Ike's Love & Sandwiches

I just went to grab dinner. It was my first time there, and the manager, Eric, helped me with the order. I ended up customizing my sandwich, which was AMAZING. It was a turkey sandwich. There are so many options to choose from, and the quality of the ingredients is excellent. I would so go back.

**sorry no picture of my sandwich**

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

I placed an online order to be able to do a quick pickup. Upon arrival the lone employee asked if the order was placed at the correct Ike's location. I responded yes and showed her the confirmation. She checked again and there were 4 online orders she hadn't started prepping at all yet. She then proceeded to prepare the sandwiches with absolutely no sense of urgency. I debated just cancelling the order or disputing later with my CC because I was running late. I received my sandwiches a whole 20min after the time indicated on my receipt that it would be ready or 45min since I had placed my order.

Atmosphere: 2

Food: 3

Service: 1

As a longtime El Cerrito resident, I'm stoked to have another quality lunchtime sandwich option like Ike's in our city. I get the "Menage a Trois" on Dutch Crunch regularly and it's great. I order it for take out/ pick up and ride my bike over to pick it up 20-30 mins later. If you walk in when they're busy, you should expect to wait that same period. If you don't like waiting, then call in your order ahead of time. The staff are friendly, courteous and helpful, but they're also busy and have other customers that are as much of a priority as you.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 4

Service: 4

Barry Bonds was the saddest sandwich I've had in years. Bacon? almost none. Swiss? almost none? Tomato? almost none. Lots of soggy bread, tasteless turkey, and lettuce. More or less inedible.

Food: 1

As a long-time patron of Ike’s, I'm deeply disappointed by the recent decline in both portion sizes and quality. In the pre-pandemic era, Ike’s sandwiches were renowned for their generous portions, often providing enough for two meals. However, my recent experiences have left me feeling like I've received nothing more than a snack.

Even opting for the gluten-free option, which one would expect to be of comparable size to other sandwiches, yielded a portion that was shockingly small. Comparing them to sandwiches from Safeway only exacerbates the disappointment.

Furthermore, not only have the portions shrunk, but the quality has also noticeably declined. The ingredients no longer seem as fresh or flavorful as they once were. The sandwich I received today lacked the taste and satisfaction I've come to expect from Ike's.

While I initially noticed a reduction in size six months ago, the sandwiches I received today were even smaller than before. With prices exceeding $15, the value proposition has significantly diminished.

Ike's, once known for its hearty sandwiches and reasonable prices, now leaves much to be desired. Unless portion sizes are restored to their former glory and the quality of ingredients improved, I can no longer justify the expense for what feels like an inadequate and lackluster meal.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 1

Service: 4

As a long-time patron of Ike’s, I'm deeply disappointed by the recent decline in both portion sizes and quality. In the pre-pandemic era, Ike’s sandwiches were renowned for their generous portions, often providing enough for two meals. However, my recent experiences have left me feeling like I've received nothing more than a snack.Even opting for the gluten-free option, which one would expect to be of comparable size to other sandwiches, yielded a portion that was shockingly small. Comparing them to sandwiches from Safeway only exacerbates the disappointment.Furthermore, not only have the portions shrunk, but the quality has also noticeably declined. The ingredients no longer seem as fresh or flavorful as they once were. The sandwich I received today lacked the taste and satisfaction I've come to expect from Ike's.While I initially noticed a reduction in size six months ago, the sandwiches I received today were even smaller than before. With prices exceeding $15, the value proposition has significantly diminished.Ike's, once known for its hearty sandwiches and reasonable prices, now leaves much to be desired. Unless portion sizes are restored to their former glory and the quality of ingredients improved, I can no longer justify the expense for what feels like an inadequate and lackluster meal.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 1

Service: 4

I ordered on the app and mistakenly ordered from the Berkeley location, but Kevin helped me out and called Berkeley and made our sandwiches. He and Rosa saved the day!!! The sandwiches were amazing as always!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

This now "corporate" chain is a far cry from it's humble beginnings. The portions have been significantly reduced, and I expect more for a $15 sando. I can hit other places for less $ and a better offering.There are two things/"policies" that don't sit well with me: 1) they have no paper menus to take away. I'm sure the are being environmentally conscientious (they COULD use recycled paper) or they mistakenly assume that EC's older population is tech savvy enough to deal. I see this as a missed opportunity for them, unless they don't feel that is a demographic worth catering to.2) I paid cash, and did not have any $1 bills to use for the tipping bucket. I asked to change a $5,and was flatly told "we don't give change". Shocked, I begrudgingly dropped a $5 in the bucket.These may seem like trivial things, but to me seem like a lack of customer focus.That being said, the staff were polite.They probably deserve more than a 3, but I'm OK giving this score. I am in no rush to go back.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 3

Service: 3

The time I went was when they first opened, so they were very busy. Still, I waited 30 minutes for my sandwich while my ex got his right away. Turns out they lost my order, so they gave me a pass for a free sandwich, which was nice, but the food really isn’t that great. Maybe they were having a rough day.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 3

Service: 4

The time I went was when they first opened, so they were very busy. Still, I waited 30 minutes for my sandwich while my ex got his right away. Turns out they lost my order, so they gave me a pass for a free sandwich, which was nice, but the food really isn’t that great. Maybe they were having a rough day.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 3

Service: 4

Like Ike’s normally, but hate coming to El Cerrito Plaza and the wait at this location is often like 30 minutes which isn’t really practical for a lunch break.

Thanks, El Cerrito Ike's! Great sandwich as usual!

Parking: Tons of off street parking within 50 feet.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 5

The wait time for a single sandwich is insane right now. Line out the door. Online and phone orders streaming in. I waited over 30 minutes (standing in the crowd). Very clearly in the weeds with a brand new staff. Gonna be rough if this doesn’t improve.EDIT: oh man, and they screwed up my order. I know I should have checked. Ugh

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 4

Service: 2

Great Place to get some lunch, Great choices in sandwiches especially the store exclusive ones, would definitely recommend the Matt Cain. All for a good price can cost you from like $13-$22 depending on what sandwich you get or if you get a combo meal. The option for drinks and chips with the combos are great highly recommend if you want something for lunch and are in the area.

Parking: Its located near the Pet Co and the Foot Locker so there a smaller amount of parking right in front of the store but you can still park in the much larger Lucky's and Ross parking lot and just walk over.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 3

Recommended dishes: Matt Cain

Why the heck in the world is the store closed at 6pm!?? 6!!! Really?!! Went by today only for them to tell me they are closed already so damn early. Other locations close at 9pm but I’m not driving out that far. This is

Atmosphere: 1

Service: 1