Ike’s Place

So, I wrote a review on this place in LA, but that was before I tried this location in SD & had the HOT MAMA HUDA. The way to my heart is hot buffalo sauce smothered chicken wrapped up in a sandwich with extra Jalapeños all on sourdough bread (or their Dutch crunch bread). Seriously, I know this isn’t fine dining and this sandwich can make a serious mess with how saucy it is– but the taste is perfection.
The people who work here are super friendly too– every meal comes with a free lollipop :)
My husband and I actually brought his co-​workers here to try out this place after we hyped it up– they all loved it too! Don’t miss out on this Hillcrest gem– grab a sandwich on your way out from Ralph’s!

1) Delicious sandwiches. Seriously. So far, I’ve had the Tony Stark (Tuna Melt), Tony Soprano (No description required), and the Jim Rome (Turkey with Cheddar, Red Pesto)
2) If you’re overwhelmed, ask the staff for suggestions, especially if you think a description seems like it could/​should be supplemented with additional toppings. (example: My bf discovered that the Robin Williams needs some additional zing, when he got hot sauce from the staff, a guy was on it, saying oh yeah, you totally need jalapeños and…)
3) Sandwiches are LARGE. You won’t leave hungry. You’ll likely be stuffed, in fact.
4) Try the Dutch Crunch Bread, was VERY good with the Jim Rome. (All the others breads are good too, but I’ve never had anything like the Dutch crunch.)

We’re lucky to have this nor cal spot here in San Diego now. The only bad part is how in the world are you going to choose what sandwich to order. They have so many options that it’s hard to choose. I was very impressed with the one I got and I can’t wait to go back. It’s a large sandwich so I would say order 2 and split so you can try two in one visit. Super helpful staff as well.

Amazing sandwiches. Very rich and flavorful. Must be a hidden gem for now because the line isn’t very long the 2 times we came.
The Junior Seau (Hillcrest exclusive) is my favorite. The bread is the best part and the dirty sauce completes the sandwich.

Found out about this place at the Unilocal Fright at the Museum event. DELISH. One of my favorite sandwich places. Fresh, full of flavor, and free lollipops? Heck yes.
They’re a little pricier than most sub sandwich joints (it would be a special outing for us without a coupon… Thanks Unilocal!) but the gourmet quality is well worth it for a splurge meal every now and then.
IKES IKES IKES… YAY!!! IKES!
And that Dutch Crunch bread tho…

Yes!!! Ike’s is in San Diego! I always make my way to this restaurant every time I am in the Bay so it was a nice surprise knowing that I could have it anytime I wanted because it was now here!
What is great is that they have the most popular flavors from the Bay but they also have new & exclusive flavors for San Diego! Best of both worlds. Customer service was fantastic, friendly, & fast!
Junior Seau (Hillcrest Exclusive) = Roast beef, turkey, bacon, Seau sauce, Swiss — RIP Junior Seau. Ike’s did a darn good job making a bomb sandwich in your honor! Omg… I am salivating writing this review. All the fixings were amazing, a must order!
Madison Bumgarner = Thinly sliced ribeye, Ike’s yellow BBQ, habanero salsa, American, pepper jack — A worker’s recommendation & a darn good one! Again, the fixings were so delicious!
& all sandwiches come with a Caramel Apple lollipop!
Make sure to order Ike’s World Famous Dutch Crunch for your bread. So yum! & do not forget to get extra Dirty Sauce on your sandwich, you will thank me! (Extra is free on your sandwich, but extra $ for on the side.) Oh yeah, do not forget the Voo Doo chips! So bomb! Everything about this restaurant is great!

Most amazing sandwich you will ever eat. Ever.
Ambiance (⁴⁄₅): The place is your typical Ike’s place atmosphere. Friendly employees, vibrant colors that remind you of a toy store, and the ever-​so-​humorous sandwich names across the board above. I will say this place is interesting since the indoor seating area is next door so you physically have to walk out where you order and enter the room to your left. Downside was that seating area was pretty dirty, food scraps left on the table, and the floors were sticky and grimy, but to be fair we did come at closing.
Service (⁴⁄₅): The people there were pretty energetic even though it was closing time. They personally hand your sandwich wherever you end up sitting. Plus they wrapped the super messy sandwich nicely so there was minimal spillage when devouring it.
Food (⁵⁄₅): The moment my food was delivered in an brown paper bag that threw me back to my younger school days, I already knew it was going to be a treat. The three of us all ordered the «Matt Cain» on dutch crunch, since my friend who’s a regular recommended it since it comes with godfather sauce. Each bite of this sandwich was magical. I mean the flavors that entered my mouth were very new to me that I never knew existed. Seriously, the godfather sauce is the most amazing thing ever. It’s super tangy yet sweet, but rich at the same time. Pretty much everything you ever wanted condensed in a creamy form. Plus the ratios for the meat, vegetables, sauce, and bread were perfect. Especially for the price (~$ 10), I was very content after finishing my meal.
Definitely recommend checking this place out, and do ask for extra napkins. You will definitely need it!

To The Kelly Kapowski… Sandwich:
I was overwhelmed at Ike’s. The menu, it was so… big. My mind… so small. And none of the sandwiches I saw were calling to me.
This is when my sandwich making artist came to my rescue. «You know, we have a ton of sandwiches… even beyond what is listed on the board.»
Cue the Keanu-​Reeves-​Matrix-​esque WHOA.
And like a drug dealer toying with an easy mark… my sandwich making artist teased…“Have you ever heard of The Kelly Kapowski?“
In an instant, I was brought racing back to high school and Saved by the Bell… and watching Saved by the Bell… alone…at 16. Doors locked. And. Well. You fill in the blanks.
A blush-​filled «No» was all I could reply.
«Oh, man. THIS is a great sandwich.»
And as he went on to extol the virtues of the fried-​chicken-​and-​honey-​mustard-​filled Kelly Kapowski, I tapped on my wedding ring.
*Eating this sandwich wouldn’t technically be cheating, right?*
So I ate it. I ate The Kelly Kapowski.
And it was everything I thought it would be.
And more.

Got a BOGO coupon at the Unilocal!Halloween Party at the Fleet Space Museum.
Some friends had favorably reviewed it, and I wanted to check it out very much, as I confirmed last night that they had a gluten free roll.
Not much of a wait at all, the counterperson we had was helping out from one of their locations in Arizona. She was upbeat, helpful and super ON IT! The shop itself is located RIGHT off of University (If you are walking, it is street side) in the mall that houses Trader Joe’s and Vom Fass. The hours are excellent, if you want a sandwich late night, plan accordingly, they close at 8:00 pm, and are open 7 days a week!
We had the Tony Gwynn (Cranberry Sauce, Havarti, Sriracha, Turkey, $ 9.99) on a sourdough roll for her, and the Paul Ruebens (French Dressing, Home Made Poppy Seed Coleslaw, Pastrami, Swiss) on the aforementioned gf roll for me, $ 11.11). Roll was tremendous, crunchy on outside, chewy inside and it held together against the onslaught of fillings like a champ.
The ‘slaw was scarce, but tasty, and the pastrami was surprisingly flavorful and had a good texture. I liked this sandwich very much, it holds up well against my standard, which is DZ Akins’ pastrami reuben. Maybe a little less filling, but that is a good thing…’cause I usually need a nap after an Akin’s sandwich.
I would go back to Ike’s Place for one of their sandwiches… during the week especially, there is ample parking, and the quality of the food makes it worth the drive.

I heard so much good things about Ike’s but wasn’t impressed by the sandwich I got.
Upon entering the small order station, the establishment is a good edition to the Trader Joes area. Even thought it’s new they made it look like a dive inside. The cashier was super busy with phone calls and didn’t actually help us until 3 calls later…
I got the pastrami sandwich, forgot their official name. Many of their sandwich looked like they had way too much going on. I couldn’t decide and saw some people wrote about the pastrami sandwich. I didn’t want one with halal chicken bc I remembered about the original one I tried in NYC and the aftermath, so I opted for something that didn’t include it. Maybe it was a mistake because the pastrami sandwich was just okay. The slaw kinda stole away from the meat. It had a lot of mayo. Their famous Dutch bread was superior to others.
Pretty comparable to rubicon but I think I like rubicon better. I do like the fact that they give you a caramel apple sucker. I’ll still want to come back and try other sandwiches but probably not for awhile since it’s pretty pricey for a sandwich (about $ 10 – 12).

Rubicon deli may have a new rival…
This is a very good sandy shop. Although, upon arrival and studying the menu, all of the sandwich names seemed a bit cheesy (not literally) with names like Sally Ride and Sneaky Kitty, haha. I got over it after I saw that there was a sandy named after Madison Bumgarner.
I ended up getting the Jim Rome — Turkey, avocado, and Cheddar, add bacon for $ 1. It came with some amazing house sauce that made the sandy awesome. The bread, a Dutch crunch was on point and one of the best I’ve had.
Is Rubicon better? No so sure, but I’ll have to have a few more Ike’s sandys before I make that claim.

I like a good sandwich, and this place makes some good ones, but I felt the one ordered the Junior Seau #255, a Hillcrest exclusive, miss the mark in a couple of ways.
The sandwich came with roast beef, turkey, bacon, Swiss cheese, and Seau Sauce on the Dutch Crunch Bread. After the first bite, the issue was immediately evident. Don’t get me wrong, I liked the sauce that came with the sandwich, but unfortunately it came with to much of it. So much, that I was not able to appreciate the roast beef, turkey, and bacon. Yes, even the bacon with its aggressive savory flavor.
When buy or make a sandwich, I want to taste the meats I put inside of it. After all, that is the point. This sandwich, I only tasted the sauce and the bread. Speaking of the bread, the bread tasted great and had a very good moist to crunchy texture, but the ratio to bread to the ingredients inside the sandwich was higher on the bread.
Overall I thought it was an okay sandwich. It will be much better if they ease up on the sauce and add just a little more of the meat, especially the bacon, given I could not even taste it nor sense its texture.
The employees were very nice.

Finally Ike’s in San Diego! This moment has been long awaited. With family and friends all in the Bay Area all I hear about is Ike’s this and Ike’s that. And now we have it. I hate it when people rave and talk up a place and then it not live up to the talk. But Ike’s is not that. The talk is true and now I am a follower.
With so many sandwich options there is something for someone. From meaty to vegetarian they have it all. At this visit the boyfriend and I shared a ménage a trois and Madison Bumgardner, both on dutch crunch. Sizable sandwiches and they are stuffed. Quality and flavor are delivered. The dirty sauce with halal chicken just delicious. Plus they give complimentary caramel apple lollipops.
Nice and quirky service. Sandwiches range from $ 9-​$ 12.

It’s hard to find a local sandwich spot that has many Vegan choices. The Gourmet Bagger and Rubicon Deli, my two favorite sandwich institutions, both have few options for us rabbit food eaters.
After seeing so many favorable reviews and reading on their website that they are very encouraging of customizations, I stopped in for lunch.
Ordered #70 — Meatless Mike. Vegan meatballs, marinara, daiya mozzarella, on a sourdough roll. PETA did an article about the 10 best meatballs in America and I honestly agree. They were moist, «meaty», and really flavorful. The sauce was good and the sourdough was toasted and superb.
Ike’s instantly becomes one of the best shops in the city, and the very best for sammies with a Vegan twist.

After months of waiting… FINALLY!!! My Menage a Trois craving is fulfilled! I’m talking about the sandwich. OMG My favorite sandwich!
I was so happy when I found out that Ike’s Place was opening in San Diego. I thought it was going to be during the summer but the opening kept getting pushed. I used to always fly back to San Diego and pick up some Ike’s Sandwiches whenever I visited San Francisco. Now I can get it whenever I want.
Definitely a great addition to Hillcrest. The Menage a Trois is my go to sandwich. It has halal chicken, cheddar, bbq, honey mustard, pepper jack, honey, and swiss. I always order it with dutch crunch bread.
I’m so happy and full. I noticed a few of our local sports favorites have sandwiches named after them. I’ll try them on my future visits.

Yes 1,000% to Ike’s!!!
I found out just yesterday morning they opened in San Diego and the first chance I had (so like 36 hours later!), I jumped on the opportunity to make the drive from North County down to Hillcrest and get my sandwich on! The clouds kinda parted and neither my sister nor I had anything pressing going on, so we agreed Ike’s would be our afternoon plans today.
Right on University Ave. — easy to see from the street, parking in the Ralph’s/Trader Joe’s shopping center. We were there about 3:00 on a weekday and there was no line, thankfully (as the hour plus waits have deterred me from my sandwich quest at their Castro location), but it also wasn’t dead. People were eating and coming and going the whole time we were there.
The employee who helped us was beyond nice & helpful! Greeted us, helped us with the menu and gave recommendations based on our preferences (veggie, sweet, savory, spicy), and was totally excited about the sandwiches.
The menu is like ridiculously huge, so I’d actually do some research before you go and have a sandwich in mind, because it is hard to read through them all and decide that quickly in the store, plus they don’t have all the sandwiches listed there.
This time, I took their recommendation and got the We’re Just Friends — Avocado Halal Chicken, Pepper Jack and zesty orange glaze — with everything, on Dutch crunch. This was a LEGIT sandwich! So, so good. Not skimpy at all on the good stuff and the flavor was amazing. The chicken was tender, the orange glaze wasn’t too sweet or overpowering, and the avocado didn’t smoosh out (I hate that!). Also, I am admittedly picked about my toasted sandwiches. And some places (ahem a chain that I won’t call out but is famous for toasted subs) I actually refuse to eat there because the toasted bread is so crispy that it is almost painful to eat. Not at Ike’s guys! 5 stars just for that!
There’s like a dozen other sandwiches that I want to try so I’m gonna be back real soon!

Love this sandwich place! So glad that its finally made it down to SoCal. (for those who don’t know, this is a Bay Area sandwich shop.)
This place just opened and right off the back, the people there are so nice and welcoming! The guy at the front was especially enthusiastic and happy to chat. He informed me that they can make any sandwich from the Monterey store menu and all! (YESSSSS!) What’s amazing about Ike’s is that they cater their sandwich menu’s to the taste of the city (i.e. they have the Junior Seau, a Hillcrest exclusive and it is goooddddd!) It has bacon, slaw, two types of meats, and the Seau Sauce… its is flavors of yumminess. I got it on the sourdough bread but if you can, go for the dutch crunch.
Their fountain drinks aren’t the typical sodas which was a plus in my book. They have a station called Stubborn Soda (fair trade, no HFCS) and the options are really unique… Agave Vanilla Cream Soda, Acai something something, blackberry and so forth. So if you are looking for Coke, Pepsi or 7up… well you ain’t going to get it here.
Lastly, we got some sides (fried zucchini and Voodoo chips) and they were pretty good. The zucchini is freshly fried and comes with your choice of sauce or sauces… there are so many to chose from. (honey mustard, siracha buf

Arguably one of the best sandwiches I’ve ever had. I know that is a bold statement but I’m not messing around here. Ike’s is one awesome friggin sandwich shop!
I was a bit skeptical seeing all the 5 star reviews. How good could it really be? I had never heard of Ike’s before so I wasn’t sure what all the hype was about.
I walked in craving pesto and mentioned it to the gentleman at the cash register. He suggested I try the Stephen Jenkins. Turkey, pesto, grilled tomatoes and provolone. Sounded basic but good. I had no reason not to try it. He asked what kind of bread would I like. Me not knowing anything about the Dutch crunch I asked what he recommended. He commented «Oh! The Dutch Crunch for sure.» I patiently sat and waited.
The moment they brought out my sandwich I unwrapped it like a fat kid unwraps his candy bar. I stopped for a moment and took a long stare at my sandwich. I was a little let down. What I mean by that is that it looked like just another ordinary sandwich. Oh no!!! I was wrong. Way wrong! The light outer crunch and warm soft middle of the Dutch crunch was an amazing surprise. Followed by the warm turkey, creamy pesto sauce and perfectly melted provolone. All the flavors, textures really complimented each other and just got better with each bite.
Ike’s is my new favorite sandwich shop and can’t wait to head back to try some more of their delicious creations.

For the past 5 months my vegan friend has been hounding me– «You’ve gotta try Ikes when it opens!» «It’s so good!» «Best sandwiches ever!» Well today was finally the day (yay!) and I came in with moderate expectations. They had 5 people working on sandwiches with one cashier. The cashier was not only ringing people up but answering the phone and dealing with a Door Dash online delivery. Needless to say the line kept getting longer and longer. I ignored it, as they are new and probably still working out the kinks. The sandwich list was enormous too with a lot of interesting looking options and I was taking my time deciding. I ended up ordering the Hillcrest which is chicken, bbq sauce and cheddar. You’re allowed to choose lettuce, tomato, onion, jalapeños and pickles while something called dirty sauce is automatically included.
So how was it? The sandwich, while not overly exciting, looked decent. The issue was that it was drowning in sauce. I mean every bite tasted like I was eating a spoonful of mayonnaise, which I’m assuming is an ingredient in their «dirty sauce.» I could only eat half of it before bagging the rest as I felt like my stomach was now a vat full of oil. I tried the other half this evening and had the same experience (will I never learn?). My stomach was later gassy and upset trying to digest it all. Definitely order this sauce on the side (or not at all) and you might have a different experience. Without the sauce the rest of the sandwich was okay. Not amazing, just okay. And for San Diego, that’s just not good enough for me. While this place might be a nice new option for vegans, there are better sandwich shops out there for everyone else.

Hurray!!!
Ike’s Place has arrived in San Diego!
The Castro’s famous and comically over-​Yelped sandwich shop has finally laid down digs in Hillcrest! This is extremely good news for us fanboys of Dutch Crunch rolls and ‘dirty sauce’.
I dropped by with a friend and split an Elvis Keith (halal chicken, Swiss, teriyaki, wasabi mayo) and a Backstabber (halal chicken, artichoke hearts, Caesar dressing, provolone) — both on Dutch Crunch bread, of course — with a side of zucchini fries. Both sandwiches were huge and tasted fabulous. The complimentary apple caramel lollipops were a nice touch, too.
Unlike Ike’s original hole-​in-​the-​wall location in the Castro, the new Hillcrest location is bright, modern, and has plenty of seating. What hasn’t changed is the friendly and bouncy attitude of the staff.
No doubt Ike will have San Diegans eating out of his hand for a long time to come.