Sandwiches
Adamson's French Dip, Sunnyvale
Greg Adamson had a favorite sandwich while growing up in the Midwest. Years later, he set about re-creating that culinary memory. His French dip would be seasoned just so and be slow-smoked over an oakwood fire, sliced thinly and served on a roll alongside a cup of au jus. Once he perfected his recipes, he headed out on the Peninsula festival circuit to sell the sandwich, then in 2009 opened a cheery, casual restaurant on El Camino Real.
THE SANDWICH >> Of course it's the French dip. The taste — whether from the oak roasting or the spices or both — is heavenly. You do have a couple of choices, the original top sirloin ($14.95) or, when available, prime rib (market price, currently $16.95). Adamson's also offers a version with grilled onions ($15.95) and a cheesesteak-style dip ($15.95). All come with a cup of au jus, plus horseradish upon request. The best accompaniment is a mug of Adamson's root beer on draft, which is made in house.
THE DETAILS >> Open for lunch only from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday-Saturday at 806 W. El Camino Real, Sunnyvale; www.adamsonsfrenchdip.com
Waterfront Deli, Alameda
Tucked along the water side of the Marina Village Yacht Harbor in Alameda, Waterfront Deli offers stunning views to pair with high-quality, affordable sandwiches made by a staff that knows its regulars by name — and presents its paper-wrapped sandwiches on silver platters. In addition to a dozen classics ($8.75-$9.75) like chicken salad, a BLT and a hummus-and-tzatzikifilled Mediterranean wrap, Waterside offers 10 signature sandwiches ($10.75-$11.75), including a roast turkey “special” with oven-roasted turkey, cranberry sauce, Swiss cheese and the works. There are plenty of tables inside, but the patio tables outside — and those bobbing boats — will beckon.
THE SANDWICH >> East Meets West ($11.75). This ciabatta sandwich is layered with Korean bulgogi beef, sliced jalapeño, a creamy garlic spread, red onions, melted provolone and avocado slices. A true deli fusion.
THE DETAILS >> Open from 7:45 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays and 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturdays at 1070 Marina Village Parkway, Suite 105, Alameda; waterfrontdeli.com
Fambrini's Cafe, Palo Alto
Tucked into the Mayfield Plaza complex on El Camino Real, this bright and sleek cafe does a brisk business in brunch, lunch and baked goods. Especially on Sundays, when the brunch line forms early. Do yourself a favor and try the extensive Fambrini's menu on a weekday, when it's faster to score a table inside or on the patio. The Chimichurri Surf & Turf, with marinated tri-tip and jumbo shrimp ($18.75), is the top-selling sandwich, and the brunch bunch raves on social media about the Biscoff pancakes.
THE SANDWICH >> The Crunch ($15.95). There's no need to buy a bag of chips to add textural interest to your sandwich when Fambrini's has created a crunchy, cheesy, spicy sandwich that does the trick. This customer favorite piles grilled chicken, coleslaw, Cajun-garlic sauce and fresh jalapeños on the signature house ciabatta, then adds a thick skirt of melted cheddar and pepper jack cheeses studded with tortilla chips. Crunch away.
THE DETAILS >> Open from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays and 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekends at 2500 El Camino Real, Palo Alto; www.fambriniscafe.com
Americano, Livermore
We won't hold the kitschy decor against Americano. Even ceramic cherubs won't discount the sandwichbuilding prowess at this Livermore strip mall deli, where house-made sauces and unconventional stuffers, like french fries and jalapeño poppers, yield delicious results.
The hot sandwiches, which start at $16, deserve your attention and are large enough to feed two, especially with a side of the vinegar-based slaw ($2). There are two dozen to choose from, including a noteworthy salmon BLTA, a meatball hoagie made with sirloin and the King Kong, a gut-buster loaded with roast beef, turkey, ham, provolone, jalapeño poppers, slaw and two sauces, the garlicky Godfather and the tangy Mob sauce. Hold the Sinatra.
THE SANDWICH >> Yaaas, Queen! ($17). This two-meal behemoth boasts a medley of pesto-smeared chicken, mozzarella, Parmesan and avocado and is delightfully nutty, thanks to a smattering of pine nuts. And it's served with the works.
DETAILS >> Open 11 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday at 978 Murrieta Blvd., Livermore; www.americano livermore.com
Specialty's Cafe & Bakery, Mountain View
In 2021, Dawn and Craig Saxton resurrected their popular deli concept, one that had focused on business lunches and baked goods since 1987. A lot of corporate brainstorming had been done over boxed lunches from Specialty's in those years. Now, their revival restaurant features a re-energized menu of new creations and customer favorites, along with breakfast sandwiches, scones, muffins and an array of cookies that includes semisweet chocolate chunk, chai snickerdoodle and ginger molasses.
The cafe is open and airy with lots of seating and parking, making for a perfect rendezvous spot for work-fromhome friends. Need to invite the whole team? There's a community table, power outlets, strong Wi-Fi and Peet's coffee. And naturally, Specialty's delivers to Silicon Valley offices.
THE SANDWICH >> They had me at “balsamic onion jam.” For the pulled chicken sandwich ($11.95), Specialty's artfully pulls together roasted chicken, that delectable onion jam, goat cheese, aioli and peppery arugula and serves it warm on toasted vegan focaccia, baked fresh daily. There's also a shaved ham with fennel apple onion chutney and a roast turkey with cranberry chutney ($11.95 each). Feel free to mix-and-match the savory jams and chutneys.
THE DETAILS >> Open from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays at 645 Ellis St., Mountain View; www.specialtys.com
Duc Huong, San Jose
It's hard to beat the textural appeal of a banh mi. First you bite into the crispy shell of the freshly baked baguette, then you reach the chilled, vinegary snap of the pickled carrot and daikon, the unmistakable taste of cilantro sprigs, the pork (or chicken or pate), some sweet mayo and finally the crispy bottom bun.
Crunch. Savor. Repeat. When you're in the mood, head to Duc Huong, a popular banh mi shop with four San Jose locations. Don't be dissuaded by the line of customers. Order at the counter, then wait by the pickup window. It's a fast, efficient operation.
THE SANDWICH >> There's lots of porky goodness on the menu, from pork loaf to pork belly to pork floss, but we can never resist the classic No. 5, barbecue pork ($7 full size, $3.50 half). Word is, the newish steak banh mi ($8.50 full, $5.25 half) is coming on strong with customers — hence the appeal of the half sandwiches.
THE DETAILS >> Two of the locations, 1020 Story Road and 2345 McKee Road, are open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. The 2090 N. Capitol Ave. and 2569 S. King Road shops have slightly different hours; duchuongsandwiches.com
Carnitas el Canelo, Richmond
This operation nestled on a Richmond backstreet feels like somebody's little culinary clubhouse, with Christmas lights dangling from the corrugated roof, just a couple of benches to dine at and, for entertainment, the Latin version of “Soul Train” on TV. Toward the back, the staff hand-shreds cheese and stirs an immense cauldron of carnitas, served with or without rind (but who would ever order without?). Consult them or the menu displayed on the wall for daily offerings such as pollo en pipián verde and crispy-masa memelas.
THE SANDWICH >> The cemita is Puebla's version of a gutbuster. A hubcap-sized steak cutlet is breaded and fried and topped with ham, white cheese, avocado and homemade chipotles in adobo. It's all squished into a sesame roll, reportedly imported from Los Angeles, with the fillings falling out of the edges to give a sense of total abundance. Salsas are a must — scoop up the fiery-orange habanero or avocado-chile pulverized in a huge molcajete. ($20)
THE DETAILS >> Typically open from 11 a.m.-8 p.m. FridaySunday
at 684 Turpin Court, Richmond; instagram.com/ carnitaselcanelo
The Refuge, San Carlos and San Mateo
About 15 years ago, partners Matt Levin, Melanie Roth and chef Michael Greuel put everything they had into the premise that the Bay Area deserved a proper New Yorkstyle pastrami. They set about trimming, spicing, brining until they achieved an amazing result, then paired the pastrami with Belgian-style ales and other brews on 24 taps. Their original restaurant in downtown San Carlos is going strong, and there's now a large, airy location with a vast patio at Hillsdale Shopping Center's North Block.
THE SANDWICH >> The Toasted Slaw #19 ($22.45) piles layers of that thickly sliced, house-cured pastrami with Swiss cheese, coleslaw and house-made Russian dressing on toasted rye bread. Naturally, there's a Reuben and also a Swiss and mustard version (also $22.45). All come with pickled red onions and pickle. Half sandwiches are available for $14.95.
THE DETAILS >> The Hillsdale location, 60 31st Ave., San Mateo, serves from 11:30 a.m. until 8 or 9 p.m. daily. The San Carlos one, 963 Laurel St., is open from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Tuesday-Friday for lunch and at 5 p.m. for dinner; on weekends it's 11:30 a.m. straight through to 9 p.m. Saturday and 8 p.m. Sunday; www.refugesc.com
Mirchi Meat & Deli, Fremont
This butcher shop and grocery began as a halal initiative, which is certainly a great thing. But let's also get into how delicious the sandwiches are, with meats so fresh they practically emanate barnyard sounds. Located in a strip mall, the front part of Mirchi is stocked with blends to make kulfa and haleem and cans of preserved carrots and mangoes. The back features a well-stocked butcher case and, above it, a small menu of sandwiches to order from, ranging from achar chicken with pepper jack to house-cured pastrami with berry jam.
THE SANDWICH >> Staffers will customize your sandwich, so we had the roast beef ($10.99) with achar pickles, typically found in South Asian cuisine. It comes out looking for all the world like a pressed Cuban: crunchy, lacquered bread slices packed with melting Swiss, pickled red onions and super-juicy slices of meat. The star of the sandwich that you never knew you needed is the achar, which is fiery, tangy and scented with all the intrigue of a spice bazaar.
THE DETAILS >> Open from 10 a.m.-8 p.m. daily (until 6 p.m. Sunday) at 40900 Fremont Blvd., Suite B, Fremont; mirchimeatndeli.com
Bara's Deli, San Leandro
The entry sign says “Please line up here,” and if you're hankering for a good deli sandwich you'll gladly oblige. This family joint dating from 1986 has dozens of sandwiches on the menu, from classics like the Cali-Club and turkey-cranberry Gobbler to customer inventions like the “Mario Brother” (meatballs and pepperoni with mozzarella and red sauce). Order near the case of Boar's Head products, then grab a soda and bag of chips and you're good to go.
THE SANDWICH >> There's a reason the Bay Area Special ($14) is first on the menu. It's pretty much everything you'd want in an ideal deli sandwich. The holy-meat trio of roast beef, ham and roasted turkey are layered with lettuce, tomato, pickles, mustard, mayo and garlic aioli, and squished into a sweet and doughy roll. It's something you might wolf down if you were, say, a construction worker packing asphalt on nearby I-880 — and then you'd come back tomorrow and order it again. So would we.
THE DETAILS >> Open from 9 a.m.-7 p.m. weekdays and 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturdays at 14799 Washington Ave, San Leandro; barasdeli.com
Los Gatos Meats & Smokehouse, Los Gatos
Talk about expertise. The roots of this Bay Area butchery run deep — back to 1891, when local hunters and fishermen would bring their haul to the Los Gatos Meats folks for processing and smoking. These days the Chiala family members, owners for 30-plus years, are devoted to making and smoking customer favorites, using natural, hormone- and antibiotic-free meats. They smoke tri-tip, ribs, pork, turkey, ham, lamb, pastrami, sausages and bacon for the big lineup of smokehouse sandwiches.
THE SANDWICH >> The beefy choices lead the hit parade, but don't overlook the maple-cured and hickory-smoked options like the smoked ham ($13) and the Jackie Special (smoked turkey, smoked bacon, $14). If you're in the market for one of the gut-busters, the Triple Bypass ($15.58) piles barbecue-sauced tri-tip, pulled pork, bacon, avocado and pepper jack cheese onto the roll or bread of your choice. The Quad (also $15.58) adds a fourth meat, smoked pastrami. If you're doing keto, they'll load the meats onto lettuce leaves.
THE DETAILS >> Open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday-Saturday at 575 University Ave., Los Gatos; www. losgatosmeats.com
Did we miss your favorite? Tell us about it by emailing Linda Zavoral at lzavoral@bayareanewsgroup.com.