The Sal Paradise Bakery Sandwiches & Focacceria

Was great until they closed and reopened as the brat house. Not good. Would not recommend eating here.

Great sandwiches for a great price! Who can complain about penny pints after you buy a sandwich?! Only thing keeping it from the fifth stars is the lack consistency. Have ordered the same sandwich in different days and size definitely varies.

Pretty standard for any make-​to-​order sandwich place. Baguettes are tasty with just the right amount of crunch. A little overpriced given the college town vibe but maybe that’s because they have penny pints with purchase after 4pm… Wouldn’t come back since there are so many other places nearby and nothing stood out.

I stopped in for lunch on my way back to Los Angeles. I had what was probably the second best sandwich of my life. I added a bag of chips and a brew as well! They had a decent selection on tap, especially when you consider this is a sandwich shop. I dug the atmosphere as well.

Are you kidding me? How many excellent sandwich shops can one city have?
Yet another cool place to grab a sub sandwich and a beer. I love the bread that they use, plus they have a wide variety of unique sandwiches and friendly staff. Sound familiar?
Adding it to my list…

Wow! What a great find!
We drove up from LA and were starving and according to reviews, this place seemed to have great reviews.
I ordered the vegetarian sandwich and added pepperoncini’s, mustard and switched the bread to the sourdough. The veggies were fresh and the hummus was great. The only thing I would change for next time would be for a thicker bread. The sandwich was soggy while I was eating.
I will definitely be back!

Just average is the best way to describe this sandwich joint. I feel like they are trying to go after the Ike’s Lair Sandwich Shops in the Bay Area/​LA.
We stopped in after a long drive from San Jose looking for some tasty sandwiches.
The staff was friendly, but they didn’t seem genuine. I ordered a custom sandwich with chicken, avocado, cheddar, some greens, honey mustard and cranberry sauce. While I requested for the whole sandwich to be warmed up, the bread wasn’t even toasted. The sandwich was very dense (not in a good way). The ingredients didn’t really mix well, and they pulled on cheese and meat without adding enough sauce. I ordered Basil as a «garnish,» but I found at least 10 leaves in each half of my sandwich.
I requested a Honey Wheat Roll, but the sandwich was served on a burger bun?!?
Overall, a mediocre experience. Not sure why the Unilocal rating scale is so inflated in SLO!

Visited Sal’s this morning, before the noon rush. Our first visit, thanks to a fine recommendation by our son. Very nice place, first class ingredients-​many sourced locally, and expertly crafted bread. So many choices that you almost need to study up before the first visit. They have many great sandwich suggestions, that are all customizable, or you can start with a «clean slate» and create your own masterpiece. Choices abound– everything from bread type, to sauces and mustards, to vegetables and meats, and there is no skimping either! Not cheap, but truly a value for what you get.
Another nice option is that you can both preorder and prepay before you come by to pickup, saving you time if your in a hurry. I understand that they are willing to deliver with a minimum order, but you will need to check that out.
You’ll order from a preprinted checklist and because of the vast number of options, you need to check off exactly what you want, as well as how you want it served (toasted, steamed, room temp. bread). I think some of the fuss in other Unilocal reviews is due to the customer overlooking all the details that go into making each hand crafted meal– make no assumptions here, be specific! Order carefully and you might have the best sandwich that you have ever tasted!

Went in today, didn’t receive 1 of 2 sandwiches for 30 minutes and it was wrong altogether, an employee had completely altered my order for reasons unknown. Received the correct sandwich promptly before even receiving the 2^nd we had ordered and when I reminded them about it it seemed to have been lost so they rushed and delivered the sandwich minus a few ingredients the menu stated it had. This seemed to be a cascading failure as the orders ahead of and after us also seemed to be turning up incorrect or lost. In the end the sandwiches we received were no where near worth the $ 30 we paid for them and thus will not be returning to this establishment that seems to favor aesthetic over quality.
It really takes a lot for me to be put off by a business, I know there are infinite variances day by day, but what I experienced today was absolutely unacceptable regardless of circumstance.

Beer and great sandos. Great service and the Hefe on tap is delicious.

So glad I tried this place out! My boyfriend and I were visiting his sister for a couple days. After a long day on the beach and hiking, we checked out Unilocal for some ideas on what to eat for a late lunch. We decided on Luna Red, but when we got there and looked at the menu, it wasn’t quite what we wanted. We stood on the street to look up new ideas, and I suggested we try the place right across the street (when we passed by, I saw someone eating a sandwich that looked amazing).
We got there and the employees were very friendly, asking if we had been there before and then going on to explain we could order a signature sandwich or fill out a voucher to say exactly what we wanted. I got mine (French roll, slightly toasted, turkey, Brie, Swiss cheese, garlic aioli, tomato basil pesto, artichokes, extra lettuce, sprouts, and probably some other veggies I’m forgetting). It was amazing… and huge! My boyfriend and I both loved our sandwiches, so much so that I created a Unilocal account to review this place.
Also, they serve some great beers and have a great deal during happy hour (every day, 4 – 6), in which you buy a sandwich and get a beer on draft for just a penny extra. My boyfriend brews beer and any place with a varied selection piques his interest.
Anyway, we loved it and will definitely go back next time we’re in town. It was just so fresh tasting and just what we needed after eating heavier foods.
They even give you a lollipop with your sandwich!

This is by far the best Sando in Slo. Great beer on tap and you can’t beat the price. Only downside is I Wish there was more outdoor seating.
Always good to sit back have a sando and a beer and people watch. The tipsy wine maker sando is one of my favorites.

The short: Hipster first, sandwiches second.
Let’s preface this with I like good deals. This place offers a discount of 10% if you order online at their website. Woot! The notification said it would be ready in 10 – 15 minutes. I don’t mind if I just walk around downtown to kill some time while I wait! (I believe that if you order in a certain afternoon time frame, there’s a discount on those sandwiches too — I don’t know if it works for online ordering.)
We walked into the deli and the sandwiches were all ready to eat. One friend accidentally clicked the salad option (no bread provided???) but she was delighted to find that the box was filled with all the sandwich fillings.
Another friend could only eat half of her sandwich. The portions were good for her and she enjoyed her sandwich.
Me? I ordered the Tipsy Winetaster. It was so small that I was not even satiated afterwards. The sandwich tasted as it should; the sourdough bread was nice. Why three stars then? I wouldn’t go here for my sandwich fix, there are other places in town that offer bigger, tastier sandwiches for cheaper.
The free additional lollipop was a nice touch, and I thought it was even funnier that they have an orphanage for lollipops. My my, nobody likes lollipops!
I do like the seating inside and outside the deli. The succulents, the vibe all make it a very nice hipster touch.

Very neat vibe and delicious sandwiches with very fresh ingredients and bread. 100% recommend.

This is one of those places that you go in very hungry and leave feeling very hungry and disrespected as well.
In all fairness, I never had a chance to review the food here as I never got past some serious obstacles in place to get that far in the dining experience.
Obstacle 1: The menu is absurd.
Firstly, it’s a mile long which is never a good sign where freshness is concerned. Furthermore, I was after a veggie sand this particular afternoon and stood there scratching my head at the ‘vegan turkey’ and ‘vegan chicken’ sandwiches. Fake meat, REALLY? Just give me a veggie sando already!
Obstacle 2: The service was threatening
This was the worst part. A black bearded Cro-​Magnon Man was working the counter this said afternoon and needless to say was a complete asshole in response to a few very serious questions I had regarding the menu. I honestly thought he was going to punch me in the face right there in the restaurant. Seriously! This Cro-​Magnon will probably be seeking a new job soon as this place will not last in a town already filled with superlative sandwich shops.
A long story short: I left without even ordering anything. Awkward. Sorry Sal but your paradise is perdition :(

Why don’t we have more places like this in Fresno??? We came here after being persuaded by our cashier guy at Urban Outfitters. I think the owners of this place also manage Kreuzburgs (which makes sense because I believe all of the pastries are from there as well).
This place has an extensive, but almost exhausting, sandwich menu (which they call «sandos»). I’m not complaining because I’d rather have plenty of choices but it can be a tad overwhelming. Luckily, they have a make your own option with paper ordering sheets that you fill out so they can get your order just right. They have practically EVERYTHING you could want on a sandwich. Here are some examples off the top of my head:
Meat: turkey, roast beef, ham, salami, pepperoni, chicken breast. There are
meatless meat options too for vegetarians.
Cheese: Mozzarella, pepper jack, american, provolone, cream cheese,
swiss, and cheddar they even have brie and mozzarella sticks as cheese
choices!
Sauce: There’s over 10 sauces and was pleased to see even pesto, garlic
aioli, and cranberry sauce. Sal’s Sauce is there signature sauce which
was described to me as a chipotle ranch bbq sauce with a slight kick.
Bread: I saw some people didn’t care for the bread but that’s becuase they
didn’t order the most popular Back Porch Crunch bread. Just do yourself a
favor and get that. It’s good.
The sandwiches are huge! This is going to sound dorky but I literally split my bottom lip trying to open up and take a bite. Totally worth the pain :] The front counter girl was friendly but a little spacey. They did forget one of the ingredients in my sandwich but they were very apologetic and gave it to me on the side. This place is adorable and they have happy hour after 4pm (not sure about the days) as well as several combo specials. Definitely give it a try if you’re a sandwich buff.

My husband and I were in SLO for our usual downtown stroll. We normally grab a bite to eat at Urbane Café, but decided to try this place out.
Sandwich selection … plenty. Sandwiches themselves, mediocre. I ordered their version of the BLT + avocado. Bread sliced too thin which absorbed the mayo and avocado immediately so I was left with mushy bread. My husbands sandwich. well he only ate half of it. So that in itself explains enough of his sandwich experience… The presentation was cute and creative, but I really don’t get the lollipop. Restaurant also implies if you didn’t eat your lollipops you can return them in a bucket at the door; which in my head I thought «if I were a business owner I would monitor as to how many of these lollipops do I do get back and not even waste anymore resources in distributing them out.» you also recycled their rubberbands which hold the sandwich together. Hmm.
Restaurant entry way was a bit congested… tables were set up as ‘family style’ but seating was too close to one another.
Restaurant also had flies lingering at the entry way … so that was a negative.
My husband and I will probably wont be back. I’ve had my fair share of great sandwiches and this place needs work.

I really dug this place, early morning with a great cup of hot tea and a tasty breakfast croisant. I had the #1 breakfast croisant with egg, bacon, avocado and cream cheese. What a great tasting breakfast, and the prices are very reasonable.
We will definitely be back on our next trip.

I ordered «The Lil’ Buck» or «Puck» I can’t remember which, but «Go Home and Just Make This Yourself» would be a more befitting name.
Their honey wheat bread is literally a hamburger bun. The Lil Whatever was a turkey sandwich with absolutely no pizazz or flavor.
Aaaaaand my friend found the. longest. brown. hair. in her to-​go order a few weeks ago. I definitely won’t be back, sorry Sal’s!

See their old page for my full review. Happy hour starts at 4 $ 2 off sandwiches $ 3 pints and $ 4 off pitchers.
Sandwiches are good, getting them toasted or broiled is best.