In this blog:
- San Luis Obispo’s newest sandwich shops
This week I paid homage to one of my all-time favorite foods, the almighty sandwich! San Luis Obispo, Calif is known for having several legendary local delis that have become a part of this town’s heritage. High St. Deli, located on the corner of High and Carmel just outside the downtown area was built in the 1930’s as a neighborhood market and since evolved into one of the most popular delis in town. Another local favorite, Gus’s Grocery, established in 1989, has been voted New Times’ Best Of SLO readers poll for many years.
The New Kids in Town
- Mr. Pickle’s Sandwich Shop
- Sal’s Sandwiches and Beer
I decided I wanted to showcase the two newest to the San Luis deli scene, Mr. Pickle’s Sandwich Shop and Sal’s Sandwiches and Beer. Before this blogpost I hadn’t had a chance to try either establishment, so I very was excited to taste some brand spanking new delicatessen.
Mr. Pickle’s Sandwich Shop, located at the corner of Olive and Santa Rosa St. in San Luis Obispo, is one of 37 locations a part of the Mr. Pickles franchise based in San Mateo, Calif. The sandwich shop just opened a mere 10 days ago, according to co-owner Laura Schmidt from Minnesota.
“We’ve been really busy, it’s been a lot of fun,” said Schmidt. “It’s been nuts… We haven’t needed to market at all.”
Mr. Pickles prides itself on it’s superior customer service, fresh San Francisco-style breads and meats and its fresh local produce.
“We’re all about that interaction, that experience when you walk in the door,” said Schmidt. “It’s really important to us that every person that walks in feels like the most important person in the room… We have a conversation with them while we’re making their sandwich.”
When I arrived at Mr. Pickles, the line flowed outside the door and was packed inside with a nice mix of costumers, from college students to professionals grabbing lunch-time sandwiches. I met California Polytechnic State University senior Eric Jones from Sacramento in line, who said he’d never been to this location but has frequently gone Mr. Pickles locations back home in the Sacramento area.
“I’m always down for like a High St. [sandwich], but this is definitely some good competition to have,” said Jones. “They have good sandwiches and are really popular up north.”
When it came time to order, I decided to go with my favorite, classic turkey sandwich on a sweet roll with “the works”: mayo, mustard, garlic sauce, lettuce, tomato, pepperoncini, pickles and I added avocado (a must). I will say, it was a good sandwich. Not the most mind-blowing sandwich I’ve ever eaten, but it did have a lot going for it.
Sando Low-down
At first bite, I noticed the freshness of the bread. It had a crunchy outer layer that gives the sandwich texture and and light and soft center. The element that stood out to me was the garlic sauce. It gave this traditional sandwich combination a zesty tang that enhances the flavor of the creamy avocado, juicy tomato, and crispy pepperoncinis and lettuce. The meat tasted fresh and of good quality. Overall, it was a good version of my favorite sandwich combination and at $7.25, it was at a comparable price point to competing delis. According to co-owner Schmidt, the most popular sandwiches at this Mr. Pickle’s locations so far are the “Mr. Pickle”, which is marinated chicken, on a dutch crunch roll with jack cheese, bacon and avocado and the “Cow Poly” which is roast beef sandwich also on the dutch crunch roll with pepper jack cheese and BBQ sauce.
San Luis Obispo’s second newest sandwich shop is Sal’s Sandwiches and Beer, which opened March 2012 and is located on Chorro St, in the heart of downtown.
Sal’s Sandwiches is locally-owned by James Whitaker and Chris Tarcon, who also own Kreuzberg Cafe and fine-dining restaurant Sidecar, both located in downtown San Luis Obispo.
When I arrived at Sal’s around 1:30pm, it wasn’t particularly busy. There were three tables eating inside and two enjoying the front patio seating. I had noticed the inviting patio on many a downtown excursion before and was excited to learn what makes Sal’s unique.
“The main thing is the beer,” said Sal’s employee Alex Powles. A lot of people want to have the sandwich, but also want to have the beer experience as well… We have lots of unique selections for beers in the bottle and some good ones on tap you can’t find a lot of places.”
One of the first things I noticed about Sal’s was the atmosphere. Pop-style art is scattered about and the modern light fixtures and accents give the space a youthful, hip vibe.
I was also impressed with their unique sandwich creations. Powels told me Sal’s receives all of its produce locally and fresh almost every morning. In addition, their bread is made from scratch from a local baker out of his back porch, to which they give the name “Back Porch Crunch” to their most popular sandwich bread selection. They have everything from the “Cardiologist”, which is pastrami, roast beef, bacon, provolone, mozzarella sticks, jalapenos, and BBQ sauce all on the “Back Porch Crunch” bread to the “Sassy Art Student” a baked tofu sandwich with carrot, daikon, cucumber, jalapeno, romaine lettuce, tomato, red onion, avocado, and a cilantro spread also on the signature “Back Porch Cruch” bread.
I chose “The Ex Girlfriend”, a chicken sandwich with bacon, mozzarella sticks, honey mustard, “the works” (lettuce, tomato, red onion, pickles, mayo, mustard, oil/vinegar, salt and pepper) on “Back Porch Crunch”, which is their most popular sandwich according to Powels.
Sando Low-down
At first bite, the bread was phenomenal. It had a really crunchy texture on top that had a sweet and salty taste to it with a soft and sweet center. The veggies were crisp and juicy contrasted to the chicken, bacon and mozzarella sticks which added a salty, meaty, and creamy component. The honey mustard was key, giving it a vinegary yet sweet taste overall that melded the ingredients together. All in all a great sandwich.
I met another first-time Sal’s customer while dining, Cal Poly art and design senior Jared Moore. He also chose the “ex-girlfriend” for lunch. He told me he heard about how good Sal’s was from several co-workers and was surprised and excited by their menu when he came in.
“SLO doesn’t have a place like this. I love Gus’s and High St., but it’s all the same type of sandwiches there,” said Moore. “I was drawn to the classic chicken and bacon which I love, and excited to try mozzarella sticks on a sandwich. The sandwiches have a good twist that makes them unique.”
So there you have it, two new sandwich shops in our sweet little college town to check out. Will Mr. Pickle’s continue to see booming business, using it’s recognition in northern California to appeal to students and locals? Will Sal’s business increase as more people make there way in to taste their delicious creations or will it go virtually unnoticed in such an impacted and well-known deli market? Or will it make it among the ranks of deli titans like Gus’s and High St.? Only time will tell. I wish the best for both and hope my readers don’t take my word for it and check these fine establishments out for themselves.
If you’ve been to Mr. Pickle’s and/or Sal’s and have some thoughts, let me know what you think in my comments section!
Central Coast Food Adventures 