Now I eat my fair share of paninis back in Italy, topped with delicious cured meats, cheeses, and marinated vegetables. However, being back in the States gives a whole new meaning when it comes to sandwiches.
In Italy, paninis are typically always the same wherever you go, simple, fresh, and delicious. However, they don’t put as many toppings as Americans are used to. Since I’ve been living in Italy for almost four years, I wanted to eat “American” style sandwiches during my stay here in Oakland since I’m tired of eating the same prosciutto or salami paninis
1. Bakesale Betty: Now you can’t talk about sandwiches without mentioning Bakesale Betty on Telegraph Avenue. They only serve one type of sandwich: buttermilk fried chicken with coleslaw and jalapeños. Perfectly crispy yet moist fried chicken on a soft airy bun with crunchy refreshing coleslaw and hints of heat from the fresh jalapeños. Absolutely delicious!
Their Famous Fried Chicken Sandwich.
2. Ike’s Place: Another Oakland hotspot is Ike’s Place on Broadway and they’re planning on opening up another location on College Avenue. They also have different locations all around the Bay Area and even a couple in Southern California. They have quite a large menu making it difficult to decide what to get! We ordered two sandwiches: Mayoose’s CA-BLT (a classic bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwich with avocado on a sourdough roll) and the Menage A Trois (chicken, honey mustard, bbq sauce, Cheddar cheese, Pepper Jack cheese, Swiss cheese, lettuce, and tomato on a Dutch crunch roll).
Mayoose’s CA-BLT.
Menage A Trois.
We loved Ike’s Place so we decided to go back there to try more yummy sandwiches! This time we ordered The Damon Bruce (thinly sliced rib-eye steak, beer battered onion rings, Provolone cheese, lettuce, tomato, and steak sauce on a Dutch crunch roll) and the Barry B. (turkey, avocado, lettuce, tomato, and cheese on a Dutch crunch roll).
The Damon Bruce.
Barry B.
3. Clove & Hoof: Another place I recently tried was Clove & Hoof also on Broadway where they not only serve yummy sandwiches and salads but they are also a butcher store selling high quality meats and house made sausages. Their small menu changes quite often and they serve all kinds of sandwiches from bánh mì, cheese steaks, fried chicken, and meatball subs.
Fried Chicken Sandwich with Apple and Celery Slaw and Pomegranate.
Lamb and Pork Meatball Sub with White Cheddar Cheese and Chermoula Tomato Sauce.
Hand Cut Fries.
4. Sacred Wheel: Everyone, and I mean everyone, loves a good grilled cheese. Ooey gooey melty cheese in between crispy toasted bread, I mean c’mon! Sacred Wheel is a cheese shop on Shattuck Avenue but also serves tons of mouthwatering sandwiches. Their grilled cheese sandwich is served on sourdough bread and they even have tomato soup made with Pabst blue ribbon beer! Yum!
Grilled Cheese with Tomato Soup.
Cheesy Goodness.
5. Genova Delicatessen: This iconic Oakland favorite has been around since 1926! Genova Delicatessen is an Italian specialty food store and serves some delicious sandwiches (tons of topping options) and also has antipasti and primi dishes as well. They even have a small bakery with lots of pastries and cakes! I ordered the Italian combo (various deli meats with cheese, tomato, lettuce, pickles, onions, mayonnaise, mustard, oil, and vinegar on a Dutch crunch roll). You can pretty much make any type of sandwich you want with their plethora of toppings.
Italian Combo on a Dutch Crunch Roll.
If you know of any great sandwich places in the Bay Area, don’t hesitate and comment below!
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