Lou’s Cafe
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Good bite. Passed my tiny hand test. Toasted, not over toasted that was a plus. We ordered to go but they have some tables for indoor lunchin'. Staff were welcoming and moved quickly. I appreciate a clean deli.
this is a popular low-key sandwich spot serving giant sandwiches at a reasonable price! i came around lunchtime on a weekday and it was pretty packed. it seems more suited to takeout or ordering online for pickup, as it can take a second to order in person since they're really busy! they definitely do their best, but just don't be surprised if there's a wait. it was also fairly warm inside the store, so i don't think i'd stay to sit and eat. i had the tuna melt, which was really delicious. it was saucy, cheesy, and balanced with a ton of fresh veggies, all on a pillowy soft roll. i wish there was a bit more tuna, but i tend to like a high ratio of filling to bread in my sandwiches. i really loved the quality of the bread and the refreshing crunch of the veggies. overall solid pick for a quick lunch or grab & go meal! i'll be back to try their other sandwiches!
Great sandwiches and fast service. I love sandwiches with lots of veg so the veggie sandwich with added turkey was perfect for me. Lots of tastes and textures going on and not too much of any one thing. There's definitely a kick from the jalapeno sauce as well! Loved that the sandwich is toasted nice and crisp and the red onion is cut super thin. My only feedback is the bread is almost too much. It makes the sandwich really tall and it just feels like the ratio of bread to filling is slightly off.
Low-key quality sandwich spot in San Carlos. Stopped in here for lunch with a friend today and was surprised at how broad the menu was; I've walked by multiple times and always thought the place didn't look like much, but looks can be deceiving. I ordered the Ami-Cado, which came with pastrami, salami, avocado, Lou's special sauce, and your usually sandwich fixings. It came on a noticeably shiny piece of sourdough bread. The saltiness of the pastrami worked well with the sweetness of Lou's special sauce, and the lettuce, tomatoes, and pickles kept the sandwich from being overly salty. The sourdough bread had that satisfy crisp that only sourdough can have. It didn't look like a big sandwich, but the Ami-Cado satisfied my hunger. And the price point was awesome: around $12.50 before tax. If you want a good simple sandwich, Lou's is the spot. A little higher than Ike's in quality, I'd say.
A great sandwich place, in my personal opinion, is rated by the quality of the meat, the bread, and the sauce that makes them unique. Not all places have all three of these boxes checked off and Lou's has 2/3. They have your standard deli meat, which wasn't a surprise. But their ratio of meat and the neatness in stacking makes a difference here. Each bite gets a nice balance of flavors and it's consistent as you progress. The French roll when toasted is so soft, chewy, light, and crunchy all at the same time. It holds the sandwich contents well and it absorbs their sauce nicely. Sometimes I order the sourdough instead for a little extra crunch but they have good bread regardless. Lou's special sauce is a little on the spicer side but it gives a nice zing to the sandwich as well. I wouldn't say that Lou's sandwiches are groundbreaking, but it's the one of the most consistent sandwich places I've been to. Also, I ordered the vegilicious once and it was indeed delicious.
Oh my goodness, the veggie licious sandwich I ordered was absolutely delicious! It was incredibly fresh, and the bread was perfectly toasted. The service was quick, and when I picked up my order, the staff were incredibly friendly. I've been to Lou's café in San Francisco, but I was driving by their location in San Carlos and was thrilled to discover that it's near my office. I'll definitely be ordering again! :) read more
21 days ago
got the risky bizness and turkey cranberry - they're both decent, bread is not as fresh as their other locations and filling wasn't as much. prices are ~12-14$ per sandwich! read more
3 months ago
Was craving clam chowder and love that this is an every day menu item. Quite busy during a recent visit. Took about 10 minutes before my soup was ready to go. Only complaint was that it was warm and not hot. read more
1 month ago
22 days ago
this is a popular low-key sandwich spot serving giant sandwiches at a reasonable price! i came around lunchtime on a weekday and it was pretty packed. it seems more suited to takeout or ordering online for pickup, as it can take a second to order in person since they're really busy! they definitely do their best, but just don't be surprised if there's a wait. it was also fairly warm inside the store, so i don't think i'd stay to sit and eat. i had the tuna melt, which was really delicious. it was saucy, cheesy, and balanced with a ton of fresh veggies, all on a pillowy soft roll. i wish there was a bit more tuna, but i tend to like a high ratio of filling to bread in my sandwiches. i really loved the quality of the bread and the refreshing crunch of the veggies. overall solid pick for a quick lunch or grab & go meal! i'll be back to try their other sandwiches! read more
5 months ago
9 months ago
1 year ago
Great sandwiches and fast service. I love sandwiches with lots of veg so the veggie sandwich with added turkey was perfect for me. Lots of tastes and textures going on and not too much of any one thing. There's definitely a kick from the jalapeno sauce as well! Loved that the sandwich is toasted nice and crisp and the red onion is cut super thin. My only feedback is the bread is almost too much. It makes the sandwich really tall and it just feels like the ratio of bread to filling is slightly off. read more
3 months ago
2 years ago
Low-key quality sandwich spot in San Carlos. Stopped in here for lunch with a friend today and was surprised at how broad the menu was; I've walked by multiple times and always thought the place didn't look like much, but looks can be deceiving. I ordered the Ami-Cado, which came with pastrami, salami, avocado, Lou's special sauce, and your usually sandwich fixings. It came on a noticeably shiny piece of sourdough bread. The saltiness of the pastrami worked well with the sweetness of Lou's special sauce, and the lettuce, tomatoes, and pickles kept the sandwich from being overly salty. The sourdough bread had that satisfy crisp that only sourdough can have. It didn't look like a big sandwich, but the Ami-Cado satisfied my hunger. And the price point was awesome: around $12.50 before tax. If you want a good simple sandwich, Lou's is the spot. A little higher than Ike's in quality, I'd say. read more
7 months ago
A great sandwich place, in my personal opinion, is rated by the quality of the meat, the bread, and the sauce that makes them unique. Not all places have all three of these boxes checked off and Lou's has 2/3. They have your standard deli meat, which wasn't a surprise. But their ratio of meat and the neatness in stacking makes a difference here. Each bite gets a nice balance of flavors and it's consistent as you progress. The French roll when toasted is so soft, chewy, light, and crunchy all at the same time. It holds the sandwich contents well and it absorbs their sauce nicely. Sometimes I order the sourdough instead for a little extra crunch but they have good bread regardless. Lou's special sauce is a little on the spicer side but it gives a nice zing to the sandwich as well. I wouldn't say that Lou's sandwiches are groundbreaking, but it's the one of the most consistent sandwich places I've been to. Also, I ordered the vegilicious once and it was indeed delicious. read more
Ordered through grubhub. Food: Sandwich hit the spot. A lot of flavors but was good. Had a little heat from the pepperoncini. Wish there was more crab. Greek salad was good too. A lot of toppings VS lettuce ratio. Can't complain about that. I didn't get any updates about my order. It showed that they never accepted and the order came 10 min past the window. Other than that, food was good. read more
1 year ago
1 year ago
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9 months ago
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2 years ago
Overall: 8/10 Food: 8.5/10 Coffee: 8/10 Ambiance: 7.4/10 Overall just a very nice sandwich spot. Sandwich itself is well put together and is great portion-wise. The bread isn't anything super special, but it all fits together in a nice, toasty melt that was quite the satisfying eat. I wouldn't say it's the best place to do work at, but for a quick (or slow) bite it's definitely great. Service was also really good, nice people and food came out way faster than I expected (5 mins or less). Pleasant surprise was the coffee, which was honestly really good. Definitely going back :) read more
2 years ago
"Double" Pastrami. Oy'vei. What a disappointment. Considering i paid EXTRA, this here, this here is a fail. read more
11 months ago
9 months ago
10 months ago
4 years ago
Found this place on yelp and decided to stop by for a quick lunch pick up since it's nearby work. Ordered the ultimate club and its stuffed with so much meat. The Dutch crunch is good and doesn't tear up your mouth. Sandwich is a good size and was only able to eat half and save half for another meal. Price is decent especially considering its a good size that can be split into two meals. Would def be back and want to try other sandwich variations. read more
4 years ago
I've been to Lou's many times and I can say that this is one of my favorite sandwich spots in the bay! My go-to is either the Hot Pastrami or the Amni-Cado. The sandwiches are huge and great for the price. I love the jalapeño spread that they put. It gives it a little kick without it being too spicy. The dutch crunch bread is perfectly crispy. I'd also like to mention how great the service is here. I'm always welcomed with a smile and they're very diligent with my orders. Always looking forward to coming back! read more
4 years ago
LLB special: good sandwich, but the jalapeno spread was strong instead of being a kick. Espresso macchiato ends up as mostly a bitter espresso. read more
I've been to San Carlos numerous times and I just noticed this place today! Not sure if it's new or not. It's your standard Deli, they have tons of options and even an option to design your own sandwich. I always choose that option because I'm a little picky. Inside was nice and clean, wasn't too crowded at 12noon. The cashier was friendly and helpful, and I appreciated his suggestions. My sandwich was very generous. The quality of the meat and cheese was delicious, and the bread was nice and soft. Not the BEST sandwich I've ever had in my life but it was still pretty good. Definitely worth it if you're in the area. read more
2 years ago
5 years ago
So glad I rediscovered Lou's Cafe. My husband used to bring home sandwiches from Lou's every now and then when he worked in the city and I had forgotten about Lou's since he's been working from home. Their sign looked so familiar to me and it was such a pleasant surprise to realize it was Lou's sandwiches that I always enjoyed. We've tried the RB mushroom, ultimate club and hot pastrami. They're all delicious - loaded with meat, toppings and sauce all complement each other well and bread is toasty without cutting the roof of your mouth. Their sandwiches were just as delicious the next day. I ordered ahead and the guy on the phone was super friendly. So glad that Lou's has a location closer to me further down the peninsula! Will definitely be returning to try more of their sandwiches. read more
2 years ago
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