Ike's Love & Sandwiches — Restaurant in Santa Cruz

Today, I thanked Hugo (at the Santa Cruz location) for the wonderful job he and the other workers do at this location, and I'm expressing my feedback after coming to the realization on the vast difference between the Santa Cruz Ike's location and other Bay Area locations (but mainly the 'Westgate' [5385 Prospect Rd] location).

I was VERY "turned off" on wanting another sandwich from Ike's after my last experience with the Westgate location. However, after thinking about how I feel when I visit the Santa Cruz location, I decided to go back today and was very happy to receive the positive experience I always have here.

My go-to order is the 'Sometimes I'm a Vegetarian', made vegan, with vegan chicken. Every single time I have ordered from the Westgate location, they have never made it vegan (I know because I always get the green pesto, which from my understanding is NOT vegan, and this also makes me question if the rest of the sandwich is made vegan). This has happened for my last three orders at the Westgate location, and last time I went, I made sure to express to two different employees to make my sandwich vegan, without pesto. When I got home, I again found my sandwich was not made vegan. I regretted not double-checking the sandwich at the location - but I should not have to. Besides this, the employees at the Westgate location are simply not friendly (e.g., many have a "I don't want to be here" demeanor - not wanting/expecting them to be overly happy, but compared to the Santa Cruz location, it's a big difference & noticeable), they generally do not know how to use the ordering machine properly, and everything just feels clunky/slow here (and I remember this from visiting the location a few years back even). Overall, I'm just VERY disappointed with the service from the Westgate location and likely won't go back unless things change up.

The Santa Cruz location is by far the cleanest location I've been to - consistently, and I have been to multiple locations throughout the Bay Area. The customer service is wonderful here (e.g., I don't need the employees here to do it, but when they can, they will walk over and hand me my food). For the past many months that I have been visiting this location, I'll usually see Hugo there, who is a big reason for why I go back (he consistently delivers the great experience I'm expressing here, remembers my usual order, and always has a...

This is the worst Ike's I have ever been too!!! DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY AT THIS LOCATION! !!!! We love Ike's and we so excited when they came to Santa Cruz but we have given them numerous chances and they consistently screw up!!!! They either do not understand the meaning of the word VEGAN or they do not care. Every time we order the same sandwiches with the same instructions (because we do not trust them after the first sandwich) and everytime we get different sandwiches... My husband's is never VEGAN they add ranch sauce everytime and mine they never put the right vegetables on it and Thus time they put real cheese... Why bother having posters everywhere saying to "just ask to make it Vegan" if you are either going to hire staff that don't care enough to make the sandwiches right or you will not train them properly to do their job! I WOULD AVOID THIS RESTAURANT AT ALL COST!!! GO TO ANY OTHER IKE'S DO NOT GIVE THIS LOCATION YOUR MONEY!!! I know some will read this and think I am not vegan it does not matter to me... But if you know anyone with allergies than you will understand that if they are so callous with these request they are going to make someone sick or kill someone... So I think this is a...

I recently had the pleasure of dining at Ike’s Sandwich shop in Santa Cruz, and I must say it was a delightful experience from start to finish. From the moment we walked in, we were warmly welcomed by the General Manager who kindly suggested a few favorites from their extensive menu.

I decided to step out of my comfort zone and try a hot sandwich instead of my usual cold choice, and I am so glad I did. The sandwich was delicious - the perfect combination of flavors. I got it extra dirty! The ingredients were clearly fresh and of high quality, which elevated the overall taste of the sandwich.

What stood out to me, however, was the clean store and the exceptional service we received throughout our visit. The staff was attentive, friendly, and went above and beyond to ensure that we had a great dining experience. It's always refreshing to be treated with such care and attention in a restaurant, especially with how costly it is to eat out these days.

Overall, my visit to Ike’s Sandwich shop in Santa Cruz was a memorable one. Delicious food, fresh ingredients, and exceptional service make this place a must-visit for any sandwich lover. I will definitely be returning to try more of their sandwiches...