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Categories: Sandwiches, Burgers
Neighborhood: CastroYou've given us 6 awards in '09! So join us for Happy Hour. Don't know what Ike's Happy Hour is? Come in Mon-Thu from 4pm-7pm and find out.
Announced 2 days agoMon. 11:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Tue-Thu. 11:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Fri. 11:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Sat. 10:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Sun. 10:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.
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How good can a friggin sandwich be? That's what I was thinking after hearing people rave about this sammy shop so much. "Ike's! Ike's! OMG Ike's!!!" It's as if Ike has turned all of San Francisco into a bunch of prepubescent teeny boppers, treating him like a pantydropping rockstar, stopping just short of throwing their training bras at his store.
Finally I succumbed to the hype and decided to give Ike's a shot. I had the meatless meatball sandwich. It really is as great as everyone says. It was filling, messy, and super tasty - what I expected after reading all of the Yelp reviews. The lollipop that came along with our sandwiches was a nice touch that made me "Awww" and the crap load of veg options on the menu (and not just your typical "block of cheese and some bread" options) made my jaw drop (not quite the panties).
I didn't experience the horrendous wait that everyone writes about, I guess because I was there moments before he was closing and the orders had tapered off. What really impressed me though occurred after Ike had closed, and just about everyone was gone. He was outside eating his own sandwich while two people inside were doing prep work for the following day. Two kids drove up ten minutes too late. They were clearly disappointed that they got there after closing; they complained that they had driven so far to try the place. They talked to Ike while he was eating and he actually got up from eating and took their orders. Wow. I was impressed. This is a business that I would love to see thrive.
So how good can a friggin sandwich be? Effing delicious, people. Effing. Delicious. I plan on returning again, and again to eat Ike's meatless meatballs (um, panties on, of course).
Really good sandwiches! I went here to get lunch, and there was a line, a good sign that this place is popular.
I got the "Damn Straight" which was chicken breast, mozzarella sticks, and marinara sauce. Really good and really filling. I liked it a lot. And I think the owner actually comes out and gives the sandwiches to people, which is pretty cool.
The sandwich is kind of expensive, so it's not a place I would really go to all the time, but definitely a very good site to hit up!
Hollywood's SF CheeseSteak: thin sliced ribeye steak with mushrooms, provolone, the works on sourdough. Still drooling thinking about it 2 hours later. These puppies are hefty. Ingredients are fresh and bread is tasty.
Called in to pick up while working from home and at 2:15 pm, they said to pick up at 2:55 pm. 40 minutes for 3 sandwiches. Worth the wait.
Walked (ran) it over to Dolores Park Cafe to have it with double macchiato and then finished lunch off with an ice cream across the street at Bi-Rite. Logical, considering it was freezing today. Too many cravings in this city beckon.
I saved the second half of my sandwich for later and when I opened the fridge the next day, it was gone! I only got to experience half of 'The Name of The Girl I'm Dating' sandwich so that warrants another trip to this place.
This is a "I saw this on Man Vs. Food and I had to see it' review. I had work in the city and decided to pick some up for dinner.
After circling the streets for 20 minutes, I finally got a space and ordered. The girl at the register was nice and allowed me to get the happy hour special (free chips and drink) even though it was past 7pm since I was technically in line by 7pm. I think the only downside is bread choices (DUTCH CRUNCH) get sold out at the end of the day.
I didn't get to eat my sandwich til after I trekked back to Hayward so it was a little soggy, but enjoyable nonetheless.
Don't forget about their other location in Redwood City!
Ok... so I went here with my brother and had never heard of this place in my life.
Now I am not much of a condiment lover. I hate ketchup, mustard, and mayo. I often feel it covers the flavors of the ingredients. I know it is weird and hard to trust, but just hear me out.
I ordered my sandwich with "no sauce", having no idea what "dirty sauce" was, assuming that it was like other special sauces (1000 island and what have you). Well, I must have committed the ultimate sin because they could not have been more rude to me after that.
Instead of informing me what dirty sauce was... they were just total dicks. When I realized what I did, I asked for a side of the sauce, still having no idea what it was and they totally snubbed me.
Finally the guy making the sandwiches (Ike?) came out and very nicely explained to me that their special sauce was toasted on the bread or whatever and it is not like a 1000 island or any other "special" sauce. I then explained that I am not a condiment lover and I had no idea what I was ordering and I didn't mean to be disrespectful by saying "no sauce". jeez.. I just wanted a blt.... I didn't think I would end my order by appologizing to the chef.
All in all--- the sandwich was ok with or without dirty sauce... but I felt like I was at the Sandwich Nazi. A full reading of yelp reviews should not be mandatory prior to eating at a new restaurant. I left pretty upset and it will take a long time for me to give this place another chance, if ever.
Saw them on the food network (man vs. food show) and had to check it out. They were right, this is a great sandwich place. I love that the sandwiches are warm, very tasty, and unique. We tried the Kryptonite (the really big one) and it was interesting, but honestly not as good as the Matt Cain or the Menage a trois.
Tiny place w/ v. little seating, and sometimes a long wait. Worth it though! Already been back.
So we are on the search for the best sandwiches in SF and this spot, thanks to Yelp, was on our list to try. Granted we still haven't tried all the places, but Ike's is one of the bests so far!!
I have to admit, I was kind of intimidated when we first got there. A line outside along w/ the cash register (??), not knowing how to order: there's SO many to choose from (though I love all the names), not knowing what condiments come on the sandwich besides the "dirty sauce", and are we just supposed to walk in to get our drinks??
The lady taking our order was kind of friendly: nice smile, polite, but didn't seem overly anxious to help the newbies out. Didn't tell us they were having a special on their drinks that day (overheard it when she told other patrons after we ordered), but was nice enough to have another worker search for the chips we wanted.
So we order, and wait a good 15 minutes for our sandwiches, there were a lot of ppl waiting so we knew we were gonna be waiting a while. There's two tables outside so not a lot of places to enjoy your sandwich there, but a group of four were leaving so we took the table and were obliging when another patron wanted to share the table w/ us. Our "new friend" seemed friendly...he shared w/ us that the "dirty sauce" is baked into the breads, and also informed us of the Man vs Food sandwich (which I've already forgotten the name of) but it was interesting info.
All in all, I would definitely come back here again because the sandwiches are so good!! Though i'd most likely call ahead of time and not plan on eating there since there's no where to sit. But then again, I'm not sure our digestive systems loved the "dirty sauce" as much as we did. =/
Finally got to go to this place and all I have to say is... Delicious! Seriously you don't have to say anything more. Go visit the place and get ready for a mouth orgasm!
P.S. Service is super friendly and makes you want to come back.
Featured on Man vs. Food!! I had to check out what all the hype was about!
So many sandwiches to choose from , so many unique names, and so many drinks to try! What to choose? I highly recommend checking out their menu on their web site before going in. The shop was pretty small with a cash register stand placed in front of the door way. The chips stand was in front of the door way too and their menu is all over the place along the walls. Sodas are inside the shop in a fridge and sandwich making takes place within the rest of the shop.
- Eli Manning ($8.98): Halal chicken breast, garlic/herb sauce, mushrooms, avocado, and cheddar. Flavorful, soft bread, loads of ingredients, and chicken was not dry (That's a plus!). My avocado was falling all over the place, but this sandwich was so delicious...or so I thought....until I had a taste of BF's Menage a Trois!
- Menage a Trois ($8.98): Halal chicken breast, honey, honey mustard, bbq, pepperjack, swiss, and smoked gouda. Prior to this sandwich experience, I would think twice about putting honey in a savory sandwich. Now I know better. Favorite of the two sandwiches that I tried. Hint of sweetness with a wonderful mixture of all ingredients in each and every bite. So extraordinary that it is worth all that honey stickiness all over your hands.
Portion size was generous and loaded with ingredients. How did I manage to eat two different halves of a sandwich? It was THAT good! Quite messy, but they do have a sink inside to wash your hands. Eat your sandwich while it's hot and fresh, because the parchment paper on each sandwich does get soggy and stick to your sandwich (The sandwiches are good, but I don't want to be eating paper with it, now!). I'll definitely come back to take a stab at another one of their cleverly named sandwiches, perhaps a "Do You Smell What Barack is Cooking?" =)
Thank you Cece for your UYE and many thanks to Ike for accommodating us!
Heaven came down to earth in the form of a sandwich shop. Ike was the man put in charge and created Doomsday.
Ike's Place has hands down the best sandwiches I have ever eaten in my life. I ordered the popular Ménage à trois and it made me forget that this sandwich was man's creation. My buddy ordered another delicious sandwich, I'll update this when I ask him what it was.
We waited for 30 minutes but it was worth the wait. I see myself eating here at least 200+ more times before I leave this earth. The best part was Ike's smile giving us our sandwiches. Keep it up bro.
Saw this place on man vs food. OMFG the dude ate the Kryptonite sandwich in 1 sitting, WTF!
Came here with Dee, Jerad & aniki. I got the "hella fat bastard" excellent. bought aniki the Kryptonite which its the biggest one they sell, its also as big as his head, and weighed about as much, "he has a huge dome". He's also an eating machine, and could only finish 1/2.
I got my nephew "The Doomsday" which is the second biggest, and he eats more than aniki, he ate 1/2 and was so full that it made me uncomfortable.
OK, So Here's the Real Life Review:
Doe's Ike's have BOMB sandwiches? No doubt. Are they pretty expensive? Sure, but you can make a very good case that they're worth it. Now....
Is it worth anywhere between 45 minutes and two hours to wait for a sandwich? F*** NO! I don't care if they've been blessed by Jesus Christ himself, the fact that I have to wait that long for a sandwich is totally ridiculous, or the fact that I have to plan my sandwich eating like a vacation. I understand they make sandwiches for half of San Francisco or whatever, but if i call to pick up a sandwich and they tell me i have to kindly wait two hours, you can kindly go screw yourself. I like sandwiches because they're unpretentious, fast and delicious; Ike's just kinda kills that for me.
So yeah, super good sandwiches, but you know, i'd much rather just have a decent sandwich in the nick of time. Fighting your way through the line of douchey hipsters is not fun either. If you're the kind of person who likes to plan his sandwiches hours in advance, and you MUST have the best sammich in SF, then by all means go nuts.
I don't like anything dirty, except the dirty sauce!
Honestly, it's GOOD... and their menu is witty... so if I could give an extra star for their humor I would.
I got the philly cheesesteak and it came out to be better than Buster's in North Beach... now this is one day that I'd never see coming.
There is NO place to sit, so we walked around the block and sat at someone's doorstep and enjoyed our sandwiches. Every bite was just as delicious as Ike's menu made it sound like.
What a gem in SF.
Delicious sandwiches.
Too bad they don't taste good cold, as the magic of the sandwiches at Ike's is to eat them while they're hot. If you don't have a big appetite, share one with a good friend.
If you can't finish an entire sandwich, it's a total bummer because it's almost pointless to try to reheat it due to the lettuce becoming wilted and soggy. Of course, you could opt out of all veggies in the sandwich, but what's the point if you did that?
I'll work my way down their menu offering eventually. From what I've sampled so far (#2, 4, 5 - all with meat, of course ), they've been winners.
Oh, and I'll have to remember to order the sandwiches in advance. The waiting in line bit sucks.
I won't start off with why I didn't give Ike's 5 stars (*) because I think their good far outweighs their not-so-good. The bread is amaze-balls. Fresh, light, doughy goodness. I love their workers who smiled and seemed genuinely happy to provide me with tasty sammiches on a rainy early day. This place understands what a REAL sandwich joint is. Reminds me of a my formerly favorite lunch spot called The Upper Krust in Dayton, OH (RIP).
*If you'd asked me for a star count for Ike's at about 9:54am last Sunday, I would have said "get the crap out of my face and don't mention the word 'Ike' to me again!" because they'd lost the order I placed for my hub's 40th b-day party. But when I called to confirm they had the order, they called me back and apologized for a computer malfunction. And then they proceeded to churn out two platters of grub for a vegetarian-meat-eater mix that had everyone happy pappy. Go Ike's!!
All the hype. All the talk. i HAD to give it a try!! In my head i even thought, how good CAN a sandwich really be?! Worth an hour wait??
YES!!!
Came here at 1pm on a Saturday and the line or should i say massive crowd turned me off a bit, but i knew i had to try these sandwiches.
First off, i love all the names of the sandwiches and all the varieties!
I was torn between the pizzle and the al bundy. Went with the cashier's recommendation and ordered the pizzle on a french roll OF COURSE with the dirty sauce!!! He also said to have it with pesto. I love the fact that they toast all their sandwiches!! I would never wait that long for a cold sandwich.
Finally heard them call my name and scrambled up so fast to meet the guy with my food!! So packed with flavor!! I love a variety of tastes when i eat, there was so many spices, sauces, veggies and flavors all at once!!!
They are a little on the greasy side with all the pesto, dirty sauce, cheese, meat, etc, but im sure they have better options. The bad ones always sound so good though!!!
This is the best sandwich place I've been to in SF. I ordered the MILF and was completely satisfied. My sandwich was huge and delicious. As much as I liked it, I was only able to finish half, so I suggest splitting a sandwich if you go with someone.
When I got to Ike's there was quite a long line, but for the amount of people in line, they actually have very good turnaround, I spent about 15 min in line and then 10 min waiting for the sandwich after I had ordered.
They also have vegan options available!
This place is unlike any other sandwich place I've ever been to. They have completely transformed the concept of a sandwich, putting together unexpected ingredients to make a delicious meal. My MILF sandwich came with jalepeno poppers in it, YUM!
If you are in the SF area, this is a definite must visit.
Excellent, mouthwatering sandwiches and great service. Make sure to get the dirty sauce!
I was in the area this morning so i decided to stop by ikes to see what its all about.
I got there and they were still getting everything together so they must of just opened which makes me the first customer of the day!! first!! lol
So yea, now to the point, first i would like to say the people who work here are super cool. (friendly,nice,happy, whatever you want to call it)
The lady who made my sandwich had a sweet smile and made me feel welcome. So off the bat A+++ for customer service.
After i got my sandwich went home and ate half. First impression was good, but i dont know if it will top little luca. It was definitely good so ill be back to try something different next time.
Sandwichgasm.
Whatever you put between those two slices at Ike's.
Just know that no other sandwich will taste quite the same.
A menu - so extensive - that even if my arch nemesis (the slowest bus driver EVER) was cruising along on the 6 bus and took me the long way to work - I'd still not be done perusing all of the multiple sandwichgasms.
Ingredients fresher than the Prince of Bel Air.
And service that makes you feel like you're the ONE - despite the insane line ahead and behind you - comprised of EXTREMELY satisfied customers.
Ike's: That's What's Up.
Trust.
When we first got to Ike's Place, at 11:30am, there was already a line outside the door - 10 deep. By the time we got our food, the line extended even longer. This hole-in-the-wall sandwich shop draws all types, far and near, to this part of the town. The parking situation stinks - had to park almost two blocks away. The seating is few, with vultures waiting around for people to leave. With all of this, one might ask - Would I come back? . . . Yes, I would.
With its 100+ item sand which menu, I settled on a chicken sandwich - Menage a Trois with Halal Chicken Breast, Real Honey, Honey Mustard, BBQ, PepperJack, Swiss, Smoked Gouda. The chicken breast, the honey, and the bbq is a nice combination. But the dutch crunch bread is what made the sandwich special. They also have a sauce called the dirty sauce, which I fail to remember and was recommended. All I remember was the crunchy and softness of the bread.
I think San Francisco is lucky to have a sandwich place like Ike's.
I don't say this very often about places in general, let alone a sandwich shop, but I love Ike's Place. I had already heard about this place by word of mouth, but seeing it on Man vs. Food made me want to try this place even more. Typically, places featured on shows have a lot of hype, but this place is the real deal.
We decided to come here on a Saturday afternoon, but we were unsure to call in our order or not since this place is notorious for its long lines. Calling in around noon meant a pickup time at 2:30 pm. We were told that it would be much faster to go there and wait in line, which we did. The line actually moves pretty fast and we got our order within 15-20 minutes. After pondering the sandwich choices and looking over the menu for two days, I finally settled on the Menage a Trois. You can't go wrong with halal chicken, real honey, honey mustard, BBQ, with three different types of cheeses. I have also concluded that this place makes the best dutch crunch bread that I've ever had. Do yourself a favor and eat the sandwich fresh here. Taking it to go or pickup will only leave you disappointed by the fact that you took a pass on sandwich perfection. I opted for a sandwich with flavor over quantity of meat and I was very satisfied. The flavors were bold, yet not overwhelming. I don't think you can go wrong with real honey in a sandwich. It sounds unorthodox, but trust me, it's good. Dare I say that this was the best sandwich I've ever had? Quite possibly so.
It's also cool that you can actually see Ike working at the shop and chatting it up with his customers. He's genuinely a cool owner and really puts customer service high up on his priority list. He also reminds me of Howie Mandel. I can't wait to come back to try some of the other sandwiches. Can I conquer the Doomsday?
I see myself going back 100+ more times before I get tired of Ike's..if ever.
AMAZING SANDWICHES! And that is an understatement.
Had to write another review for this new sando I tried... f*ing DELISH
Called the "Shadi Swing My Way", a friend recommended it and boy am I glad I tried it!!
Sourdough
Extra Dirty
Turkey
Avacado
Havarti
Cream Cheese
Franks Red Hot Sauce
Extra Avacado
Honey Mustard
can't wait to devour its drippy tastyness
Def. call in for your next order instead of waiting in line..
Nothing new to add. This place is consistently amazing. I go between the name of the girl im… Read more »
I had to try after all the reviews, and I must say I was very pleased!
We got there around 2:30pm on a Tuesday. I was thinking the lunch rush had past by then but I was wrong. I think this Place is constantly busy.
We were in line for a few which was fine with me b/c it took me forever to decide on what to eat. The menu is huge and filled with amazing creations.
Yes, the waiting sucks and there really isn't much to to chill and enjoy your delicious Sandie but oh well. I can't wait to go back
Best sandwich shop in the entire city (maybe even CA). This is as good as it gets folks. The dirty sauce is to die for.
While the actual establishment may be a bit on the tiny side, there's plenty of seating at Dolores park, so head on over there after you grab your lunch. The service is top notch, as you're always greeted with a smile. I'm sure they'd hug ya, but they're stuck behind the counter in that hot cramped kitchen.
I tried Ike's for the first time after hearing about it from a friend who lives up the street, formerly from NYC. He said "You've got to try Ike's". I thought it would be decent but how great can a sandwich be? And New Yorkers, they are pretty picky foodwise.
Well, I've tried it and it lived up to its hype.
I had the Barry Z and the Veggie Jim Rome. Both satisfied. They're pretty big and it's tough not to eat the entire sandwich even if you are getting full. Call in your order and they'll give you the exact time to pick it up. If you don't, you might wait a while.
The sandwiches are really tasty, the menu is fantastic, service is friendly, and I'm already planning my next visit.
Delicious sandwiches, but we found out Ike's dirty little secret, and I'm not referring to the sauce. During hours of operation, a huge crowd queuing up for sandwiches is likely to be seen and should be expected, especially on sunny days. So why does that line seem so long and stagnant-- are the sandwiches THAT good?
Well, actually, they're pretty damn good, at least the Backstabber (imagine chicken Caesar salad in sandwich-form and on sourdough-- heaven!) I ate the other night was. But the reason why you can expect to wait at least 30 minutes (on a good day) or an hour or longer (when it's really nice outside and everyone wants to be at the park) is because the sandwiches take 10 minutes to prepare, and the fries are made from scratch and take 10 minutes to cook.
Everything is very fresh, and thus, absolutely delicious, but be prepared to wait. Ben and I were here on a weekday evening and ended up waiting about 30 minutes for our food, an additional ten minutes were spent cooking Ben another burger because the cook dropped the first one on the floor. We're glad he was honest with us, and he even threw in a free order of fries for us for being so patient.
I was curious about Ike's Place since seeing the block long lines for a few months everytime I drove past it. Today on a rainy Friday I thought perhaps a good time to try it out. I waited only third in line to place my order I was amazed there wasn't a long line!
I was greeted by a friendly chap who when I told him it was my first time at Ike's he replied " Welcome and this is Ike" and they both shook my hand which was pretty impressive for a take-out only sandwich shop. I asked him what is recommended? He replied "Well there are over 150 types of sandwiches (I only needed one) what do you like?" He recommended cornbeef on French Crunch with dressing and homemade coleslaw. SOLD!
It was 12:30 pm and I waited for my order inside keeping out of the rain and watch the line grow about a block long and call in ordered seemed to equal those in line. Ike called my name and read my order and handed me the sandwich saying "Its my favorite one!"
I took the sandwich and unwrapped the paper. The sandwich was fairly large and at first didn't think I would be able to eat it all in one sitting. It was warm and the cornbeef very lean, and the colesaw was a nice touch. Excellent sandwich. I ended up eating both halves foregoing the chips and drink because it was so good.
Now I know I will be back in Ike's Place again like so many others. Only 149 types of sandwiches to go!
(Only wish they had a place to eat in--the reason for 4 stars vs. 5)
If you love sandwiches like me then you have to go to Ike's Place in SF. It's in the Castro, but only like 1 mile (15-20min) walk from 16th St Bart. Cross St: Sanchez.
Line can be long & also the wait for them to make it. There was about 5 ppl in front of me to order, then a 30 min wait to pickup my order. Call in your order maybe to make it faster.
For my first time I was overwhelmed with the huge book of sandwiches.
I picked #30 "The Backstabber" - Sourdough roll w/ tender chicken, artichoke hearts, Caesar dressing & provolone. I think the total was $8.70. Corey told me to get pesto on it & got that too. Ate 1/2 will eat other half tomorrow.
Next time I'm trying #111 "Menage A Trois" - the guy from Man vs Food ate that. Cory also recommended the "Paul Reubens" #91.
Since CeCe talked to Ike for her UYE we all got FREE drink & chips on Sun 11/15/09. I got Honest Tea Organic Honey Green Tea & Dirty potato chips Jalapeno Heat 2oz bag. Oh yay, comes w/ a lollypop too.
They take credit cards, I paid in cash.
Some tables/chairs outside. Best to take it to-go.
I love Ike's Place. Recommended.
Hrs:
Sun-Th 10-8
Fri-Sat 10-10
Website:
http://www.ilikeikespl.../
I had a sandwich that is number 5 of on a list of about 190 different ways of putting deliciousness between two slices of bread. Now if you add all the possible combinations of condiments, bread,and any other additions or substitutions, I think that means Ike's provides you with about 100 billion choices.
I had the "Nacho Boy" which is Hot Roast Beef, Mushrooms, Avocado, and Swiss. Why is it called the Nacho Boy, you ask? What do any of those ingrediants have to do with Nachos? Or Boys?
I have no clue, and I have to tell you, I don't care, because it was amazingly delicious, and if he wants to call it Nacho Boy, that's ok with me.
I came to Ike's for CeCe's UYE this past Sunday and was in sandwich heaven. I took the BART, got off at Mission/16th and walked about 6 blocks to Ike's. I got there at 5 pm and there was hardly any line. I already knew what I wanted, the Menage a Trois (Halal Chicken Breast, Real Honey, Honey Mustard, BBQ, PepperJack, Swiss, Smoked Gouda) with everything, one of their famous sandwiches and featured on the tv show Man Vs. Food. I even kept the pickles in my sandwich and I HATE pickles. Since we were yelpers for the UYE, we got a free bag of chips and drink also. The Menage a Trois was fantastic. The shreaded chicken was tender and all the sauces put together made this sandwich even yummier. The sandwich was huge too, but I managed to finish all of it. *oink, oink*
The wait for getting your sandwich can be long. I waited about 20 minutes, but I thought it was worth it since the sandwich is made fresh. Hardly any tables to eat at, but I managed to score a big table for our group. Also Ike personally brought our sandwiches out and was really nice. He was really excited to see us yelpers and checked on us a couple of times. He gave me extra napkins also because the Menage A Trois can be messy. I bought an extra Menage A Trois with no onions for Aaron and the sandwich was just as good 2 hours later. He liked it also.
I definitely want to come back here to try the "We're JUST Friends", "SF Giants", etc. Good thing there's an Ike's in Redwood City too!
I came here for Cece C. 's UYE. This place doesn't have much room, however, they have seating nearby you can sit at. On the window, there is a list of sandwiches that are most popular. I have a feeling that whoever named these sandwiches had relationship problems or something. Ex-girlfriend, backstabber, etc.. I can just imagine someone coming into work all pissed or moody because of something. Decides to toss together a random sandwich and apparently it is good and calls it whatever he fells. But, it would be funny if it was true.
I bought a "change" which has steak and onion rings. it is really good. The onion ring was a bit soggy though due to all of the bbq sauce that they toss in there. One thing I wish was that they had thicker slices of steak. The steak was super thin. I barely tasted the steak.
The owner, Ike is a really cool guy. He brings out the food to you when it is done. And made sure that we all had what we needed. It probably helped that we were a bunch of yelpers. I am a bit harsh, really good place to eat at. Just I think it might be over-rated.
Ok so i'm re-rating ike's and adding 1 star.
I'm still not 100% obsessed with the place yet, buttttttttt i am definitely impressed and will definitely go back more often now that i have found the right sandwich.
I guess a lot of the rating goes with finding the right sammie for you, and let me TELL YOU, did i find the right sammie.
i call it the "shadi swing my way" ha ha
it is....are u ready for this....
Turkey
Avocado /(extra av!)
Havarti
Cream cheese...
Franks red hot sauce
Honey Mustard
Sourdough Roll
EXTRA DIRTY
or basically the BARRY Z with
Cream cheese...
Franks red hot sauce
Honey Mustard
Sourdough Roll
EXTRA DIRTY
i am obsessed. enjoy
i give it 3 and a half stars.
- good sandwhiches
-great service
-the bread is what makes the sandwhich…
Read more »
Review #1435!!!!!!!!
WOW, Ike's was something else.
My girl first found it on Yelp while looking for sweet vegan spots. We've never seen anything on Yelp with so many reviews! Incredible we had to check it out.
THE LINE WAS OUT THE DOOR and DOWN the street to the car repair shop. UNBELIEVEABLE.
We arrived at like 1pm. We didn't get our sandwich till almost 2.
We had to wait like 25 min in line and another, 15-20 to get the sandwich?
THE SMART people called in their order. You can do the same!
The MENU options are incredible. There's a general section, vegetarian section, and VEGAN section. Unless otherwise noted, everything comes with their DIRTY SAUCE, it's a secret concoction of deliciousness.
The item names are hilarious. There's like, "Let's just be friends," "MILF," "Nacho Man," "Sexy Boy." Etc etc. I got the "Vegan Cow Tipper" with avocado and pineapple. It was a winner, man, no kidding.
We mistaked the cashier for IKE. Nono, that was Alex. He was hella funny, he's like nah, Ike is much shorter like Yay high. He's like never here but TODAY, he's on sandwiches. He never works! haha
So yea, totally went inside to say hi to Ike. He came from behind the counter, took off his glove and shook my hand. Hella cool dude. Really happy to meet people who come by. We're like hey! We're all the way from San Jose!
So we waited outside, sipping a bottle of HONEST tea. Good stuff. Just chillin. Finally got the long awaited holy grail of a sandwich. Inspired, we totally asked Ike for a picture. He was hella happy. I'm posting it up right after this.
So wow, hella rare to meet the owner and have him be so chill all the way through.
Just really happy, was eating it afterwards and WOW, hella worth it. I hella wanted to go back and get in line again. My girl was like nooo! hahaha
So yea, parking is a lil challenging, but it's in a semi-quiet residential zone anyway. There's no where really to eat it, but we walked down the street and sat on the steps of some houses to handle the munchies anyway.
So yea, ENJOY IKE'S! iT'S HELLA BOMB!
Say hi to Alex the cool shaved head cashier man and yo, definitely throw a shout out to the man of the house, IKE himself! Holla!
They close at 10pm too!
So yea, just hella cool people there. I think everyone is a friend of Ike's from way back and have known him forever. Just a totally cool vibe.
IF YOU CAN GET FRENCH FRY's, that's a freakin miracle there. THey hella stock up at the beginning of the week and the completely run out towards the end, even with their immense inventory of fries. It's incredible.
The guys in front of me were hella sad.
GOOD LUCK!!!!
I almost didn't stop by because of the long waits but since it was on the way home, why not? Surprisingly, there was absolutely no wait! 10:30am on Sunday ~ score!
I had the Menage a Trois (halal chicken, honey, honey mustard, smoked Gouda, bbq sauce) and it was delicious. The ingredients complimented eachother very well. The sandwich was a bit messy but it's all part of the charm of Ike's.
Come here and then take your sandwiches to nearby Dolores Park for a lovely picnic ~
Best sandwich in the City.
Sure, sometimes a fancy sandwich at Bi-Rite or Tartine hits the spot. But 95% of the time all I want is Ike's. The wait is a bit long but it's always worth it. I haven't tried every sandwich on the menu (who could, really?), but my favorite so far is the MILF: chicken, red sauce, lettuce, onion, tomato, and...wait for it...jalapeno poppers.
They also have happy hours from 4-7pm. Get a sandwich and you get free chips and soda. Pretty sweet deal.
Oh, and despite the hipstertastic look of the staff, they're all REALLY nice and fun. Love this place.
While sitting in as audience members on a taping of "Important Things with Demetri Martin," our warm-up comedian guy asked about things to do in San Francisco. When he got onto figuring out where to eat, people yelled out a few mediocre options (Farolito's? PASS) and a guy two rows ahead of me yelled "IKE'S" - as if on cue, my buddy and I immediately shot up and screamed out "YEAH! IKE'S! YEAH!"
This kind of enthusiasm for a restaurant is something I've been lacking in my life. But now, I can say that the lust and drive for a place to eat (or rather, a place in San Francisco) is back. I love sandwiches, and the only thing I love more than a sandwich is a sandwich done right. This place hits it on the head with acute precision.
To date, I've had the Backstabber, the Eli Manning, the Hugh Hefner, We're Just Friends and the Meatless Mike. All were fantastic in their own subtle ways.
Perhaps the most amazing thing about this place is that just about any sandwich can be made vegan - and if making it vegan will take away one of the key flavours or components, employees are always quick to tell you and suggest a sandwich you may like just as much, if not more.
The seating situation is relatively lame, but that's just all the more reason to grab a few on a nice day and head the few blocks to D.P. to enjoy your meal. And don't let the long lines and wait deter you - this hot sandwich is definitely worth it.
The most amazing hot sandwich to ever meet my palate. Words to describe the food here are simply… Read more »
Proof that way too many people are way too easily impressed. The sandwiches are average - piling lots of crap into them doesn't make them amazing, it just makes them sandwiches with lots of crap in that make a big mess when you eat them, which completely defeats the purpose of what the Earl intended. The wait is also ridiculously long.
Ike - please ask your customers to not use your neighbour's steps as their dining room. I'm sick to my back teeth of having to clamber with my grocery bags through people eating your food on my front steps, making a mess over them that they don't clear up. I also can't navigate the block you're on due to all the people milling about like clueless morons.
DiRTY SauCE!!!!
We arrived around 2pm for a late lunch on a Tuesday. It was my lucky day because I stumbled upon VIP parking (Allow time for parking). Holy ShiT was my first thought! The line was out the door with 6-8 huddled around the entrance waiting for their order and we quickly realized we might not have anywhere to eat but inside the car (There are only 2-3 tables. Outdoor. On the sidewalk). When we got our sandwiches a couple was getting up, lucky!
There are like a bagillzion sandwiches on their menu. Some on their menu, the wall, the chalkboard. How to choose? What to pick? 15mins of contemplation goes by and I chose Christina and Umair Goes to Ikes on wheat bread: Turkey, Bacon, Ham, Salami, Italian Dressing, Avocado, Provolone. This sandwich is out of anyone's comprehension. The flavors, meat, and veggies meld together impeccably for a bite of perfection. Its a taste of heaven. The dirty sauce comes on every sandwich as it should! That spread is killer! They need to bottle and sell it. I want the DiRTY SauCe on every sandwich for as long as I live. So goood!! Also they bake their own bread and it isn't baked until ordered. Therefore, increasing the wait time but well worth it.
Definitely returning!!! Yes, Man VS Food was here! Note: Second location in Redwood City opened recently.
Neighborhood: Castro
Category: Sandwiches
Neighborhood: North Beach/Telegraph Hill
Category: Delis
Neighborhood: Mission Terrace
Category: Grocery
Neighborhood: Western Addition/NOPA
Category: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
San Francisco, CA
Category: Sandwiches
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