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    Lou's Cafe

    4.4 (2k reviews)
    Closed 8:00 am - 7:00 pm

    Order Lou's Cafe Takeout or Delivery

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    Business Info

    LOU'S CAFE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Classy
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Good for kids

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    Recommended Reviews - Lou's Cafe

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    Helen L.

    No lines on a foggy morning. Score. 4 people working, then 5 at exactly 9 am. They are ready for the crowd. I'm overwhelmed with choices on the board. Good thing I narrowed it down to roast beef and eggs. Four choices. Didnt want too spicy or too plain so settled on RB with bacon and mushroom roast beef with jalapeños spread on Dutch crunch roll $14 and ultimate Sammie with hash brown on sourdough $10. $25 for two hugh hot sammuws. Two of these weighs 5 pounds. Delish before watching Toy Story 5. Staff was friendly and they seem to like each other.

    Jessica S.

    The risky bizzness is amazing. The crab salad on this sandwich takes it to the next level. Perfect pairing for a beach day

    Love them but please just no onions! No hate, I LOVE their sandwiches but this happens all the time.

    LLB Special Sandwich
    Smith T.

    Yo! If you are looking for a top-tier sandwich in SF, you have to stop by Lou's on Geary. I've heard the hype for a while and finally went in to try their Special Sandwich. The sandwich was fire. What really sets it apart is that "Lou's Special Sauce" it adds a kick that you just don't get at your average deli. The bread was perfectly toasted (not too hard, not too soft) and they definitely don't skimp on the meat. The staff was super efficient and friendly. Even though there was a bit of a line (which is expected for a place this good), they moved through the orders quickly. The cafe has a great, classic SF neighborhood vibe.

    Becky V.

    Chicken pesto sandwich seems popular and I chose it for the first thing to try here. It came out warm on my Dutch crunch bread choice. Has avocado, melty cheese and chicken. Already cut in half for eating some now and keeping some for later (or sharing with someone else to spread the joy!) Kind friendly service. Casual small spot, no chairs or tables to eat inside. Lots of drink selection in fridge

    Shelley P.

    The line was so far out the door the day we went that people couldn't figure out where the end was! It was a rare hot day in SF and I think everyone had the same idea to grab a sandwich and picnic in the park. I'd wait an hour again for Lou's! We got the ami-cado and LLB special and both were stuffed full of fillings and flavor (packaged nicely in classic Dutch crunch). And they have voodoo chips!! (Also, so much respect and gratitude for the staff - there was absolutely no AC in there so it was boiling, and they were all working like mad to get the orders out!)

    Ami-Cado
    Jean T.

    I came here for lunch on a Saturday because I was in the area and I had to stop because there was a line and I wanted to check out what it was for when all of the other businesses surrounding it were a bit dead. There was a bit of a wait to order and a bit of a wait to get the sandwich but it did not disappoint! I ended up going with the AMI-CADO on Dutch crunch and it was amazing! I'm usually not a huge fan of sandwiches unless it's on dutch crunch and the jalapeno spread makes it 10x better. There wasn't any seating available at the store front but we were able to walk over to a nearby park that had tables to sit and enjoy the sandwiches. I'd definitely return if I'm in the area!

    Evan K.

    Had the pleasure of trying Lou's Cafe on a work trip and we originally didn't have this spot on our radar, so glad we stumbled across it last minute. We came during a week day during peak lunch hours and it was so packed. We waited about 30 minutes for our sandwich which is no biggie. I would assume it's less packed on the weekend due to less walking traffic from work. Ordered the LLB Special and my gosh that Lou's Special Sauce paired with that Dutch Crunch is amazing. The portions here are big too so you will be left full. I would definitely recommend this spot, there also isn't too much seating inside or outside.

    outside
    Helena L.

    tldr local sandwich spot serving up some of sf best sandos at an affordable price! ordered the popular chicken pesto sandwich over the phone - ready in 20 mins on the weekend. sandwich was super fresh with avocado, thinly sliced chicken, american cheese and all the regular fixings on a crunchy but soft roll. very tasty! it was a bit salt for my liking but had a great filling to bread ratio and stayed warm on my 45 minute bus ride home. the sando i could split with one other person as a light snack since it was pretty sizable. service was friendly and i was in and out of there in 5 minutes. total came out to about $13.6 after tax so very great! overall i would highly recommend lou's for a tasty affordable meal! food 4.75/5 service 4/5 ambiance n/a with take out value 5/5

    Top: Hot Pastrami Sandwich Bottom: Roma's Club

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    2 months ago

    Sooooooo much yum. Fabulous sandwiches! Great portions and prices. They have become a favorite.

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    Lou's Cafe Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - Lou's Cafe

    What's in the special sauce?

    It is like aioli…garlic + mayo & some seasoning/herb

    How does Lou's Cafe compare with Ike's?

    I think there is no comparison! Ike's is gimmicky and High production. Compared if you must to Lou's is more like family and friendly.... with fresh and Delicious Bread & Deli meats!! Sooo Tasty!!!??

    Has anyone tried their buffalo chicken sandwich? Thoughts?

    Yes, highly recommend

    Does the special sauce contain dairy?

    Yes

    View All 7 Questions

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    Irving Subs

    Irving Subs

    4.3
    (569 reviews)
    1.2 mi
    $$

    This is probably the only place where the sandwiches don't taste like the store's essence…read more I mean, don't get me wrong, a store's essence from any given deli/liquor store definitely adds unique character to the sandwich and sometimes I want that in a sandwich. But when you want a sandwich that only tastes like its ingredients, Irving Subs is the spot. Their Dutch crunch is famous for being fresh and actually crunchy. Their lettuce is shredded but fresh and crispy. The salt content is just enough to bring out the flavors. And the overall composition of their sandwiches are very well proportioned. You're not getting skimped, but you're also not biting into a mouthful of a packet of deli meat. They definitely know what they are doing. Service is good and ambiance is a small humble shop on the corner of 12th Ave.

    Ordered the Nearly Reuben on sliced sourdough, toasted, with house garlicky mayo and brown mustard…read moreon DoorDash. Double pastrami, horseradish, havarti, lettuce, tomatoes, red onions, pickles, and pepperoncini. A lot going on, and it all came together. The horseradish and havarti gave it enough personality to stand apart from a standard pastrami sandwich, and the garlicky mayo tied everything together. The one casualty of DoorDash was sogginess by the time it arrived. That's not a knock on the sandwich, it's just the reality of ordering something like this for delivery. At $14.50 it's a hearty sandwich at a fair price. I'd recommend it, but eat in.

    Photos
    The   Turkey Bacon  Avocado  Lettuce Tomato    Pure awesome
    The Turkey Bacon Avocado Lettuce Tomato Pure awesome
    Turkey, avocado, bacon, lettuce, tomato on Gluten free bread. Yummy.
    Turkey, avocado, bacon, lettuce, tomato on Gluten free bread. Yummy.
    Giant's Sub (left) 
 Fratellino (right)
 with Potato Salad
 Yum :)

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    Giant's Sub (left) Fratellino (right) with Potato Salad Yum :)
    MIXT

    MIXT

    3.8
    (25 reviews)
    1.1 mi

    I'm actually giving this spot a 3.5 but rounding up to 4 because the Agua Fresca was excellent as…read morewell as portion sizes and packaging were on point for delivery. So while I can't speak to in person service or decor the delivery is on point. My peachy salad was just ok. The chicken was cold and not crunchy, and the cornbread crumbles were not crunchy at all, like kind of in between stale and crunchy... weird combo. Peaches and pickled onions were awesome though. The dressings that it came with which were a bbq sauce and some type of special ranch also were a weird combo, glad it was on the side vs in the salad itself otherwise I'm not sure I would have eaten it. Crispy cauliflower was good but definitely not crispy at all! Probably got softer on delivery but definitely not something that should be advertised as crispy when it's not... The saving item was my carrot ginger agua fresca- this was amazing! Loved it, that gets a 5/5. Food is 3/5.

    I've now been 3 times and each time it just was nothing impressive and definitely not worth $20+…read more This most recent visit I ordered their steak salad with caramelized onions and croutons - big miss here. Steak was barely flavorful, quite cold even though it was "cooked on the spot". The caramelized onions were cold and nothing out of this world - if anything because they were chilled, they lost a bit of their flavoring. The croutons were nonexistent, I almost had to go back and ask if they could add some until I found 3-4 at the very bottom of my bowl. A lot of greens which was good, good serving there. I got a side of focaccia and that was delicious (do wish they offered to toast it a bit, it'd be that much more yummy!). As for my other visits, same applies - unfortunately it's just an overpriced salad I know I can make better at home. Not to mention 1 of my visits was a pickup order and they completely forgot my dressing on the side. All in all, I am very let down by this place. Dare I say I love and prefer it to be Sweet Green. Bummer, I really was happy to have this in the area.

    Photos
    MIXT
    FALAF 2.0 SALAD (vegan)
    FALAF 2.0 SALAD (vegan)
    BACHELOR SALAD

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    BACHELOR SALAD

    Lou's Cafe - coffee - Updated August 2026

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