Adorned with antique décor, Potbelly’s Sandwich Works, 564 State St., stirs feelings of an old-fashioned sandwich joint and ice cream parlor. Walking through the glass doors, I immediately felt a sense of excitement.

Though it replaced Bialy Brown’s just this past summer, Potbelly’s surfaced in 1977 as a small antique store run by a couple. As an effort to boost business, the couple decided to make sandwiches for their customers. Soon after, customers replaced their fetish for antiques with their love for special sandwiches and homemade desserts in an unusual setting.

The restaurant creates a fun and inviting atmosphere where students, adults and families could dine and find enjoyment. I was impressed by the versatility of the restaurant. If you are looking for a place to grab a quick sandwich on your way to class, the Potbelly assembly line will have you in and out in five to 10 minutes. They conveniently put your sandwich in a brown hoagie bag, which makes it easy to dine inside or on the go.

However, if you are looking for a place to meet friends and share lunch, Potbelly’s also has a comfortable dining area. You will not find fluorescent lighting, but rather antique light fixtures, which make the aura of the room warm and friendly. Tables, booths, high-top tables and a counter facing the window provide copious amounts of seating.

On a busy Saturday afternoon, I felt the tables were placed a little bit too close together and that it was difficult to weave in-between tables, but nonetheless, I was impressed by the whole package Potbelly’s offers.

My experience at Potbelly’s began as I stood in what seemed like a very long line. To my surprise, it moved very quickly. I ordered the tuna salad and then waited in another quick-moving line. After my sandwich had moved through a toasting oven, I was sent farther down the counter, where I was asked what toppings I wanted.

The assembly-line system seemed to work well, but I thought it was a little confusing, especially as a first-time diner on a busy Saturday afternoon. I was handed a brown sandwich bag and felt like I finally had crossed the finish line as I approached the cash registers. I was stunned when I saw that my sandwich cost $3.79 plus tax. For the size of the sandwich, this was a deal.

The sandwich was perfect. The tuna salad was made with just enough mayonnaise and accompanied by the toppings of my choice: fresh lettuce and tomato on a warm toasted roll. The bread was extremely fresh — as if it had been baked while I was waiting.

My taste-testing team tried the chicken salad, which was also very good. Like the tuna, the chicken salad was made with just the right amount of mayonnaise, although it would benefit from a little bit of seasoning to spice up the flavor. We also tried the turkey breast, made with roasted turkey, which did not disappoint.

Potbelly’s has 11 sandwiches on its menu, including everything from traditional favorites such as turkey breast, Italian, tuna salad and chicken salad to specialty sandwiches like “A Wreck,” which is salami, roast beef, turkey, and ham with Swiss cheese.

The pizza sandwich looked interesting as well, consisting of marinara sauce, provolone cheese, mushrooms and Italian seasoning. Each sandwich costs $3.79 plus tax, which is very reasonable when compared to Einstein’s, Subway, Charlie’s and other sandwich shops along State Street. However, you will not find any salads on the menu at Potbelly’s.

If a sandwich is not enough to fill you up, Potbelly’s offers a few side dishes such as potato salad, coleslaw and macaroni salad, each for 79 cents. There are also a few soup selections, priced at $2.29 each.

While dining at Potbelly’s, it is important to keep in the back of your head that you absolutely need to save room for dessert. The Potbelly’s employees are happy to make a smorgasbord of shakes, malts and yogurt smoothies in 10 different flavors. Chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, and banana are the traditional flavors, but don’t be afraid to try the apple-banana, boysenberry, Oreo, pineapple-coconut and Dreamsicle.

The ice cream parlor also has homemade oatmeal-chocolate-chip cookies (89 cents), Sheila’s Dream Bar (made of oatmeal, caramel, and chocolate, $1.29), ice cream sandwiches and root beer floats (each $2.49).

I tried the Oreo malt, and my friends tried the chocolate yogurt smoothie. Both were very good and made to a perfect consistency — thick enough so the shake wasn’t watery but not too thick for it to not go up the straw. The Potbelly team even puts a small butter flower cookie on your straw because, according to the menu, “Parsley doesn’t go with our shakes.”

Dining at Potbelly’s was a tasty experience. If you are a big fan of deli-style sandwiches on warm toasty bread, you need to check this place out. Even if you are just craving something sweet, Potbelly’s can soothe your sweet tooth. Until next week, happy dining!

Catch Badger Bistro every Monday in The Badger Herald. Next week, the featured restaurant will be Crave Lounge.