Gulf Coast Sourdough Sandwich House — Restaurant in Tampa

My turn to buy lunch while on the way to my friends house for a meeting. He suggested the Gulf Coast Sourdough Sandwich House for sandwiches. It was a good call, the food was good, I got a nice loaf a bread for the house and some hummus for the wife. Sourdough also happens to be the only bread I buy.

I was greeted right away by a cheerful young lady that was super helpful in navigating my choices. All the wiches come standard with tomato, red onion and spinach. But there are a nice variety of additives and condiments available to pick and choose from. A variety of cheeses, interesting flavorfull toppings and flavored sourdough breads like rosemary, jalapeño, garlic, sirracha, asiago and others. They serve breakfast and lunch 6 days a week.

I got an Italian for myself which I loved. The flavors were perfectly balanced and I was content and full by the last bite. My wife had a turkey sandwich with hummus as a condiment and she was delighted.

There are some dessert and snack options, most containing sourdough. The sourdough Cinnamon rolls are popular. There are a few odds and ends sold in containers like kimchi, sauerkraut, curtido, hummus, spicy pepper relish and pizza dough. The loaf of bread I bought was excellent. I highly recommend this shop, come...

There were various types of sourdough rounds, baguettes, loaves and sourdough sweets.

I picked out a round and a baguette. I also grabbed some cans of King State canned cold brew. Then I set my sights on the real reason for this visit. Sandwiches!

Gulf Coast Sourdough has a couple vegan sandwich options. One is a Falafel Sandwich. The other, and the one I eventually settled on, is a vegan Flyby. Flybys are essentially Gulf Coast Sourdough's Oregano and Olive Oil dough rolled out and filled with a tasty filling then wrapped and baked. The vegan version contains vegetables like onions and spinach with a spicy kick. It was so good. I loved the puffiness of the dough, with a slight tang and the final kick. It came together perfectly.

The loaves that I took home with me were also great. They were crusty outside, soft inside and had a tanginess that outshines any sourdough you can find in the store. The price is a bit higher than if you bought one there, but not by much. The taste difference made the extra dollars worth it to me.

Like sourdough bread, sandwiches, unique desserts and local drinks? Gulf Coast Sourdough is somewhere you need...

I rarely write reviews, but my experience here was so upsetting that I feel it’s important to share. I ordered a sandwich with no cheese (clearly marked that way on the wrapper), yet it still came with cheese. I contacted the restaurant directly, hoping for some understanding, especially since I’m one week postpartum, eating at the hospital while my baby is in the NICU, and now left without a meal.

DoorDash refunded me after I reached out, but I had hoped the restaurant would step up and make it right for the future, like any good place would, given the opportunity. Instead, the general manager told me, “you don’t have to guilt trip us, we don’t give out free sandwiches.” That was not only dismissive but incredibly harsh, especially given the circumstances.

Mistakes happen, but kindness and accountability matter. To treat a new mom, or frankly any customer, with such rudeness is unacceptable. I will never give this business my support again, and I strongly urge others to consider how they treat their customers before giving them yours. Truly the worst experience I’ve had with a...