10 terrific Bay Area sandwiches to try right now

It was just last August when we highlighted amazing sandwiches scattered throughout the rich Bay Area food scene Readers got so fired up they submitted their favorites and we showcased more sandwiches not to miss But with the change in seasons comes another opportunity to dive into the delicious world of sandwiches Take them with you on hikes midday picnics in the park road trips or just a lazy night in Various of these sandwiches are big enough to have one half for dinner and leftovers for lunch the next day Here are of our favorites Torino Panino at Littlest Little Italy San Jose The Chicago Way an Italian beef topped with giardiniera is the top specialty sandwich at Torino Panino inside the Littlest Little Italy in San Jose Bay Area News Group Two years ago a group of entrepreneurs brought together several Italian concepts pizza salumi panini wine gelato under one roof in the Little Italy San Jose district and gave it a clever name the Littlest Little Italy Jason Alarid owner of the historic Henry s Hi Life across the street took on the panini component evolving a lineup that includes a chicken parmesan number the Parma Johnny sausage and peppers The Romance and a riff on chicken cacciatore the Lincoln Park The sandwich Italian beef a Chicago specialty is a rarity in these parts Credit Alarid for going all over the Windy City in the name of research to inspire his version an awesome creation called the Chicago Way His Torino company roasts top-round beef slices it thinly for tenderness finishes it in au jus then piles the meat on a house-baked roll A vibrant housemade giardiniera vegetables lightly pickled Italian-style is scattered over the top Then the whole thing gets doused again or you can ask for juice on the side for dunking What do Chicagoans think A hockey fan who was out here to watch the Sharks take on the Blackhawks in March proclaimed that Alarid had nailed the sandwich according to Littlest Little Italy GM Josh Weeks But the fan insisted that the booth s spicy version of giardiniera is the only way to go Their mild version is zippy enough for this Cal-Italian thank you very much Details Torino Panino serves from a m to p m Tuesday-Sunday with the Littlest Little Italy open till W St John St San Jose https littlestlittleitaly com Saul s Restaurant Delicatessen Berkeley The pita sabich served with amba and tahini sauces at Saul s in Berkeley Ray Chavez Bay Area News Group For nearly years Saul s has been a stalwart in North Berkeley comforting the belly and soul with Jewish grub like liver and onions and pastrami on rye Though it s transitioning to new owners chef Jesus Chuy Mendoza and Sam Tobis former owner of Oakland s Grand Bakery the deliciously nostalgic vibes remain the same As the restaurant avows on its website There is no situation which cannot be eased by a bowl of chicken soup with matzo balls The sandwich If you re looking for a meatless sandwich that ll leave you utterly satisfied have a go at Saul s pita sabich It starts with housemade pita that s not paper-thin but puffy and doughy The chefs stuff it with discs of fried eggplant and hard-boiled eggs Onto that goes a potato latke and tabbouleh with fresh parsley and dill and you dunk it in two sauces creamy tahini and amba a tangy-sweet concoction with fenugreek and pickled mango Even folks who don t enjoy starch-on-starch meals will delight in the balance of textures and flavors The soft egg contrasts nicely with the crispy latke and the richness of the eggplant is zipped up with all the herbs and acidity Order it with a few of Saul s beloved matzo soup you got yourself a perfect lunch Details Open a m - p m daily at Shattuck Ave Berkeley - - saulsdeli com Lucia s Craft Sandwich Martinez and Crockett The applewood-smoked ham sandwich at Lucia s in Martinez has apricot jam ricotta cheese hazelnuts onions aioli and greens Bay Area News Group Diving into a bite of a Lucia s sandwich it s easy to get lost in thought Like this one how does an affordable sandwich shop so artfully walk the line between casual and sophisticated The balanced menu is as creative as it is simple If you crave familiarity they have that If you re looking to let loose you can do that too There are eight kinds of grilled cheese to with flavor combinations like prosciutto and fig grilled pear and gorgonzola kimchi bacon and cheese and grilled black truffle mushrooms spinach and cheese The sandwich When apricot jam is on a sandwich it s an easy choice Yes yes and yes to the applewood-smoked ham sandwich with the sweetness of the apricot jam playing off the salty meat accompanied by creamy ricotta and a delicate hazelnut spread in just the right amounts The fresh chewy bread from Acme Bakery is brushed with olive oil This sandwich is so decadent it feels almost like dessert Details Open daily a m to p m at Alhambra Ave in Martinez and Monday through Thursday a m to p m and until p m on the weekends at nd Ave in Crockett luciascraftsandwich com Bob s Country Corner Menlo Park Nadia Wehab owner of Bob's Country Corner holds a Grilled Chicken Breast Bacon amp BBQ Sauce sandwich at the store in Menlo Park Nhat V Meyer Bay Area News Group Bob s Country Corner a deli and industry situated in a century-old building on Alameda de las Pulgas in Menlo Park serves up extra-large sandwiches extra promptly with a serious side of neighborhood You ll find not just standard snack fare but plenty of imported wines and candies and a wide array of customers too The quirky shop draws in and welcomes gardeners and amenity workers high-level tech executives kids looking for after-school snacks and everyone in between says owner Issa Wehab who grew up in the store his parents Bob and Nadia Wehab ran from the s until Bob died in I like to describe this as a group center that happens to sell things Issa Wehab says For instance the shop proudly displays a growing collection of signed college pennants from local students who have moved away for college The sandwich But you re there for a sandwich Follow the sweet scent of the garlic-herb tri-tip and home-cooked turkey sandwich made in-house to the back of the shop where you ll find a buzzing deli counter behind which staff expertly spread slice and stack together Jenga towers of meat cheese veggies and dressings betwixt fluffy bread rolls Dutch Crunch is the obvious choice but feel free to follow your heart here And for vegetarians its veggies cheese and avocado sandwich is a hearty meal or two that offers among the best bite-to-buck ratios around Details Open a m - p m weekdays a m - p m Saturday and a m - p m Sunday at Alameda de las Pulgas Menlo Park bobscountrycorner com Billy Roy s Burger Co Fremont Butcher s Cut sandwich with ribeye steak fried onions pepper jack cheese barbecue sauce and a roasted jalape o on top at Billy Roy s Burger Co in Fremont Dai Sugano Bay Area News Group Billy Roy s is a down-homey restaurant whose large parking lot formerly a car dealership fills up fast with people wanting mondo-sized burgers The inside has a space for everyone from a bar for sportos to a partially enclosed patio for birthday parties to a coffee dessert shop with milkshakes and cheesecake It s the latest endeavor from Toula and Bill Sinodino who also run Dino s Family Restaurant and Skillet z Cafe in Fremont plus a couple of places in Oakdale Billy Roy s is first and foremost a burger place with offerings like The Cattle Smash three patties with American cheese and El Diablo Angus and pepper jack crowned with a whole jalapeno There are also grilled-chicken sandwiches hearty salads and sides like garlic fries mac-and-cheese and linguica baked beans Oh and those milkshakes whose rotating flavors include matcha and Oreo The sandwich It seems like they did indeed put the whole butcher in The Butcher s Cut sandwich Dad jokes aside it s a mouthful a -ounce ribeye grilled to temp and sliced with pepper-jack cheese haystack onions and an A Sauce aioli on brioche The steak is flavorful and tender and the sauce lends a nice barbecue sweetness all in all it s a decadent way to switch up your boring burger routine Details Open a m - p m Sunday-Thursday and a m - p m Friday-Saturday at Thornton Ave Fremont billyroysburgerco com Habana Express Pleasant Hill The Cubano sandwich served at Habana Express in Pleasant Hill Jose Carlos Fajardo Bay Area News Group Last June Aylin Alvarez Torres opened a fast-casual restaurant serving authentic Cuban sandwiches bowls and pastries in Pleasant Hill She had moved with her family from Cuba in with a first stop in Miami where she worked at a Cuban bakery Here the authentic Cuban and Miami vibes are felt everywhere from the friendly function to the delicious flavors to the colorful decorative flair inside the restaurant And the aroma of guava cheese pastries offers a good reminder not to skip dessert Institution is fast and friendly The sandwich Everything looked good but we chose the classic Cubano featuring tender and juicy roasted pork that covers the bottom layer of the crispy house-made Cuban bread The pork is topped with ham pickles mayo mustard and creamy melted Swiss cheese that s oozing all over the bread And yet the sandwich retains its form showing no signs of getting soggy during our visit One sandwich is big enough for a meal but good luck finishing it Thankfully they have selected charming to-go boxes for the leftovers Details Open a m to p m daily at Contra Costa Blvd in Pleasant Hill www habanaexpressca com Little Lucca Burlingame and South San Francisco Peninsula sandwich shop Little Lucca serves up mega hearty sandwiches with abundant toppings slathered in their signature garlic sauce at locations in South San Francisco and Burlingame Kate Bradshaw Bay Area News Group Who says size doesn t matter is the irreverent slogan emblazoned on staff T-shirts at this Peninsula institution and it s a message that captures the ethos of this sandwich shop which started in South San Francisco in before expanding to Burlingame Their extra-large sandwiches can easily feed two but customers are unlikely to want to share these forearm-length sandos each stacked to near-spilling with meat cheese veggies and more The vibe is decidedly old-school its website now lets customers order by fax machine but don t let that deter you These folks put the craft in handcrafted sandwiches and nowhere is that more obvious than in their signature sauces garlic sauce and hot sauce both revered in online fora It s worth having that garlic breath all day says one Reddit user touting the destination We agree The sandwich A smoked turkey and provolone sandwich topped with avocado garlic sauce and the other fixings on Dutch crunch is a tasty take on a beloved classic Each bite reveals layers of crispy-on-the-outside and pillowy inside bread Sink deeper and you ll reach thick deli cuts of turkey layered with tomato garlic sauce avocado and lettuce The flavors blend seamlessly every blissful bite Details Open a m - p m daily at El Camino Real Burlingame and a m - p m weekdays and a m - p m weekends at El Camino Real South San Francisco littlelucca com The Stand Santa Clara The Short Rib Grilled Cheese at The Stand in Santa Clara combines beer-braised beef cheese onions and bacon tomato jam on parmesan sourdough Photo courtesy of The Stand Innovative burgers sandwiches salads and sides are the specialty at this Lawrence Expressway restaurant the only NorCal outpost of a popular SoCal chain founded and run by the Wishengrad family Among the combinations are the French Onion Soup Burger the Havarti Shroom Burger the Big Blue all made with The Stand s custom chuck-brisket blend of beef or chicken ground turkey or a veggie patty This is also sauce heaven You can add any one of condiments from banana peppers to tahini sauce to jalape o-scallion aioli to your burger or sandwich for free As for sides Red Ginger Green Beans and Meyer Lemon Broccolini join the popular onion rings and array of fries Order at the counter and grab a table indoors on the patio or seats at the long horseshoe bar Your order will be delivered to you The sandwich Although we originally came here to try a burger we took a fast detour once we read the menu board Short Rib Grilled Cheese We ve never looked back If you re a short rib fanatic you understand The beef is braised in chipotle-spiked beer until tender then grilled on double parmesan-crusted sourdough and topped with bacon tomato jam hickory sauce onion strings and triple cheddar The decadent sandwich is rich enough to share or save a half Or temper it with one of those fresh veggie sides Details Open daily from a m to p m Sunday-Thursday and p m Friday-Saturday Lawrence Expressway Santa Clara www thestand com location santa-clara OK s Deli Oakland The sisig bolillo sandwich from OK's Deli in Oakland John Metcalfe Bay Area News Group This tiny operation in the Temescal District is known for its intense flavors and creative interpretations of sandwich classics The chefs make everything in-house from Asian-inspired sauces to buns in varieties like sesame-crusted or milk bread And when OK s Deli pronounced Oak s cooks up something so labor-intensive it s only served Saturday-Monday you know it s going to be stellar The sandwich The semi-traditional version of Filipino sisig is based on slow-cooked pig s head that takes three days to prepare It s served on its own special roll a torpedo-shaped bolillo with a wonderfully chewy and air-bubbled crust If the bread wasn t so good you d be happy dumping the sandwich s contents onto a big bowl of rice and devouring it that way The sisig sando is a true meat bomb tender luscious bits of pork with pork fat spiked with onion made even more umami-rich with soy sauce and mayonnaise and a runny over-easy egg tucked into the bottom Yet it s also well-balanced with fiery explosions of tiny Thai chilis and fresh lime juice to cut through the unctuousness A tip Order yours early to pick up for lunch later in the day as they sell out fast Details Open a m - p m Thursday-Monday at Telegraph Ave Oakland oksdeli com Parma Delicatessen Concord The Italian mix sandwich at Parma Delicatessen in Concord includes provolone prosciutto ham salami mortadella mustard mayo lettuce tomato onions pickles and pepperoncini Bay Area News Group Everything about this place feels like family A newspaper is beckoning on a table The ballgame is on And the folks behind the counter are so friendly that a stranger began introducing each member of their family while giving their order And when someone couldn t decide between the meatball or the meatloaf sandwich for lunch your friendly neighborhood sandwich maker offered this suggestion a meatloaf sandwich with two meatballs inside Sold The sandwich We opted to stay on the menu for the Italian mix the most-popular choice and arguably the most of accurate test for any classic Italian deli Parma aced the test A sturdy sub roll is coated with mustard and mayo then layered with a thick piece of provolone cheese and a giant stack of prosciutto ham salami and mortadella We got ours with the works which also included lettuce tomato onions pickles and pepperoncini And while the towering size of the sandwich might take you aback at first the salty flavor combination in each bite is what you ll remember Enjoy a half-sandwich in the deli then take the leftovers with you for lunch the day after Details Open Monday through Friday a m to p m and Saturdays a m to p m at Clayton Road in Concord parmadeliconcord com