Santoro's Italian Market & Deli
475 Santa Clara Ave, Alameda
(510) 217-8710
Recent Reviews
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The service was great! The coffee here is also good.
Nothing beats your local, family owned Italian deli. With a giant binder of saved orders for the returning customers, it adds a special touch of care and welcome.
The meatball sub is the absolute best I've ever had, and only offered one day a week and sells out very quickly. You can never go wrong with the home made sides or desserts.
I'm a snob when it comes to hoagies, and I gotta say this will be my new go to spot. The owners are very kind and down to earth, and it is so clear that they respect their customers and their community. If you're craving any kind of sandwich this is the only correct place to go.
Absolutely inappropriate & potentially racist experience: I used to love this place as a regular. However, today when I showed up to pick up my order, I was treated with egregious and unprovoked disdain and possible racism.
I placed a pickup order and received a call from the friendly female manager that my food was ready, so I headed over to the shop. When I arrived, the female manager wasn’t present, but two male employees were there behind the counter. I stood around because they looked busy until one eventually paused and made eye contact with me, essentially indicating “how can I help?”.
When I politely stated “Excuse me, hi I’m here to pick up my order”, the man abruptly screamed at me saying that by asking a question “I’m interrupting their entire operations” and proceeded to tell me that I clearly have no idea “how a restaurant works” because I was disrupting them. He yelled some insults at me which I won’t repeat here. Literally all this in response to just 1 simple soft-spoken sentence. I was completely stunned and another family with a child in the deli froze and were just as shocked as I was.
I kindly told him that I come from a family of restaurant business of almost 30 years, so I do understand how a restaurant works. His response was completely inappropriate and unnecessarily insulting over literally nothing. Either he was mentally ill/bipolar and/or racist.
Due to my ethnicity, I fear that he thought I was a DoorDash delivery driver instead of a regular/direct customer (which still does not excuse his behavior AT ALL). In fact, I am an attorney dedicated to helping people. I understand that some DoorDashers are pushy and he may have been under stress, so he likely assumed I was a DoorDasher (wouldn’t be the first time, trust me) and completely lashed out. That being said, there were no other non-employees in the entire deli besides myself and 1 family who were waiting to the side.
While the kind female manager eventually apologized to me, I experienced absolutely abhorrent behavior and it ruined my day. I will never come back to this deli ever again. Truly disgusting.
If you don’t FEEL the Italian in the place when you walk in? Don’t know what to tell ya. It’s a great lunch spot but call it in or beware of school aged folks calling in many orders that may get ahead of yours.
Great sandwiches made with fresh bread. Love the balsamic vinegar! Generous owners, great neighbors. Great neighborhood sandwich shop and deli all around.
The best sandwiches anywhere.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Fantastic sandwiches here at Santoro’s. The owners work super hard and the sandwiches are always fresh and flavorful. It gets crowded during lunch with Encinal students but parking is easy and the line moves quick. Italian Combo (Mortadella, Proscuitto, Salame, Provolone) is the one to get.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Sourdough Roll, Roast Beef, Prosciutto, Turkey, Chips, Meatball Sub, Pastrami, Premium Sandwiches, Italian Combo Sandwich
After picking up the Bombshell I said let's go to that deli on Webster street I like, and she said ...physhé ..let's go to Santoro's Italian Market and Deli...They make the best sandos on the Island!
Well, I've never been to Santoro's before, and I really like finding new delicatessens, and let me tell you... Everything about the place was amazingly fresh, clean and on target.
The sandwiches were perfect!
5 stars all day long. ☆☆☆☆☆
We were in town for our son’s water polo tournament at Encinal High School. During a break between games, we went out for a quick bite and found Santoro’s about a couple minutes away.
Santoro’s is located on the corner of a residential area so you’ll need to park on the street. However, the location is part of the charm as you feel like you’ve stepped back in time when you enter Santoro’s.
You’re greeted by a friendly crew and asked to fill out your order slip. We ordered a couple of sandwiches which were bigger than we expected with layers of delicious roasted meat and all of the condiments. I had the chicken sandwich and highly recommend it.
The staff was very attentive and checked on us regularly to make sure we were enjoying our sandwiches. You can tell this is the neighborhood spot as locals came in to grab their usual orders and have a quick chat with the staff/owners.
Parking: Located on the corner of a residential area. You’ll need to park on the street.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Roast Beef, Standard Sandwiches, Pastrami
Restaurantji Recommends
First time trying today and my sandwich was amazing !!!!! Family owned environment And food is made with love! Very fresh! Will be going back weekly lol
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Always friendly, with great sandwiches and hot food. Also love that they have a selection of imported Italian foods!
What can I say about this place to do it justice.... just us people who love an epic sandwich should go to this mecca of cold cuts and hot meatballs. The meats are fresh, and veggies are pure... the bread is fresh daily, and they have the best tasting cheese.
I'll give you all a tip ... when I order a type of sandwich, I will say, "Make it the way you would make it for yourself."
Never have i been disappointed with the culinary results... and this master of food does it right
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Best to call in orders. They are very busy.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Roast Beef, Standard Sandwiches, Italian Combo Sandwich
Best sandwich's I’ve had in CA… would recommend to anyone!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Roast Beef, Standard Sandwiches
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