Sourdough Eatery — Restaurant in San Jose

Delicious sandwiches.

They have a sister location beside the park downtown both close early (lunch crowd only) They bake their own bread and it’s very good, the staff in both places strike me as quirky, nice but quirky, I think I went to the one beside the park across from the post office back in 2013 for the first time. I now believe they both make their own meats, chill and slice the deli meat, plus make their own bread and come from the same culinary background.

In that visit in 2013/14I may have met the owners a husband and wife team, Not a minus but I think by the way they communicate that they come from a strong religious background also. As an example they did not have any tip jar for sandwich makers and I recall a slightly derogatory/ disapproval of the idea of a tipping jar. I left a buck on the counter loose an still said thanks anyway. Some of the attitude I have witnessed in Mormon, Catholic, 7day, ... people who seem strict in their practices. Not a criticism... they seem to me to be: fighting against the corrosion of society in their own way. Not that all of us who are are pulling in the same direction on the same rope at any given moment.

Well back to the sandwich... the bread is still heavy with humidity from being fresh, crisp outside, soft and wonderful inside.

On my list of tried it: roast beef delicious, pastrami delicious, today was an 11# delicious.

These sandwiches are big and yummy... you can save half for later.... but it is really hard to stop yumming on them and leave half in the paper. If you do they are still respectable later, but the fresh bread will call you back for another visit.

Well done....

I was in the area for the day because of jury duty. There weren't too many food options and I wanted something else besides Togo's. This place is situated in a really cool old building decorated with really cool things and with a great Shady Courtyard. Lots of Sandwich options all priced the same at 7.99. I had the corned beef sandwich which tasted pretty good but was not at all appealing to the eyes. It was rushed and thrown together.

So now for the negatives that turned me off to this place for good. I pay with plastic everywhere I go these days, this place only took cash. I was directed to an ATM machine inside the building. To take out money was going to be an automatic $2 charge for use of the ATM. Sandwich was starting to look less appealing but I was hungry. Unknowing to me, Chase Bank would also tack on a fee of $2 for using an ATM outside of their Network. So what was an ok $8 sandwich just became a pretty crappy $12 sandwich. Anyone not looking to spend a fortune be aware of this. If there is a next time, I think I'll just...

A precious, local hidden gem that have been around for over 40 years! Why isn't this a San Jose institution or a must visit? I myself have been living in San Jose for over 30 years but have only discovered Sourdough Eatery about a year ago. Such an artistic and romantic spot. Sourdough Eatery has become such an instant favorite among my group of friends to meet for lunch during this pandemic as they have beautiful, European courtyard with plenty of outdoor tables in the patio. On top of that, the sounds of splashing water from nearby water fountains are so soothing and a world apart from the hustle & bustle of Silicon Valley. The freshly baked sourdough bread is delicious and most of the protein is made in house. I liked that the simple, wholesome ingredients of the sandwiches shined through and speak for it own. I recommend that you check out the spot before they go away as I heard through the grapevine that the owners are talking...