Thriving 30, Volume 15: Top Sandwich Spots in Oakland

As much as I love indulging on a nice cocktail or glass of wine, I’ve never shared my love for sandwiches. Am I the only one? I hope not. I share to you my top sandwich spots in Oakland. If you are an Oakland native, please let me know if you agree? Have you been to these spots? What locations am I missing? I was trying to do 5, but I didn’t want to include something that I wasn’t passionate for. I narrowed them down to 3. You will notice that I didn’t include Ike’s because their sandwiches are mediocre and filled with MAYO. MAYO is not in my vocabulary and not my favorite condiment. There are other ways to make a sandwich BUTTERY.  

This list cannot be complete without my love for Vietnamese sandwiches. Did you know that Banh Mi is spelled with BANH not BAHN. It confuses me when these spots spell Vietnamese words wrong.  Did you have Vietnamese aunty do a spell check? A Vietnamese spot should have you non-viets ordering by numbers. Hence, I present to you Banh Mi Ba Le, located in East Oakland. I remember back in the day this is your lunch for any fieldtrips. Didn’t have free lunch in elementary? Your parents would pack you a banh mi. My fondest memory of the banh mi was purchasing this at $1.50 and since I am a big girl, I can eat 2. Now it costs $3.00, still, is this a joke? Can you get lunch for less than 5 buckaroos nowadays? Top 2 sandwiches here are the Banh Mi Siu Mai w/Op La, which translate to Meat Ball Sandwich with a fried egg. Let me tell you… Vietnamese meatballs are so delicious. It is so soft. It is so juicy. It is so flavorful, pray to the heavens for fish sauce. With the fried egg oozing into your meatballs (sorry is this getting too sexual?). Lawd… have mercy.  And second Banh Mi Thit Nuong (which translates to Grilled Pork Sandwich). They marinate their grilled meats with a lot of lemongrass, which is a Vietnamese tradition. Mind you this is on the cusp of east Oakland, where you shouldn’t be going here at night, or by yourself. International is known to have a lot of drugs and prostitutes. Be aware of your surroundings and mind your own business.  

Café Gabriela, so I couldn’t find their personal website, so I linked their yelp page. This spot used to be a weekly spot for lunch when I worked in downtown Oakland.  Sitting at 8 bucks for a full sandwich, I would get the Pulled Pork Adobo sandwich. Holyheckin’ bob, have you had a Filipino sandwich before? Delicious, tender, savory pulled pork with caramelized onions on a baguette. Damn… how can a sandwich be so simple yet so good. They have other option of sammies, but I would get the full sandwich. Why would you ever get half a sandwich? I believe they are only open on weekdays, with the normal business hours. They are not open late!

Lastly, Bakesale Betty (Again, another establishment that doesn’t have their own domain). Fried Chicken sandwich, need I say more? This is only open from 11am-2pm on the weekdays. What? Why?  There could be a shortage of their ingredients…however there is always a long line that wraps around. Chicken is well seasoned, crispy yet tender placed on top of a fluffy bun, and topped off with a vinaigrette coleslaw.   It is definitely an Oakland favorite. The business knows it’s a hit, yet they will keep their hours the way it is because it is that good. Maybe they are doing this for the love of food, and not for profit. In my opinion, if they really wanted to, they can have normal business hours and make a good profit. The last time I checked I believe the sandwiches are $11-$12. They also have lemonade and baked treats. I’d say grab a couple sandos, lemonade, a bake treat to share … take it to Lake Merritt for a panty droppin’ date. You’re welcome!