I was SHOCKED at how pathetic this place was, given its reputation. First, on a positive note, the garden seating is nice and I like the ambiance there. Unfortunately, the food and service do not match. TL;DR. Save your money and make your own sandwich. Food. Sandwhiches are plain and boring. Basic meats and the ONLY options to add are Swiss cheese, mustard, and/or mayonnaise. That's it! No lettuce. No tomatoes. no avocado (am I even in California???). The meat was DRYYYY! Not just one meat. All of the meats. My wife got a French dip. Dry. I got pastrami and corn beef. Dry. Kids got turkey. Dry. The only one in our family that liked the food was my 7 year old who notoriously hates flavor of any kind. Ordered a slice of chocolate pie and it was boxed chocolate pudding oozing over a dry pre-made pie crust. What a joke. Service: Bad. They forgot the dip for the french dip. Then, when we asked an employee, they went to get it it and never returned. They also overcharged us, which we didn't realize until we got home. Other commentors mentioned something similar, which makes me wonder if this was an accident or a scam. Price: $16.00 for a plain, dry sandwich. Nuff said. read more

I LOVE THIS PLACE!!!! Its fuckin beautiful and i have never ever ever ever received such amazing customer service BEFORE IN MY LIFE. FOOD IS GREAT, location is gorgeous, the workers are amazing. 10/10 will come back and bring other people around. read more

Backstreet - Sandwiches Near Me - Riverside, California

Such a fun place to eat. The pizza on Fridays is A-1! Customer service was a plus. Management was so kind and caring. They had a band there tonight as well. The music was fun. It really appeared that each customers feel at home. read more

If you want a delicious sandwich at a hidden gem then this is your place. Ask for the special menu sammich with baked beans. Cool environment to sit in and be outside as well. read more

I enjoy coming to Backstreet. The employees are always so upbeat and friendly. Today I had the spinach salad and it was delicious. The leafs were crispy and fresh. The dressing vinaigrette was a perfect blend of sweet and tangy. The patio is a nice place to enjoy the sun and breeze when there is one, very refreshing way to recharge and go back to your day after a delicious lunch. read more

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My roast beef sandwich was terrible and over priced. I ordered one glass of red wine and it was sour as if it had been left out in the sun. I will never be back and sorry I went there. read more

Simple sandwiches. Gotta live the simplicity of it. Live the veggie cart, the pickles were the best.

Love this place! Simple delicious food and lovely people. Really nice outdoor dining space. Can't go wrong with the pastrami on rye with a side of potato salad. read more

The food is fine but it's the service and the ambiance that is 10/10. It feels like a getaway when you are there!

This is a very cool, local style sandwich shop. Excellent service and good food. But the environment and vibe of sitting outside in shade are excellent read more

Such a wonderful place! Menu consist of a variety of fresh sandwiches and customary sides. Service is friendly. Fresh fruit tarts for dessert. Very quaint and eclectic atmosphere. A true local hidden.gem! read more

My son's favorite spot for lunch! Fresh food and tasty desserts. I love their potato salad as a side to the French dip. My son orders turkey on sourdough and loves the generous amount of turkey in the sandwich. The eating area is so cute and peaceful. I highly recommend Backstreet. read more

Very good food, amazing seating.The pie was excellent finish for lunch. I am definitely going back.

Amazing food I had a turkey sandwich. It was like homemade excellent potato salad and the ambience is impeccable. Service was amazing.

I was not impressed. 3 sandwhiches with sides came out to $80. The sandwhiches were decent but were definately not $80 worth. Staff was friendly and location was cute, but if your looking for a really great sandwhich this is not the place. read more

Amazing food. Great little area to have lunch the decor is so cute to me. The desserts are to die for. First time going, every employee was polite and informative and could tell loved working there. Server was super nice and friendly. And sandwiches are so good fresh and delicious. Don't leave without a tea and dessert. I recommend them all. Super fast even though long line. Eating area was honestly like sitting and having a picnic. Great idea for our family and close to sons therapy so it's a real treat for us. All the kids grubbed without complaints. read more

Backstreet - Sandwiches Near Me - Riverside, California

Great service food is amazing the ambiance is great as well. It was love at first sandwich lol

We have been coming here for years, but I haven't tried it with the new owners. I order my lunch and picked it up during my break, I asked for no mayo because I'm allergic, sadly there was mayo. I called and they offered to refund me and when I expressed I was just bummed out because I ordered in advance and when I got there the salad bar was empty and the girl told me it's because they were closing and they had nothing left. The manager apologized and said that is not true they have back ups, she went above and beyond! She showed up at my work with a new mayo free sandwich and a bunch of sides and pie! I was amazed, seriously hands down best customer service I have ever received! read more

Excellent as always. Had their not so secret menu item, The Woody. Corned Beef and Pastrami with Swiss on Onion Roll, read more

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The patio is beautiful but 2 sandwiches that is literally bun, meat and spread cost $31.00! It's not worth it. If this was homemade bread and not generic from the grocery store it might be better. I don't recommend this place. read more

My 1st time here since Arcade took over. Way to destroy a local favorite landmark. I was shocked at outrageous high prices. Bread was definitely stale, and the beans & potato salad taste different (not a good different). And I'm most disappointed by my banana cream pie. It was already boxed up in familiar pink box, but box felt limp. Needless to say, when I finally attempted to eat it later that day, the bananas were mostly brown, pudding way too thin & runny and the almost nonexistent crust tasted like cardboard from the cheap paper plate the dessert is served on. My entire meal was $34 and was an EPIC FAIL. Shame on Arcade for ruining a fantastic institution with a cult like following. It was always an older senior crowd there, and I don't see how senior citizens can afford these ridiculously high prices. #SHAME #DOBETTER #MISSKITTYANDKEITH read more

A unique lunch spot with hearty sandwiches, and now they are open Friday evenings. Backstreet offers wine and beer on tap, charcuterie boards, an amazing patio and live music. Also, do not forget the homemade desserts. The banana cream pie is divine. read more

Backstreet - Charcuterie - Sandwiches Near Me - Riverside, California

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Great hidden gem, love this place and their sandwiches. Their pasta salad is great as well, the service is excellent and makes you feel at home. read more

A Riverside gem that lost some luster food wise. Not sure what happened but the bread on our whole party's sandwiches was a total miscue. Amongst the 6 of us we had rye, prairie and sourdough and it was all dry. I mean choke on it dry. One of us did choke. Everything else was great and the patio has been edited and cleaned up which is nice but if this is Arcade brea from The Bakehouse??? No thank you. I'll spend a bazillion on a sandwich elsewhere. read more

Alllll the employees were sooooo friendly! And helpful! As I had never been there! They were all very welcoming! The food was absolutely delicious!! I've never had a better tasting pastrami as I did!! And the ambiance was wonderful!! I will definitely be going back! Thank you all for a great lunch and exoerienc read more

First time coming here and this is definitely a place to visit if you're in the area. Initially, I was confused on location and parking, but a spot opened up in front. I've heard this place gets packed, but I ended up here around 2:30 pm on a Monday and there was not a line. When you enter, it is through the side and you are greeted by a counter. You start on the far left and tell the staffer what you would like. I went with the half pastrami on squaw/prairie bread, but they do have other options as well such as turkey or corn beef. For sides, I chose baked beans and potato salad. The best part is that there's a mini-salad bar with pickles, pasta salad, carrots, and cranberry as well as a few other items that you get all access to. With a drink, my total was $14, which is pretty average for a specialty shop and it was extremely delicious. Even though I went with the half, it was still a lot of food for the price. The restaurant outside is overall clean, but there were gnats flying around and bothering a bit. As a heads up, I would recommend not getting the baked beans in the small paper container. The heat from the beans and moisture from the juice ripped apart the paper container. Nonetheless, I overall enjoyed my experience and the really friendly staff. read more

Backstreet - Sandwiches Near Me - Riverside, California

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Their meat and breads are amazing. Just wish they had a little traditional toppings to add at their side bar like lettuce tomatoes onion...that sort of thing. Other than that delicious! read more

Friendly team, great food and restful atmosphere - recommend for lunch or just a snack -

Back Street Restaurant in Riverside has got to be the best deli in the region! The other day, I asked how long they've been in business and I believe since 1967 and she said the menu is almost the same as it was in the beginning! Why fix it if it ain't broke I also believe it's family owned and operated but not 100% sure. But seriously, there's magic in their sandwiches & I'm pretty sure it's in the butter mayo Omg and the coleslaw!! I can't get enough!! read more

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Mayonnaise and butter on a overpriced sandwich...nah bro. But their pie and ambiance is great! read more

Always consistent from the time I was a kid until now. Best sandwich shop and always quality customer service. Order ahead and pickup if in a rush cause this place is definitely packed during lunch read more

A coastal type outside laid back dinner with the feel of a home cooked sandwich tip with all of the fix'n!!! We ate at Backstreet Restaurant for the second go round and all I can say is WOW!!! Shout out to the owner and his summer employee/school teacher Becky for the warm and great. They recommended The Special(roast beef and pastrami on sour dough bread, MMMMMMAAAANNNNNNNN!!! Then Becky recommended the banana cream pie(their most popular Desert, MMMMMMMMMMAAAANNN!!! Then Becky saw our reaction to how good we were enjoying the food and shared with us that we could buy the pastrami and roast beef by the pound; GAME OVER!!! read more

Backstreet - Two stuffed and happy customers - Sandwiches Near Me - Riverside, California

Fast friendly service. Cutest little cafe in Riverside. The courtyard is relaxing and feels a world away! The food is so fresh and delicious! Hidden gem! read more

Best of the best around! New charcuterie boards on weekends with great flavors! Don't skip this place it's an amazing vibe! read more

Backstreet - Charcuterie board - Sandwiches Near Me - Riverside, California

Riverside treasure for generations. Our special place for memories and yummy food, outdoor ambiance, comfortable in any weather.

Cutest hidden gem in Riverside! I came here for a work team lunch just before the lunch rush hit at 12pm and the line was out the door into the street. The food is delicious and they have very large portions. They have a variety of different meats and sandwiches to choose from and then a condiment bar which has pasta salad, veggies, pickles, etc. all for free! The most amazing part of this place is when you enter the premise it feels like you have left the hot scorching desert of riverside and entered a shaded tropical land. The decor is beautiful. The service is wonderful. I will definitely be back! read more

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Great food, great people, super nice little location. I wish they did dinner. Love this place

This is one of the hidden gems of Riverside! I'm so in love with this place. The people who work there are fabulous and the food is just outstanding. The French Dip Sandwich is one of the best I've ever had. The Au Jus sauce is to die for. Their potato salad is A-AMAZIN! I usually don't care for potato salad but this one rocked my world. My husband said his Ham Sandwich was the best sandwich he's ever had and he's eaten lots of sandwiches in his life. Lol But it gets even better. Their desserts are out of this world. We tried their banana cream pie and let's just say we had a "When Harry Met Sally" moment! Lol They are only open till 2pm during the week so go early cause it is always packed. They always have a line out the door but don't worry they are doing some magic in there for you. There is a bar of pickles, cucumbers, beets, cold pasta, etc. The seating is outdoors but they have it covered so it's very nice and relaxing with a creative decor. I can't wait to go back and try their other pies and tarts. Definitely not cheap but you get what you pay for here so it's worth every penny. Parking is pretty crazy but it's Riverside so it's expected. If you haven't found this gem yet than I suggest you go now. You'll thank me later! read more

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Best sandwich place!! Try their banana cream pie. Outside seating is quaint and beautiful. read more

This spot is truly a Riverside gem. I've been coming here since my high school days so I AM biased in terms of my love for this place, but it's just one of those spots that you can go for simple and good food. They have a very short menu: sandwiches, salads, and pies. You stand in line, order the type of sandwich you want (choice of meat and bread) and whether you want it half or whole. They ask if you want cheese, mayo, mustard. Then you can choose a side - homemade potato salad, beans, or a bag of chips. You can then order a drink and/or a dessert. All of these are placed on a tray and then you pay at the register. Now my favorite thing here and part of the backstreet experience is their self-serve salad bar. Due to covid, they have these already individually pre-packaged so you can just grab and go. But at the salad bar, you can expect to find pasta salad, cucumbers, pickles, pickled beets, carrots & celery, and perhaps a few other things (which I can't remember). I LOVE the pickled beets and cucumbers - so good. After your trip to the salad bar, you can find a seat in their cute, outdoor patio. The other day they had some live music going. So my coworkers and I just sat there eating our sandwiches under a parasol, listening to a man playing the guitar and the trickling of the water from the fountain. The perfect spot to enjoy lunch on a nice day. This place is really low-key. So for someone who doesn't live in Riverside, they might not find this place as magical to them as it is for me. I just really appreciate the simplicity of this place and the fact that it's the same people who work here pretty much every day. It feels like home. read more