Sammy's Gourmet Deli in San Francisco, California: A Review

The Van Ness corridor is one of the most heavily trafficked streets in San Francisco, and most of the traffic consists of tourists staying at the nearby (expensive) hotels and office workers commuting to and from downtown from north of the Golden Gate Bridge. As such, you can expect that the prices on everything on this street are usually hyper inflated. There's one lone spot offering a good value on food and coffee, however, if you venture up near the intersection with Bush Street.

Sammy's Gourmet Deli is a combination deli, sandwich shop and convenience store, which also has the lowest price on coffee in the immediate area - $1 for a 12 ouncer. Varieties available are Italian Roast, French Roast, Colombian and Hazelnut, and all are merely OK (and are self served from one of those pump machines), but it does the job at a price point way below Starbucks and the few other neighborhood options right in the immediate area.

Aside from the coffee, the other point of interest here is their deli sandwiches, which are fairly big and made with good meat yet are only $5 to $6 in price. The usual range of deli meats can be had here - ham, turkey, pastrami, roast beef and chicken amongst others. The meat is sliced fresh for each sandwich and beats out both Subway and Quiznos as an option while still having a competitive price. The guys who work here are pretty cool too, and usually really good about keeping the food prep area clean and sanitary and hooking you up with a well-made sandwich. You can also get ham, cheese and eggs on a bagel or croissant for breakfast for a likewise reasonable price of about $3 to $4.

Aside from the sammies and the coffee the place is pretty much just a generic convenience store with the usual range of basic foods, snacks and supplies. Prices aren't too jacked up here as compared to other stores in the area, but it's hardly a replacement for a decent grocery store, which this part of town really needs. It's fine in a pinch when you need one little thing or another, though. I'm glad this place is here and hope they continue to do good business for years to come. Check it out if you want a good sandwich for lunch at a fair price, or just some basic coffee for a buck to get you going in the morning.