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    Lou’s Cafe

    4.4 (127 reviews)
    Closed 9:00 am - 5:00 pm

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    Recommended Reviews - Lou’s Cafe

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    Tuna Melt (no jalapeno)
    Denise Z.

    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!

    Veggie Sandwich with added turkey
    Tasha H.

    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.

    Ami-Cado Sandwich
    Roman N.

    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.

    Faraz M.

    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.

    Risky Bizness Sandwich
    Lauren B.

    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.

    "Double" Pastrami. Oy'vei. What a disappointment. Considering i paid EXTRA, this here, this here is a fail.

    Risky Bizness Sandwich

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    2 months ago

    Exceptionally crafted sandwiches with great service. Bread is perfectly fresh. Great selection of chips to pair with your sandwich.

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    10 days ago

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    3 years ago

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    9 months ago

    Love their quick service. Clean space, lots of options, great food, best sandwiches in town!!

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    11 months ago

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    7 months ago

    I used to really like this place until I got some bad meat (grey salami) I won't be back as that was a major red flag as to quality control.

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    1 year ago

    Delicious and very hot and flavorful southwestern omelette sammie. Wish I lived closer.

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    2 years ago

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    9 months ago

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    6 months ago

    Great sandwiches and very friendly staff always love going here my personal favorite is the Romas club

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    7 months ago

    Yummy sandwich, fast service, fairly priced. We enjoyed this spot on the go. Thank you.

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    2 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Favorite sandwich spot in San Carlos. I regularly order is the breakfast sandwich and Roma's Club ‍

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    In Your Kitchen with Chef Johanna

    In Your Kitchen with Chef Johanna

    5.0
    (10 reviews)
    0.9 mi

    I've worked with Johana for almost a year in San Carlos. My partner and I needed help with meal…read moreprep while we worked full time and had a new baby. Having someone to do menu planning and grocery shopping was a huge time saver and ensured that we had home-cooked meals to eat rather than falling back to ordering takeout every night. Johanna provided a wide variety in her meals. Most menus came directly from her, but sometimes I would request certain types of food or specific dishes she had made in the past that were our favorites. Johanna tailored her menus to meet my dietary restrictions (low saturated fat). She always left the kitchen clean with clear instructions for the meals and even some cooking tips along the way! Johanna came every 2 weeks but was flexible around holidays and vacation. Would absolutely recommend her services!

    Background: Contacted Chef Johanna about preparing food for…read moremy small wedding in the spring of 2022. My (now) husband is a severe Celiac and so making sure all food is completely Gluten-free was the number one concern. The Chef was quick to respond and so helpful in brainstorming a potential menu for the event (we settled on Mexican). She then got started on putting together the recipes and gathering the proposed ingredient list. This is where the Chef went above and beyond for us-she sent us the full recipes and proposed ingredients(down to the specific brands) so that we could ensure that everything was free from gluten and free from cross-contamination (a shocking amount of spices are processed on the same equipment as wheat). She even was able to find a way to make gluten free Tres Leches and Tiramisu (our favorites). For our wedding cakes! Menu: Crudités with Green Goddess Dip Queso Fundido with Chorizo Pico de Gallo Chopped Salad Chili Verde Stew Slow Cooked Barbocoa Tacos Roasted Zucchini Sweet Bell Pepper Rice Spicy Citrus Black Beans Tres Leches with strawberries Tiramisu Preparation: The chef packaged up all of our food so that my sister could pick it up and transport it (our venue was 4 hours north of the bay). She provided detailed instructions for reheating the food and prepping the cakes. She even made sure we would have any additional utensils that would be necessary. She gave me an accurate and in-depth invoice that broke down the expenses and made it easy to work into our wedding budget. Food: WOW WOW WOW! The best part (obviously) was the food! Everything was fresh and vibrant and so so delicious! The Queso provided the best cheese pull I have ever seen and my husband and I are still drooling over that Tres Leches and my family keeps bringing up how incredible the dinner was! Additionally my husband was able to freely eat everything to his hearts content, confident that he wouldn't become ill on our special day. I cannot recommend Chef Johanna enough!!

    Photos
    Making guacamole using a Mocajete, a traditional tool for mashing ingredients together
    Making guacamole using a Mocajete, a traditional tool for mashing ingredients together
    In Your Kitchen with Chef Johanna
    In Your Kitchen with Chef Johanna

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    Seeti

    Seeti

    4.7
    (13 reviews)
    0.9 mi

    In addition to the meal kits, I decided to try their sauces. Wow! They are amazing! So flavorful…read moreand healthier than the restaurant version. I'm definitely a fan of these sauces because you can use different vegetables and protein. In this dish, I used the Vegetable Pilaf sauce and added carrots, potatoes, zucchini, and peas. No rice, just veggies. Then using the Better Butter Chicken sauce I added organic chicken breast. They were both delicious! If you haven't tried cooking Indian food, then I highly recommend you try Seeti! Check out their website: www.shopseeti.com. Here's a discount code for 15% off valid until May 31, 2020: NANCY15 Enjoy!!

    Just received my second order so thought it was time to leave a review of my first. We ordered 3…read moremeal kits to try it out and knew after the first one, we'd be repeat customers. We're a household of two adults with hearty appetites which may affect serving sizes. Typically we make two Indian entrees when cooking at home. I could see going through 3 meal kits every 2 days with leftovers in there as well. Pindi Chole- so tasty. We made this on the stovetop and when I opened the chole pouch got that wonderful ginger aroma. My husband was in a walk when I started (and finished) cooking and when he walked in he was transported back home by the aromas. Not spicy- real winner for me. Aloo matar keema- made this on stovetop. We really liked this dish as well. Don't add extra oil when sauteeing meat (my bad). There's plenty in the sauce packet. For my personal preferences, I would reduce water by 1/4cup because I thought it could have been less gravy, more spice punch but we ordered this too. Lentils with yellow squash- made in instant pot 6qt per instructions. SO fast and easy. Reminded me of sambar. The squash was more of a green bottle gourd maybe? But it was delicious. We are doing a much bigger order and hope to see expansion of options as they grow. Really great service, responsive customer service, and easy delivery. (Though delivery is once a week but theyv are clear about that). Love the convenience of no thawing (unless meat dish), and the stove instructions are just as easy as the instant pot. So nice for our busy schedules.

    Photos
    Culinary adventures for the time starved
    Culinary adventures for the time starved
    Pindi Chole
    Pindi Chole
    Palak Paneer

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    Palak Paneer

    Lou’s Cafe - sandwiches - Updated July 2026

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