Cancel

    Open app

    Search

    The Sentinel

    4.1 (1.3k reviews)
    Closed 12:00 pm - 2:00 PM

    The Sentinel Photos

    Business Info

    THE SENTINEL ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Classy
    Casual

    You might also consider

    Recommended Reviews - The Sentinel

    Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
    Yelp app icon
    Browse more easily on the app
    Review Feed Illustration

    Reviews With Photos

    Jason F.

    What a find! I was looking for a breakfast sandwich and noticed their cool black board before I saw their store's sign. The wood covering most of the infront facing service area also makes it hard to notice this place I got a breakfast sandwich the ham, soft egg, and the pesto really blended flavors well together. There's no where to sit of course, and parking is tough to find. Seems like a place for the busy people who work in the area. would recommend this place for anyone in the area

    Kathy L.

    Newly returning to the office and no longer familiar with what's in the area to grab lunch--I was recommended that tiny sandwich spot near my office. Literally looks like a little hole in the wall. Look for the House of Shields sign above it. I've walked past this place from across the street and never really noticed it. The was a short wait on my visit, but the line goes fast. If you want to avoid a wait, go early. It was a short and simple sandwich menu that's posted on the wall. I ordered the barbecue beef short rib sandwich with caramelized onions and it was packed with a generous amount of meat and served with pickles on the side. The sandwich was juicy so it was a little messy eating. It's a great sandwich & if you work in the area, worth checking out.

    Muffaletta Sandwich with Coppa, Mortadella, Capicola, Green Olive Relish, and Provolone Cheese
    Mike L.

    Back when I worked on the Peninsula, places like The Sentinel were the exact reason why I wished I worked downtown. Not because I had heard they were amazing or because there weren't interesting places like this where I worked, but rather, I would hear about popular eateries like this in FiDi and SoMa and I could never check them out since they were only open on weekdays! Thank goodness all of that has changed, though ironically enough, now that I work in FiDi/SoMa, I miss being able to get my fixes of pho so easily. I guess the grass really is always greener... Now, in the spirit of transparency, I have to admit that my first visit here was actually more than a year ago. After drafting my original review (my comments on the first sandwich are still the same), I was so torn on how many stars to give, I figured a second trip would help break the tie. That said, I may not have any idea as to why it took me so long to come back, but at least it helped me to finally decide! In the time in between, the menu seems to have evolved a bit (their list of sandwiches is pretty different), but their offerings are no less delicious than they were before. -- MUFFALETTA SANDWICH with Coppa, Mortadella, Capicola, Green Olive Relish, and Provolone Cheese...$11 (https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/the-sentinel-san-francisco?select=_SZtrVQuzH32whRBf5i2Zg) This is what I had the first time, and while it sounded terrific, this was just okay. The coppa and capicola were both great, and I liked the taste of the bread (despite how it was a bit dry), but I didn't care much for the mortadella and the olive relish was rather overpowering. -- FRIED CHICKEN SANDWICH with Napa Cabbage...$11 (https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/the-sentinel-san-francisco?select=mZGCfIFh5y3TjQrMOi_Txw) Way, way better than the Muffaletta. It was kind of disappointing how they used chicken tenders instead of a patty, but they were no less meaty or tasty. What's more, the bun was super soft and I liked how well the Napa cabbage/slaw complemented the chicken. Given how popular The Sentinel is, you can pretty much expect to run into a decent crowd here during the peak of the lunch hour. However, the line actually moves pretty steadily, as they turnaround orders ridiculously fast considering their small confines (it's pretty much just a small kitchen and a counter to order/pick up from). All of that, along with their relatively budget friendly prices compared to other nearby alternatives, makes it easy to see why The Sentinel is so popular. I just need to do a better job of taking advantage of how close they are to my office now!

    Fried chicken sandwich
    Kayla R.

    Talk about a hole in the wall joint. No seriously though. It's literally a walk up to the wall, order, and on your way you go! Perfect for that busy San Fran worker bee that needs to pick up something quick on the way back to the office. I was in town visiting for work and we had an off-site lunch hour to grab some grub. The couple days before, I decided to venture further away from our office and kept arriving back late (not used to that San Fran traffic. We hardly have any in Vegas!). A group of veteran CMs and I decided to walk over to this sandwich joint, grab some grub, and take it back with us to eat at our office's outdoor patio. Excellent choice. I opted for the fried chicken sandwich. I had been craving one like crazy. They also had fresh strawberry lemonade which I received the last pour of, so you know they aren't lying when they say fresh! I pretty much finished the entire lemonade on the way back to the office because it was that good! So fresh, and you could taste some of the chunks of when they grinded the strawberries. Very tasty! The sandwich had a tender piece of fried chicken with some coleslaw between these two delish buns. Holy crap. Probably one of the best fried chicken sandwiches I've ever had. My coworker also bought a chocolate chip cookie which he kindly shared with us. Wow was the fresh, soft and fluffy. Next time I visit San Fran, I will definitely be back for that fried chicken sandwich. Yummmm!

    Halves of roast beef and meatball sandwhiches
    Jared S.

    Pro tip: If coming here for lunch, get here before the noon crowd (as with most popular office spots) I came here with a group of 4 others and they're so fast behind the counter that we were all in-and-out of there with food in-hand in about 8 minutes. One of my colleagues and I truly become friends as we agreed upon the sacred ritual of going halfsies. Personally, my favorite of the two was the roast beef. I was never a top 1% student in math but I do know this: one half of a roastbeef sandwich + one half of a meatball sandwich = imminent nap. Pro tip: Get the cookie

    Crispy chicken sando
    Denise C.

    The Sentinel is fun and serves sandwiches downtown to people downtown like office people and etceteras. The sandwiches are crispy chicken, deviled egg, pulled pork, and more. They have a list of 6-8 sandwiches in a day. They have breakfast and a lunch time. People walk by and pick it up. The old cigar sign is still hanging. It's near House of Shields. The Sentinel has sandwiches and it's cute. I got a chicken and I ate it at the museum nearby. It was foccacia.

    Daniela J.

    Just had the Vietnamese Bahn mi. Sooo good. Bread is nice and soft, although toasty and close to burnt but I'll disregard that. The meat was very tender and good amount of spicy sauce. They also have jars of homemade pickles you can serve yourself to take to go. This is only a walk up window and no seating nearby but great for a quick sandwich pickup.

    Fried Chicken Sandwich
    Claire W.

    Sorry I was just not that big of a fan. The Sentinel had been on my list to visit for awhile now, but given that it's only open M-F till 2:30p, I hadn't gotten a chance till now. Excited, I got a fried chicken sandwich to-go. The sheer weight of the sandwich signaled that I was getting a bang for my buck. The sandwich sure looked pretty. But it was cold, somewhat bland, and the fried chicken tenders they used (not a whole chicken patty) was pretty underwhelming. Not the worst but also wasn't worth me going out of my way to try.

    See all

    6 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 1
    Love this 3
    Oh no 1

    2 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 1
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 5
    Thanks 0
    Love this 3
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 3
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 8
    Thanks 0
    Love this 9
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 16
    Thanks 0
    Love this 11
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 6
    Thanks 0
    Love this 8
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Denise C.
    1625
    3316
    9469

    5 years ago

    Helpful 5
    Thanks 0
    Love this 3
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Nik W.
    3
    19
    0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 1

    3 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 1
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    A terrific sandwich stand with good value and excellent quality. But if you blink you might miss it!

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    6 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 5
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    9 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    9 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    17 years ago

    Helpful 24
    Thanks 0
    Love this 22
    Oh no 0

    14 years ago

    Helpful 16
    Thanks 0
    Love this 15
    Oh no 0

    16 years ago

    Helpful 15
    Thanks 0
    Love this 13
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Peter L.
    3734
    1101
    5501

    12 years ago

    Helpful 12
    Thanks 0
    Love this 12
    Oh no 0

    15 years ago

    Helpful 11
    Thanks 0
    Love this 8
    Oh no 0
    Photo of John G.
    514
    1115
    10384

    17 years ago

    Helpful 9
    Thanks 0
    Love this 9
    Oh no 0

    11 years ago

    Helpful 5
    Thanks 0
    Love this 3
    Oh no 0

    11 years ago

    Helpful 5
    Thanks 0
    Love this 7
    Oh no 0

    16 years ago

    Helpful 4
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Joy W.
    276
    636
    6247

    14 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Erika C.
    299
    1159
    3917

    14 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 3
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Tiffany D.
    3307
    2996
    11322

    13 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 3
    Oh no 0

    11 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 3
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Ann L.
    413
    3314
    42202

    16 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    Page 1 of 33

    The Sentinel Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - The Sentinel

    Voice mail message says House of Shield. Is this the same business?

    No, this is a small brkfst and lunch take out window with a daily special menu of 5-8 items.

    View All 2 Questions

    You might also consider

    Verify this business for free

    People searched for Sandwiches 26,449 times last month within 15 miles of this business.

    Verify this business

    Sweet Maple

    Sweet Maple

    4.3
    (5.2k reviews)
    1.9 mi
    $$

    My mother stayed at Pacific Coat Manor at Capitola, Santa Cruz for few months for a short-term care…read moredue to Hip Fracture. Amazingly, the quality of care they provide is excellent. Physician, NP and Nurses managed the medications well, their Staff (administrator, case manager, social workers, and aides) showed unending compassion, caring, treat with love, patient, and kind. They are all attentive and met her daily needs. Housekeeping kept her room always clean, tidy, odor-free, and with welcoming ambience. The food was excellent, and delicious too. The skilled team (PT/OT/ST) worked closely with my mom and created a customized care plan tailored for her specific needs, and provided a hands-on approach that promoted her steady progress and confidence. The Activities gave her something to look forward to everyday (like bingo, puzzle etc) It is a really a beautiful facility, Staff are great, and the most important is they truly treat their residents like own family. Thank you to the whole team of PCM for your gracious hospitality. Your continued support to health care is highly recommendable and appreciated. More power PCM Maria R

    i high key made a yelp account just to write a review because this was the best breakfast i've ever…read morehad and im passionate about breakfast food. My partner and I are on vacation to San Francisco for the weekend, and this was my first time coming. Arriving to Sweet Maple, there was a line out the door and around the corner. We decided to wait and I'm glad we did, because we got seated within 10 minutes and once we ordered we also got our food within 10 minutes. the food was SO FUCKING GOOD, i got espresso, orange juice, and the gardenia souflegg, it was a new form of eggs i haven't tried and it was amazing, it came with a side of delicious potato's and ciabatta. if you go to San Francisco, go to Sweet Maple! the vibes are great, food even better.

    Photos
    Millionaire's Bacon
    Millionaire's Bacon
    Marnier | french toast with creamy grand citrus batter (added $3 for the fired banana & candied walnuts)
    Marnier | french toast with creamy grand citrus batter (added $3 for the fired banana & candied walnuts)
    We are ready for INDOOR dining on Friday 26th April

    See all

    We are ready for INDOOR dining on Friday 26th April
    Magnin Street Cafe & Bistro

    Magnin Street Cafe & Bistro

    4.5
    (141 reviews)
    0.4 mi
    $$

    We had to wait in line at 9am for about 15 minutes, but once we were seated in this cute & casual…read morediner, we had a most delightful breakfast. The coffee was strong but smooth without any trace of bitterness. My omelette came with the best & most crispy hashbrowns I've had in a long time. The veggies in the omelette were plentiful & fresh & the salad was a healthy & tasty accompaniment. My side chicken sausage was ample & tasty with grill marks. Mom loved her toast, salmon & hash browns as well. Yvonne did a great job taking care of our table & she was also hostessing & helping to bus tables! Wow! I'm sad this place is not in my home town because if it was, I'd be a regular!! Peace.

    We ordered the chicken tenders & fries appetizer and the BBQ wings platter, and both were…read moreabsolutely delicious. The service was exceptional from the moment we walked through the doors. It was around 8:30 p.m., and after passing by this spot several times and checking out the menu, we finally decided to give it a try. We're so glad we did! The restaurant itself is beautiful, with warm, inviting decor and wonderful pictures of San Francisco throughout the space. It feels like the perfect romantic setting for a date night or anniversary celebration, and equally great for enjoying fantastic food and drinks with friends and family. They have three tv screens so we were lucky to catch a futbol game during our meal. Highly recommended!

    Photos
    Dinning Area
    Dinning Area
    Onion soup
    Onion soup
    Dining room

    See all

    Dining room
    Four Chairs

    Four Chairs

    4.3
    (1.1k reviews)
    3.2 mi
    $$
    Takes reservations
    Large group friendly

    Amazing! I'm actually going there for the second time today!…read more My family arrived early, so the wait was only about five minutes before we were seated. I don't remember if there was music, but it was a busy, lively place with multiple conversations happening at once. It was definitely a cozy, home type atmosphere. A few people ordered chicken and waffles, so I had the chance to try it, and it was delicious! The waffles melted in my mouth! That's what I plan to order next time. I order a Korean chicken sandwich. It was very tasty and large. I had leftovers! I was disappointed because I forgot my leftovers on the table . Note to self: NEVER DO THAT AGAIN. The lemonade was very flavorful, and my kids enjoyed it too. I even tried an alcoholic beverage, I can't remember the name, but I swapped it for lemonade because it was THAT good. As I mentioned earlier, I will definitely return to this restaurant and highly recommend it.

    The dining room was beautifully laid out, and while the service felt a little rushed at times, it…read morewas easy to understand why. This place is clearly popular, and they do an impressive job of turning tables without sacrificing friendliness or efficiency. I'm genuinely happy to see them doing so well, though I'm not sure I'm ready to wait an hour for a table again. That said, I'd gladly come back during a less busy time to explore more of the menu. BB

    Photos
    Chipotle Benedict, Mascarpone Pancake, & Chicken Apple Scramble
    Chipotle Benedict, Mascarpone Pancake, & Chicken Apple Scramble
    Four Chairs
    K-bomb chicken benny

    See all

    K-bomb chicken benny
    Plow

    Plow

    4.1
    (3.6k reviews)
    1.8 mi
    $$

    Came for the ricotta pancakes and they did not disappoint! Highly recommend the plow as it has 2…read morelemon ln ricotta pancakes with potatoes eggs and choice of protein (we got bacon)! We also got the custard French toast which was soooo good. It would have been too sweet on its own for me but with the plow it was perfect! This is such a great brunch spot and the reason you will wait even 30 minutes on a Tuesday at 10am. Weekends get wild so plan accordingly. No reservation system! Lots of lovely outdoor and indoor seating! Great ambiance in portero hills. Will be coming back. Worth the wait!!!

    It seems the stars just keep lowering each time I come . ANY time I am in the city, I subject…read morewhoever I'm with to the wait with the promise that it will all be worth it. I fear this time, it was not. We waited 1.5 hours and honored our request to not sit directly in the sun but ended up sitting us VERY closely to the table next week to us. When my bf went to the restroom, it almost felt like I was with the other party. Not a sentence goes unheard. I get you are busy but don't ruin the experience for guests! Give us some space to breathe! Especially outside !!! The food itself was mediocre this time around. I kept bragging about the crispy potatoes but it didn't taste the same as the 7 times I've come before. Not crispy at all. The biscuit was also more of a crumbly coffee cake rather than a flaky biscuit. And not enough butter! The only thing that was still a 10/10 was the lemon ricotta pancakes. I'm sad that I will no longer be coming here but maybe it's time to start going somewhere with reservations!

    Photos
    Indoor ambiance
    Indoor ambiance
    Buttermilk biscuit
    Buttermilk biscuit
    Cold brew Equator Coffee

    See all

    Cold brew Equator Coffee

    The Sentinel - sandwiches - Updated August 2026

    Loading...
    Loading...
    Loading...