This popular Oakland sandwich shop has been on my radar for the last couple years.

OK’s Deli became an instant sensation during the pandemic when they were doing pop-ups and I couldn’t get my hands on their viral Sichuan hot chicken sandwich. Fast forward a few years later, they opened their brick and mortar location in the fall of 2022 and I honestly don’t know what took me so long to go especially when it’s so close to my house. Their menu has definitely expanded since their pop-up days where they have a plethora of sandwiches that are under two categories: signatures and classics. While I don’t think you could order wrong here since everything sounds bomb, if it’s your first time I would suggest trying sandwiches off their signatures menu as items from the classics menu are sandwiches you could probably find at other spots. They also have a large selection of Asian snacks/chips and a few side dishes made in house.

Since there’s not much seating at the deli (there’s one small table inside and one outside table), it’s a take away type of place and a lot of people ordered ahead online (we ordered there and waited maybe 15 minutes during primetime on a Saturday afternoon).

As you can see the space is relatively small with an open kitchen where the cooks were hard at work.

Potato and Leek Soup (6/10).

We started off with their soup which was a bit of a letdown. The soup lacked depth of flavor and even though it came with prosciutto breadcrumbs (on the side, not pictured), it still wasn’t enough to make the soup rich and unctuous.

Sichuan Hot Chicken (9/10).

The real reason to come to OK’s Deli is to try their famous Sichuan hot chicken sandwich and it didn’t disappoint. The Taiwanese style fried chicken thigh had that mouth numbing and tingling Sichuan peppercorn with spices served with lettuce, crushed cucumber, and sesame ginger vinaigrette on a house made sesame bun. The chicken was juicy but still had a nice crispy exterior and the sesame bun was pillowy and soft.

House Banh Mi (8.5/10).

Their house banh mi was also a banger with lemongrass marinated pork, pâté, pickled carrot and daikon, cucumber, jalapeño, and cilantro on a rustic baguette. This hit all the flavor notes.

Kani Katsu (8.5/10).

Lastly was the kani katsu, the lightest of the sandwiches that we tried. Fresh Dungeness crab was made into a patty served with thinly sliced cabbage and house tartar sauce on a sesame seed bun. It was served with lemon wedges which added a nice pop of acidity.

Sesame Choco Chip Cookie (6.5-7/10).

On the menu it said this was a sesame chocolate chip cookie but neither of us could taste any sesame. The cookie was good but after eating so many chocolate chip cookies from some of the best bakeries, this just didn’t have the depth of flavor and complexity.

Without a doubt OK’s Deli’s strength is their sandwiches and I’m so glad they have a solid following of loyal customers. With quite of selection of tantalizing sandwiches, there’s something that everyone can enjoy so my rating is an 8-8.5/10.