal food market was valued at $733.6 billion in 2025, with projections estimating growth to $1.62 trillion by 2034, according to IMARC Group, underscoring the kind of demand fueling this cluster of openings. For now, Emad's Subs can be reached at 206-532-7311 for takeout orders.
