I was gonna say it’s a 4 but then when I thought about food,service, and atmosphere, I had no reason to say it’s not a 5!
Pastrami sandwiches and pastrami steak… Excellent! Tilapia fish sandwich… very good. Grilled cheese awesome. Tomato soup was very, very tasty. And garlic fries were perfectly made!
We had a dog so we sat outside on the cupboard patio with heated lamps. It was perfect. Pleasant view of the street. Service was just as good outside as inside. Very friendly and quick. And we got some fresh air.
They’re 49er fans and have a big banner inside that bumps them one star my book. Casual bar atmosphere inside.
I definitely wanna come back again.
May 2025 Ok I went back! And still loved the food and service! Reuben on sourdough instead of rye is perfect for me. Fries with garlic are just right and not overly garlicky. Ask for the slaw outside if you don’t like it but I like it inside! Large menu to choose from.
FollowMe Moments
First time here we loved it! We tried the Pastrami Burger, Pastrami Salad and Cheesesteak De Arbol (sauce on the side it was like ?). The Pastrami burger is on my top list of burgers I've tried. If you love Pastrami you will love the salad, The cheese steak was delicious too. The bread pudding was worth the calories . We will definitely be back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Sandwiches, Burger
Bud Shoe
Great local place in San Carlos known for their very good pastrami sandwiches, can get crowded and at times understaffed , service may take a while ,very pricey for a pastrami sandwich.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 3
Anthony Mogannam
I love this place so much. Best Reuben sandwich in the bay, in my opinion.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Goofy Fries with Cheese
Elfrieda Shepherd
Best Pastrami Sandwich I’ve ever had!!
I’ve eaten pastrami at Katz in New York so I don’t say this lightly!!!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Evan Leal
Went here because of the rave reviews about the Ruben sandwich. There are numerous comparisons to Katz deli and I happen to have been there just a week ago so I felt like I was in a good position to compare. In short, The Refuge doesn’t disappoint. I’d say the pure flavor of the meat was actually better at The Refuge though the full flavors of the rest maybe came together very slightly better at Katz. The huge delta is the quantity. At Katz, you get a mountain of a sandwich while here, for ~$25, you get a modest to small sized sandwich. This isn’t a cheap sandwich and I’d expect a lot more so I’d give the edge to Katz overall until this place gives a more reasonable quantity.
The other dishes we ordered were the nachos (bland and uninteresting) and the bread pudding (excellent).
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Half Reuben Sandwich Sandwich
Stephen Pieraldi
Best hands down. Avoid the Hillsdale version as this rocks.
The food is pretty good, although the kids burger was more like a slider so we had to order another one for my son. The staff were friendly and the atmosphere was nice. I would recommend giving it a try and if we are in area again, we'll stop by for sure.
Amazing pastrami and a good restaurant, BUT so EXPENSIVE. My husband and I split a Reuben, and he had a beer. The total with tip was $53! We liked it, but not that much. We expect things to be overpriced in this area. However, this seems excessive.
the pastrami with chicken liver paste is out of this world
Good food 😩😩😩😩
Great fries.
Good service
Highly recommend
I was gonna say it’s a 4 but then when I thought about food,service, and atmosphere, I had no reason to say it’s not a 5!
Pastrami sandwiches and pastrami steak… Excellent! Tilapia fish sandwich… very good. Grilled cheese awesome. Tomato soup was very, very tasty. And garlic fries were perfectly made!
We had a dog so we sat outside on the cupboard patio with heated lamps. It was perfect. Pleasant view of the street. Service was just as good outside as inside. Very friendly and quick. And we got some fresh air.
They’re 49er fans and have a big banner inside that bumps them one star my book. Casual bar atmosphere inside.
I definitely wanna come back again.
May 2025
Ok I went back! And still loved the food and service! Reuben on sourdough instead of rye is perfect for me. Fries with garlic are just right and not overly garlicky. Ask for the slaw outside if you don’t like it but I like it inside! Large menu to choose from.
First time here we loved it! We tried the Pastrami Burger, Pastrami Salad and Cheesesteak De Arbol (sauce on the side it was like ?). The Pastrami burger is on my top list of burgers I've tried. If you love Pastrami you will love the salad, The cheese steak was delicious too. The bread pudding was worth the calories . We will definitely be back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Sandwiches, Burger
Great local place in San Carlos known for their very good pastrami sandwiches, can get crowded and at times understaffed , service may take a while ,very pricey for a pastrami sandwich.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 3
I love this place so much. Best Reuben sandwich in the bay, in my opinion.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Goofy Fries with Cheese
Best Pastrami Sandwich I’ve ever had!!
I’ve eaten pastrami at Katz in New York so I don’t say this lightly!!!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Went here because of the rave reviews about the Ruben sandwich. There are numerous comparisons to Katz deli and I happen to have been there just a week ago so I felt like I was in a good position to compare. In short, The Refuge doesn’t disappoint. I’d say the pure flavor of the meat was actually better at The Refuge though the full flavors of the rest maybe came together very slightly better at Katz. The huge delta is the quantity. At Katz, you get a mountain of a sandwich while here, for ~$25, you get a modest to small sized sandwich. This isn’t a cheap sandwich and I’d expect a lot more so I’d give the edge to Katz overall until this place gives a more reasonable quantity.
The other dishes we ordered were the nachos (bland and uninteresting) and the bread pudding (excellent).
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Half Reuben Sandwich Sandwich
Best hands down. Avoid the Hillsdale version as this rocks.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
It's a good pastrami sandwich. I'll be back.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Sandwiches, Fries
Restaurantji Recommends
Awesome pastrami. Nice, low-key place to grab a bite.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Sandwiches
We got the Reuben and pastrami burger. No complaints, solid taste
I love this place for pastrami! The best is the poutine with pastrami! Pair your meal with a nice beer and smile!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Half Reuben Sandwich Sandwich, Craft Beer
The food is pretty good, although the kids burger was more like a slider so we had to order another one for my son. The staff were friendly and the atmosphere was nice. I would recommend giving it a try and if we are in area again, we'll stop by for sure.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Half Reuben Sandwich Sandwich, Burger, Fries
Amazing pastrami and a good restaurant, BUT so EXPENSIVE. My husband and I split a Reuben, and he had a beer. The total with tip was $53! We liked it, but not that much. We expect things to be overpriced in this area. However, this seems excessive.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
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