Quick Take
From Vietnamese bánh mì to Italian paninis to Mexican tortas and classic deli sandwiches, these are 15 sandwiches in Santa Cruz County with star power. This list includes options from neighborhood cornerstones like Zoccoli’s Delicatessen in Santa Cruz, creative combinations from newer restaurants like Seabright Deli and refreshing vegetarian options from places like The Grove Cafe in Felton.
From a dining perspective, Santa Cruz County is way more laid back than its neighbors, the dense culinary metropolis of the Bay Area to the north and the elite, increasingly Michelin-starred fine dining of Monterey County to the south. As a result, sometimes its contributions to the food landscape can be overlooked. Some of the area’s best meals are ordered over a counter, eaten at a food truck or consumed within miles of the fog-covered soil in which its ingredients were grown, rather than over a white tablecloth. The food culture here is passionate, but casual.
Sandwiches are a great example. Santa Cruz County has a history of delis catering to workers stopping in for a quick and substantial meal, such as Santa Cruz’s historic Zoccoli’s Delicatessen and Garden Liquor & Deli in Live Oak, and grocery stores including Aptos’ Deluxe Foods and D’La Colmena Market in Watsonville. These cornerstones offer value and consistency, as well as community favorites that have stood the test of time.
But there is also a new wave of motivated creators drawing inspiration from the area’s unparalleled ingredients. Their sandwiches are highly individual, often served on bread baked daily in house or sourced from a local bakery, with flavors and textures that leave no room for lettuce, tomatoes, pickles or onions, such as a blackened snapper sandwich at Seabright Deli in Santa Cruz and the seasonal focaccia sandwiches at farmers market stall Melrose Café.
The sandwiches on this list cross cultures, from Italian paninis at Bottega del Lago in Live Oak, to pork belly bánh mì from Back Door Bánh Mì, and a Nashville hot chicken sandwich from Chubbs Chicken Sandwiches in Santa Cruz. It includes vegetarian options that go beyond cucumbers, hummus and sprouts, with fillings such as sweet potato and avocado at The Grove Cafe in Felton, beets and almond butter at The Picnic Basket in Santa Cruz, and a tempeh Reuben with organic probiotic sauerkraut at Dharma’s in Capitola.
To make this list, I searched for a sandwich with star power, something that set it apart from the sea of option. I looked for flavorful ingredients that worked well together, conscious composition, quality bread, and value for the price. Throughout the process, I considered, “If someone had one day in Santa Cruz and they wanted a great sandwich for lunch, would I send them here?” All of these sandwiches are a clear “yes.”
Sandwiches are listed by location from north to south.
🌱 = vegetarian/vegan or vegetarian/vegan option.
🌱 The Bigfoot, $16
6249 Hwy. 9, Felton
Plant-based ingredients take center stage and animal products play a supporting role on the menu at The Grove Cafe and Bakery, chef Jessica Yarr’s restaurant in Felton. The Bigfoot is a simple but substantial sandwich filled with roasted sweet potato, fresh pea shoots, plenty of avocado and a zippy scallion “aioli” (made with aquafaba instead of eggs) on thick toasted slices of homemade sourdough bread. It feels fresh but cozy, and it’s entirely plant-based.
Nashville Style Hot Chicken Sandwich, $12
766 Chestnut St., Santa Cruz
Behind 11th Hour Coffee in downtown Santa Cruz, Chubbs Chicken Sandwiches serves some of the best fried chicken sandwiches in the area from a walk-up window. Each piece of chicken is juicy on the inside, super crunchy on the outside and flavorful all the way through. Plus, all of the chicken is gluten-free, and you can substitute a biscuit-like gluten-free bun for $1. The Nashville hot chicken is dipped in hot oil and dusted with spicy seasoning, so it packs some heat, but adding coleslaw soothes the burn. Add habañero-ghost pepper mayo or sriracha mayo if you like to sweat.
🌱 : Nashville Style Fried Oyster Mushroom Sandwich, $12
Pork Belly Bánh Mì, $15.50
1001 Center St., Santa Cruz
In the same building as Chubbs, chef Andy Huynh’s Full Steam Dumpling offers some of the best seasonal Asian cuisine in the county. Back Door Bánh Mì is Huynh’s new lunch project, offering thoughtful bánh mì sandwiches stuffed with fillings including pork belly and finished with Fogline Farm chicken liver paté and pickled vegetables, on bread from Manresa Bakery. Open for pickup only on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
🌱: Mix Mushroom Bánh Mì, $16.50
The Mediterranean, $10.95
1534 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz
Owned and operated by the Zoccoli family since 1948, Zoccoli’s is an institution in downtown Santa Cruz, offering a range of handmade pastas, deli fare, market goodies and a full menu of hot and cold sandwiches. The Mediterranean is one of its most popular choices for a reason. Salty layers of mortadella, salami, prosciutto and provolone are balanced with tangy Italian dressing, and chopped olives and peppers.
🌱 The Beet Sandwich, $13.75
125 Beach St., Santa Cruz
Earthy roasted beets and nutty almond butter come together on The Beet, a vegetarian sandwich at The Picnic Basket, a beachfront deli and ice cream shop from the minds behind The Penny Ice Creamery. With a swipe of lemony hummus, tangy pickled red onions and lettuce on Companion Bakeshop bread, this vegan sandwich is flavorful and satisfying. The Picnic Basket’s sandwiches are made from ingredients sourced locally and organic when possible.
The Grotto, $16.95
415 Seabright Ave., Santa Cruz
It can be hard to choose from Seabright Deli’s menu of borderline over-the-top creations, which pack big flavors with multiple homemade components in each sandwich. I keep returning to The Grotto, made with blackened snapper, crunchy jalapeño-lime slaw, basil mayo and tomatoes with chimichurri sauce on a toasted francese roll. Crunchy, fresh and herbaceous with rich spices, it sets a new bar for fish sandwiches. Tuna, who?
Hot Pastrami, $11.45
1815 Soquel Dr., Live Oak
This deli-slash-convenience store has a legion of devoted fans for its straightforward but well-crafted sandwiches. Many of them come for one thing: a hot pastrami, filled with Garden Deli’s tender, thinly sliced pastrami, which it makes in house, and topped with melted Swiss. It’s finished with the classic lettuce-tomatoes-pickles-onions combo, plus pepperoncinis (ask to leave off the lettuce on this hot sandwich if you like), and served on your choice of bread.
Focaccia sandwiches, $13-$16
Westside and Live Oak farmers markets
🌱: Seasonal vegetarian options, prices vary
Every Saturday and Sunday morning at the Westside Santa Cruz and Live Oak farmers markets, Cameron Meyers creates stunning California-style sandwiches with ingredients sourced from nearby farms on her plush homemade focaccia. The menu changes frequently based on what’s in season, from layered winter squash with whipped feta, caramelized shallots and chicories, to El Salchichero pork belly with apples, fennel, mustard vinaigrette and bitter frisée. There are no wrong answers on the menu.
Er Buri’, $14
1701 Portola Dr., Live Oak
In October, the owners of Live Oak Italian restaurant Lago di Como opened Bottega del Lago, an Italian market, down the street on the corner of 17th Avenue and Portola Drive. Stocked with imported Italian goodies, gelato, pizza and handmade pasta, the traditional Italian paninis are the star. The muffaletta-style Americano might be the most popular, but Old World combinations like mortadella, burrata and pistachio pesto, and the Er Buri’, stuffed with tender porchetta and roasted peppers and eggplant, provolone cheese and spicy mustard, are the true winners.
Reuben, $18
1200 41st Ave., Suite B, Capitola
When this catering company opened a cafe on 41st Avenue two years ago, word spread about its gut-busting burritos and sensational cinnamon rolls, but the Reuben sandwich also deserves a moment in the spotlight. Busy Bees is one of the few restaurants in town that makes its own corned beef, tops it with a pile of sauerkraut and melted cheese, and serves it on homemade swirled rye bread. It’s a great take on a classic sandwich, made with care and attention.
🌱 Tempeh Reuben, $18.95
4250 Capitola Rd., Capitola
Dharma’s Restaurant has served a vegetarian and vegan-friendly menu in Capitola for more than 40 years. Last year, the restaurant refreshed its menu with some new items, but its Reuben sandwich, made with meaty soy-based tempeh instead of corned beef, is a flagship that’s stood the test of time. Made on homemade swirled rye, the tempeh is topped with sautéed red onion, frizzled cabbage, melted Swiss – or dairy-free cheese on request. It also got an upgrade a year ago, and is now served with tangy, probiotic Wise Goat Organics sauerkraut.
Rollie, $15
200 Monterey Ave., Suite 1, Capitola
Historic family-owned butcher shop Los Gatos Meats opened a satellite location in Capitola in May, where it offers the same menu of sandwiches stuffed with house-smoked and cured meats that made it an institution over the hill. The Rollie, with tender, smokey tri-tip, is layered with sweet barbecue sauce, crunchy veggies and pepperoncinis on fresh-baked bread. It might be simple, but simple things are rarely easy.
Brisket Sandwich, $16.25
8059 Aptos St., Aptos
Visitors can smell Aptos St. BBQ well before they turn onto its side street in Aptos Village. All of its meats are smoked behind the restaurant, including its famous brisket, which is fork-tender and covered in a dark, well-seasoned “bark.” Repeat visitors know to get their sandwich served on garlic bread, and each one comes with house-cured pickles and a choice of side.
The Full Monte, $15.99
783 Rio Del Mar Blvd., Aptos
The Full Monte – named after the Monte family that founded Deluxe Foods of Aptos 40 years ago – is the ultimate classic deli sandwich and an absolute unit, weighing in at 1.5 lbs. Within this 6-inch-tall beast, there are full servings of turkey, provolone, ham and tons of fixins, including sprouts, pepperoncinis, pickles, lettuce, tomato, cucumber and red onion, with a squirt of Italian dressing and a swipe of mustard, all skillfully layered to prevent slippage, even if its height means you have to come at it from the side.
Torta Monstro, $11.99
D’La Colmena Market & Catering
129 West Lake Ave., Watsonville
Inside D’La Colmena Market is a walk-up taqueria, and inside that taqueria is the best torta in the area. El Monstro is packed with four house-made meats – carnitas, al pastor, carne asada and fried ham – and topped with shredded lettuce, tomato, perfectly ripe avocado and pickled jalapeños. Substantial, crusty fresh-baked bread holds this juicy meat monster and all its fixins together.
Have something to say? Lookout welcomes letters to the editor, within our policies, from readers. Guidelines here.