Cancel

    Open app

    Search

    The Sentinel

    4.1 (1.3k reviews)
    Closed 12:00 pm - 2:00 PM
    Updated 3 months ago

    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

    4 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 1
    Love this 3
    Oh no 1

    1 year ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 1
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 month ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 5
    Thanks 0
    Love this 3
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 3
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 8
    Thanks 0
    Love this 8
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 16
    Thanks 0
    Love this 11
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Nik W.
    3
    19
    0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 1

    7 years ago

    Helpful 6
    Thanks 0
    Love this 8
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 1
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Denise C.
    1618
    3283
    9323

    5 years ago

    Helpful 5
    Thanks 0
    Love this 3
    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

    4 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    6 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    7 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

    16 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.
    3730
    1096
    5452

    11 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

    16 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

    4 years ago

    Awesome place. Great spot to get creative sandwiches. Only problem is they're only open for lunch and on weekdays.

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Sarah A.
    972
    130
    77

    3 years ago

    Top notch sandwiches and coffee drinks. Despite the line, turn around is super quick and easy. Nice staff. Gourmet grub.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Joy W.
    275
    636
    6247

    14 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    14 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 3
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Tiffany D.
    3307
    2991
    11298

    13 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 3
    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 26,470 times last month within 15 miles of this business.

    Verify this business

    Sisterita

    Sisterita

    4.5(1.1k reviews)
    0.4 miFinancial District
    $$
    Locally sourced ingredients
    Casual dining

    Excellent service! My only advice is to come and see for yourself. When we called to ask about a…read morewait, they mentioned there was not wait... part of the reason they do that is because they don't keep a list. You either have reservations or you're a walk in and you stand in line until a table is available for you. At first this was strange, but I think it makes for a better experience. The team was incredible, they were so kind on a day that can be stressful for a small restaurant. We had incredible food. I was so happy to get my Eggs Royale and my husband said the French toast was the best he's ever had. (Even comparing it to French toast in Paris) No notes. This will be our Mother's Day place going forward next time with reservations.

    Sisterita may be a cozy brunch spot, but it delivers an unforgettable experience from start to…read morefinish. The atmosphere is warm, creative, and full of charm -- almost like stepping into a whimsical tea-party dream. Between the stylish décor, welcoming service, and amazing food, every detail makes the visit feel special. The cocktail menu adds the perfect touch, featuring everything from comforting classics like a White Russian to fun signature drinks inspired by Harry Potter. The food was just as impressive. Whether you order the crispy fried chicken, the flavorful Eggs Benedict, or the Alcatraz Escape omelette, every dish is packed with flavor and made to satisfy. If you're looking for a unique brunch spot to enjoy with friends, good vibes, and great food, this place is definitely worth adding to your list.

    Photos
    Sisterita
    Sisterita
    Sisterita

    See all

    Brenda's French Soul Food - 3 way beignets- plain, chocolate, apple

    Brenda's French Soul Food

    4.2(12.8k reviews)
    1.0 miTenderloin
    $$$

    In town visiting San Francisco for the first time & heard this place was a must try and a MUST TRY…read moreIT WAS! My husband and I's favorite place to eat in the world is New Orleans so this place definitely did not disappoint. We started with coffee drinks, I had some sort of boozy espresso drink which I could have done without since the bitters tasted like licorice which is probably a taste preference. My husband had the grandma coffee which was also fine. Then the food came out and it went up from here! The catfish & grits just might be the best I've ever had. My husband also really enjoyed his banana foster French toast, & i loved that they allowed you to get one piece of fried chicken because i had to try it out despite a full meal. The wing I had was Nice & crunchy with a delicious sweet sauce on the side that reminded me of mambo sauce ( a DC staple.) My husband also had the gumbo which was good but I wouldn't say our favorite. I prefer my gumbo with a little more spice but that could just be personal preference. We ended the meal with beignets: I had the ube beignet which was so unique & flavorful! I don't think I would have had a chance to try that type of beignet anywhere else so glad to try something different, it was delicious. The crawfish beignet was also so flavorful! The beignets in general were much more bready than typical beignets but still very good & unique to this place. On top of that, the service was great & the food came out quick, hot & fresh! I wish we had more time (& stomach space) to try other items on the menu, everywhere we looked everything looked delicious so we'll just have to try more the next time we're back in SF!

    I've been to the Oakland location of Brenda's and gotten delivery before, but my first time…read morevisiting in SF was a few months ago, when I booked a last minute reservation for a group of 8 friends. The place is a little cramped, but we were able to wait inside until the whole party was there to be seated. It was a good place for a group dinner. The cocktails are cheap for San Francisco, and the beer selection is decent. And the food is dense and delicious without being too heavy. I shared the catfish with crawfish etouffee (special), the gumbo, and a dungeness crab beignet with my boyfriend. We also ordered some banana cream pie for the table, which was a huge hit.

    Photos
    Brenda's French Soul Food - Dining area and entrance

    Dining area and entrance

    Brenda's French Soul Food - Their dark chicken and shrimp.

    Their dark chicken and shrimp.

    Brenda's French Soul Food - Shrimp & Grits

    See all

    Shrimp & Grits

    Plow - French Toast

    Plow

    4.1(3.6k reviews)
    1.8 miPotrero Hill
    $$

    This is an incredibly popular restaurant in the Dogpatch district of SF. The wait time on a holiday…read moreweekend was about 1.5hrs. There is some room to sit as you wait and there seems to be plenty of street parking around. The inside is cozy and I was tickled by their menu. They print a new menu daily! I wonder if they vary the menu by the day. We liked everything that we tried! We shared a biscuit and Hong Kong Toast. The toast was a little burnt and you could taste that through the condensed milk. The biscuit with the honey butter was delicious! These make great shareables because they're a lot on their own. The plow is a great sampler breakfast platter and I'm so glad they offer that! It comes with 2 lemon ricotta pancakes, choice of eggs and protein! Huge portions and I shared this with my husband! We really enjoyed the food and would love to return when we're next in SF!

    Had brunch at Plow for the first time. I'm local to SF and had been meaning to try it, but the wait…read morewas rough -- 2 hours on a Monday morning. That alone makes this a place I'd only revisit when I have plenty of time. The restaurant itself was clean, and the service was solid with no complaints there. I ordered the lemon piccata pancakes. I love lemon flavors, but the lemon curd topping was a little overpowering for me. Once I ate around some of the curd though, the pancakes themselves were delicious. The real standout was the potatoes -- absolutely amazing. The bacon was just as good and honestly ended up being my favorite part of the meal. Overall, no complaints about the food or service. Would I come back? Probably... but only if the wait wasn't so long.

    Photos
    Plow - Indoor ambiance

    Indoor ambiance

    Plow - Buttermilk biscuit

    Buttermilk biscuit

    Plow - Fried Egg Sandwich

    See all

    Fried Egg Sandwich

    The Sentinel - sandwiches - Updated June 2026

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