Arthurs' Garden Delicatessen

I was cruisin the internets lookin for our next greasy joint, when I was reminded of Arthur's Garden Deli (3727 Blackhawk Road Rock Island). I had never before been, but always heard good things. When I found out they had frozen yogurt, it sealed the deal for me.














I believe Arthur's actually has 4 locations- Rock Island, Rock Falls, Sterling, and Dixon. I can't find much historical information on it because qconline archives are for subscribers only. But what I can gleam from the snippets is that they opened in Sterling in 1977, the Rock Island location opened around 1989, they are and have been a hot spot for Augustana College students, and they started closing on Sundays in 2005. Nothing about who the mysterious Arthur is and why he opened a deli.



















As you can see, it looks a lot like Hungry Hobo or any other sub place in the area. They offer sandwiches, baked potatoes, lots of soups, a salad bar, cheesecakes, a few other sides, and the aforementioned fro-yo.














When we walked up to order, a couple teenage workers were being berated for not stirring the soups enough... but you know how boys are. they probably deserved it.

Richie ordered a roast beef and aged swiss sandwich. I ordered the salad bar and a #24 potato- chili n cheddar.




Check out the 70s style dining room...and this place opened in 89?




Here's Richie's sandwich. They only toast the side with meat and cheese, so you get the melty warmth on one side and the cool crisp lettuce and veggies on the other.














A lovely view of Blackhawk Road. Quite different from what chief BlackHawk must've seen.














And here is my glorious meal. Yes that cheesy blanket actually hides a yummy baked potato. And I ordered dessert with my meal...strawberry fro-yo doused with gummy bears.














Everything in the salad bar was fresh and green.














A closeup of the warm gooey cheesy mess that sat atop a surprisingly crisp potato.


















and insert food into mouth. yes that is a tomato. my first veggie/fruit in days. It must've awakened something inside of me because suddenly i was full of energy. The frozen yogurt was THE BEST i have ever had...dare I say, better than Whitey's. I immediately rushed back to the counter to order two quarts.


Flavors:
Vanilla
Strawberry
Dutch Chocolate
Zebra Twist
Chocolate Cookie
Fruit Twist
Chocolate Caramel



Though I opted for gummy bears, they do offer other toppings and mix-ins as seen here...














and here is Richie expressing his disapproval ... 9 dollars on fro-yo...really?














This girl really had to work it to fill up those two quarts. Here she is serving up my chocolate cookie yogurt.














Overall, we both really enjoyed the food and the atmosphere. Service was fast and friendly, everything tasted great, especially the frozen yogurt I devoured.











If you like Hungry Hobo, you'll love Arthur's