Gene’s Liquor

2 years ago this place was THEE place for hot sandwiches. When Hamik was making the sandwiches, he would give a fair to generous amount of meat. I went there yesterday and had a really bad sandwich. For $ 9.00 I got a large pastrami sandwich with 2 very thin pieces of meat. Really disappointing and I will take my business back to west portal’s submarine center where they still do it right.

Came here for lottery tickets but picked up a sandwich. Didn’t get to it right after it was toasted but it was still good. Need to try it fresh after it comes our from the oven.

Gene’s is the best! Awesome sandwiches, reasonable prices, and great location. Oh, and the owner, Hamik is very friendly. He’s great at recognizing the regular customers and even remembers what sandwiches you like to order.

Our pal, Hamik, is without a doubt the heart of the 32^nd block of Taraval. His sandwiches have been there for us when nothing else could fill that void. You know – just…there for you. Bad break-​up? Gene’s! Crappy day at school? Gene’s! Just graduated college? GENE’S CATERS! (JK, Hamik, lol!)
Besides all of this, he has the memory of an elephant and always remembers the orders of my roommates and I. The best combo is a drink, a bag of chips, and a good ol’ sub.
I recommend grabbing a Gene’s sandwich without reservation! YUM!!!

Kyle N. here, genes is amazing amazing! Super friendly and SUPER FAT KID! Order any sandwich large w/​everything BAH!!!

Among other foods, sandwiches always remain a heated debate between my friends and I. But no matter what, I consistently find myself keeping Gene’s in my Top 5. An institution of some sort in the Sunset, Gene’s Liquor stands unassuming on the corner. It may seem like a regular liquor stop, but the sandwiches here are great at its core. Simple, no frills, made from the same 2-​level oven for years, these sandwiches keep the neighborhood and the surrounding schools satisfied.
My personal favorites are the atomic sub and pastrami sandwich, which I order 90% of the time. These two and most of the sandwiches on the menu come on toasted bread with the inclusion of mayo, mustard, lettuce, tomato, cheese, and choice of pickles, peppers and secret sauce. This addicting and always dripping sauce is along the lines of an Italian dressing with a little kick. That straightforward combination make for a classic sandwich, no matter what meat is included. Of course, it is still is a liquor store, so it won’t be hard to find your preference of chips and drink. Explore the short menu, but you will not be disappointed with the pastrami. Ask the multitude of hungry, after-​school, high school kids that frolic and back up the line out the street to the Muni stop. They will tell you, especially since the average $ 8 – 9 per sandwich is a large chunk of their allowance.
The last thing I have to include is Hamik, the store owner and «head sandwich maker». He may give you that glazed look and seems like a disinterested liquor store attendant. But stop and have a conversation with him. HE makes Gene’s what it is, and what makes this sandwich special. Once you become a regular, he’ll remember your order, how many napkins you need, and even the Arizona tea flavor you always get. Maybe he’ll make fun of your hat or ask why you’re dressed so nicely. Almost 15 years later, Hamik still does the same for me. Sadly, shops like these do not exist anymore, making Gene’s a must-​stop in the Sunset.

Best sandwich place in the neighborhood! The secret sauce is AMAZING! I always ask for extra. Awesome customer service. The owner is always there making the sandwiches and he always tells me he is about the quality. Since i’m a regular he knows my order! Even when I was off to college he still remembered my order.

Still always my go to sandwich place!

Best sandwiches in the Sunset (and one of the best in the city), better than Guerra’s, little hidden treasure.

I used to come here all the time for sandwiches when I was in high school. At one point, the man behind the deli memorized my order! All I had to do was walk in there, and he’ll start making my sandwich! I usually get a turkey sandwich with swiss cheese and everything and occasionally avocados if I’m up for it. A can of Arizona sweet tea is also my personal favorite companion to my sandwich. The sandwich is always packed with flavor thanks to the secret sauce and very filling and satisfying. Sometimes I can’t finish the sandwich and I cry a little on the inside because it would go to waste.
Unfortunately, going out of state for college have deprived me of the great sandwiches that this place has to offer. But it only makes these sandwiches that much more delicious every time I get one when I’m back in the city!

Lines are long most of the time and the guys don’t work at lightning fast speed but they’re super nice and the SANDWICHES ARE DELICIOUS!
A large is $ 9 add extra meat $ 3.75 and additional avocado $ 1.20… Comes out to be a pretty expensive sandwich but try it and you’d be a loyal customer for life.
Tip: only one type of bread here and it’s the perfect one. Soft french toasted =)
Also tip the guys they really appreciate it!

I love the man behind the deli. He’s hilarious. I got the Atomic Sub and it was delicious. The flavors of the pastrami, corn beef, turkey, and mustard all melted in perfect harmony with the provolone cheese and onion.
I definitely had bigger, juicier, and messier sammies for the same price. I was hoping to get a heaping slab of deli meats, only to unwrap the butcher papers to the thinnest slices of cured meats.
Great service and flavors but not exactly worth the bang of your buck if you’re used to the heavy weights of Ike’s or Little Lucca’s.

SANDWICHES! Enough said. I’m super lazy and try to avoid walking as much as possible but I do not mind walking my lazy self over to Gene’s and that says a lot! I get too excited about my sandwich and before I know it, I’m already back home ready to devour my food.
I love how the bread is always perfectly crispy. The sandwiches are consistent and they never skimp on the fillings. You have an option of choosing between a regular and large size. You can also add extras such as jalapeños and avocado.
You might want to call in and put an order in advance if you want to avoid waiting because there are waits sometimes.
But if you order on the spot, Gene is usually working alone so service can be slow but be patient because it will all be worth it!

Love this place for sandwiches… the ONLY place I get sandwiches.
The owner is a sweet guy and provides great customer service =)
Def a place to grab a quick delicious sandwich and go to ocean beach to eat it! My roommate and I would do this!

I love this place because:
1. The subs are really yummy! I wish Unilocal had sound so I could record that amazing noise when you bite into it and you hear that crisp from the oven toasted goodness…
2. The owner is always so nice and friendly which is amazing considering that it appears he never takes a day off.
3. It is a very welcome departure of so many overpriced, pretentious places in this city.

I’ve been to Gene’s to pick up a six pack or a snack on the way to a friend’s home nearby but didn’t have a chance to get a sandwich until tonight. Clearly I’d been missing out.
I ordered an italian combo and it was great. I ordered it with everything (minus tomatoes) and it was exactly what I wanted and the price was a super bargain in these artisan curated overdone times. I can’t stress enough how good this was.
They also have a good selection of beers and such, and they even have Strongbow in .5 liter cans. Everyone needs to know how great this place is!

I just had a extremely tasty sandwich.
I just ate it a few moments ago, and I could not wait to write about how great the sandwich was. It happened like that when I went to Grubbin’ Sandwich on the same street about 10 blocks up.
Matter of fact that I was heading the grubbing’ today but when I was driving, the sign for Gene’s saying «Best Sandwich in town!» got a corner of my eyes. And I found out that there is no parking meters!!!
9.5 inches long a large size oven toasted combo sandwich (turkey, pastrami and corned beef) calls Gene’s Atomic Sub w/​everything, was A REAL A-​BUMB!
$ 8.85 include tax.
The sandwich roll was crunchy and a bit chewy, that was nice, and the 3 sliced meat were great with the roll when I bite into it. I really like the special sauce w/​the fresh chopped lettuce and tomato.
This out of nowhere Outer Sunset Gene’s Liquor is out on Taraval Street.
This area, Dirty Harry might say VFB, very few blacks.
The place looks like an ugly old liquor grocery store that I don’t think I’d pay attention but the sign.
Sorry Grubbin’ I’ll be there later, but Hello to Gene!!!
I think Gene’s sandwich is a buck cheeper than Grubbin’.
I like them both though.
Made my date today. Thank you Gene so much!
I will be back for more.

Gene’s Liquors offers large deli sammies (6), lots of liquors, snacks, convenience food items.
lots of mainstream beers, microbrews, german singles too. pricing average or slightly higher.
buys: mexican ice cream (coffee flavor 1.25)
–seems all stores in s.f. carry it.
drips:
–friendly acknowledgement, service.
–sammie look huge…

You think that any place that claims «best whatever» is hyperbole, but here, it is one of the best subs in SF. Even though the prices have gone up over the past few years, you can still walk out with a large Atomic (the most expensive sub) with a drink for the same price as a combo at Subway, but more filling. If you order a large, bring your appetite because it is packed. I have failed to eat a single sub that didn’t squeeze out meat and sauce, it is that full. They’re so consistent with the subs too, they’re exactly the same every time. And the bread is always perfectly fresh and toasted.
Support your local businesses!

I’ve lived in the area for a year now and I’ve heard about these amazing sandwiches over and over again. Today, I didn’t feel like cooking dinner so I decided to walk on over and FINALLY give these sandwiches a try.
When I walked in, there was a tiny line so I wandered around. BUNCHES of drink options, lots of places for chips, but only a small selection. Looked like maybe they were about to restock within the next couple of days.
Found a Beverage and some chips, grabbed dessert (candy bar) while I was at it then stepped up the the counter. Ordered the small Salami. It was made really fast and professionally.
Gene, or whom I assume is Gene, was really polite and friendly.
My sandwich ROCKED! Tones of meat and cheese, good amount of mustard and secret sauce. It was perfection. WAY better then the French Bakery’s Salami Sandwich I had up the street last month.
I will totally be back for another sandwich.
$ 10 minimum on cards, if it is less then $ 10 you are charged $ 0.50 to use a Debt or Credit Card.