Mastrelli’s Delicatessen

so sad…
had the most amazing tasting italian subs
like an orgasm in the mouth
i dont cheese
but i did here
most dearly be missed…

The most affordable lunch spot at the Ferry Building was scheduled to CLOSE on March 15^th (lease ends). But I guess they decided to depart the Ferry Building sooner, or maybe they needed time to pack things up.
Well, u can still go to the original Molinari’s in North Beach. I think the sandwiches are more consistent there. :(

CLOSED, last day was Sat 2÷27÷10

This is the first meal that i eat when i go to San Francisco. I like this location better than Molinari’s in North beach. They bring in bread from the italian french bakery in north beach every morning. I get salami with oil/​vinegar, onion, provalone, pepperoncini, and mustard… that it! a simple sandwich but with the best ingredients.
Take a number get a piece of bread and shut up!

So the name on the store front and the name on the sandwich wrapper is a bit off — was there a recent change in ownership at this place? Molinari & Sons or Mastrelli’s? Which is it?
Regardless, while I’d been to the embarcadero before, I’d never seen it hustling with people the way it was this past Saturday afternoon when I was there with my friend Natasha. We were both hungry for lunch, and while there were plenty of places to choose from, we ended up inside Molinari & Sons for some authentic Italian sandwiches. We weren’t the only ones… there were plenty of other people with the same idea. We took a number and waited our turn… and waited and waited and waited. We picked out our fresh bread from the bin (don’t worry — we did use the tongs although Natasha felt the need to use them to prod and poke several pieces for texture before choosing her selection). And finally, our number was called!
The dude who helped us fit the role well. He was just the guy to make our perfect sandwiches. Mine with turkey, mozzarella, sweet bell peppers, pepperocini, lettuce, basil spread, and oil and vinegar. Tash designed her own with a rosemary garlic turkey, provolone, and some additional condiments. We both agreed that our sandwiches were worth waiting for… and that the only ingredient missing was avocado (we’re both obsessed). But the freshness of the meats, cheeses, and toppings was fabulous. The price? Just over $ 16 + tip for two huge sandwiches and two cans of Pellegrino Limonata. Not bad!
We enjoyed our sandwiches outside in the sunshine — just away from the crowds… we actually popped a squat on the sidewalk; good thing we were both dressed for the occasion. Each bite was filled with quality ingredients and we were two happy campers, but add in the company and the sunshine and it made for a fabulous time!

A cool north beach type, old school style, grocery store/​deli. Many good sandwiches with things like prosciutto and provolone, and sun dried tomato, and good fresh salads on display. Good lunch choice (though its better in NB). At lunch there can be a pretty long line.

Mastrelli’s Delicatessen — This place is horrible.
First, the sandwiches are not even close in quality to the ones that you get at the original location. My «North Beach Special» contained flavorless prosciutto (low quality, it was really more like just ham), and had no flavor.
Second, the place isn’t sanitary. We spent 10 minutes waiting for our number to be called, and I watched them make sandwiches during that entire time. They were regularly handling money, credit cards, working the cash register, etc. and then going back to making sandwiches with their bare hands. In the middle of cold and flu season — not cool.

Sandwiches here are like something a nice old nonna would make from behind a small town Italian-​American deli. San Francisco, however, is far from a small town and the Ferry Building is a fierce battleground for who can use the most premium local/​organic/​sustainable ingredients in the most innovative reinventions of classics. I didn’t see any signs about what ranch the meat was sourced from or what types of heirloom tomatoes (if any) were used in their sauces. Sadly, this place fails to bring the same sophistication of dishes that most every other artisan food vendor on the property has.
Meatball Sandwich: Large cubes of meatballs, marinara sauce, pre-​grated parmesan and some melted provolone (all of which is heated in a plastic tub in the microwave) placed on a pressed roll of your choice. I would have preferred smaller, whole meatballs to increase the well-​done outside surface area. Extremely messy! There were no complexities in the meatballs, sauce or cheese and nothing really screamed premium. It’s decent and filling, but there are much better options to impress your palate in the Ferry Building. Just OK.

Go early … cause if they run out of bread, no more sandwiches for the day. (I wish my work functioned like that … sorry, but I have too many spreadsheets open … no more RAM, I’m closing for the day.)
Anyway … I’ve been craving this place since I stopped working in the city and the last 2 times I’ve been here, there was no more bread … but today … today not only was there bread, but I was served immediately … usually there is a very very long line. If I were ever to have a sandwiched named after me… or rather if I were to name my first born after a sandwich, it would be Renzo (Prosciutto an inch thick, Coppa (in spicy or mild) hugged between sun dried tomatoes and fresh mozzarella.
I pretended I wanted to go to the city today to see the Blue Angels … in reality, it was to get a Renzo.
Truth.

Fantastic fresh sandwiches. They slice up the meat right in front of you. Line gets long so i suggest coming early to beat the lunch rush. Definitely worth it. Best sandwich place within walking distance to me and the guys that make your delicious stomach pleasing sandwiches are on point and very friendly.
Pick a number, grab your bread, order when your number is called. Pretty simple. I got a sandwich and a drink for $ 4. FOUR DOLLARS! In the financial district, you expect to get overcharged for anything and everything, i mean there are salad places that will charge you $ 10-​$ 15 for a salad you can make at home. So $ 4 for a sandwich and drink is almost mind blowing. Either the guy ringing me up thought i was really cute and shot me a discount or their prices are amazingly cheap. Whatever the case, i know where to go when i want a delicious lunch.

I love this place! I’m not from the area and I was told to check out the Ferry Building and after I found Mastrelli’s, I’ve been going back to feed my Italian deli need since.
What makes this place great for me is the mozzarella cheese. It is so soft and creamy just thinking about it makes me salivate more than Pavlov’s dog. The meats taste amazing and I generally get the foccacia bread (rosemary or garlic are my recommendations) to add that little extra flavor. Also, the portions are HUGE! One $ 8-​$ 10 sandwich gives me two meals if I’m not being a pig.
There are some downsides: it’s in the Ferry Building and therefore, expensive; the line can often be ridiculously long; the service can be a bit chaotic (not bad, just… chaotic o_​O).
I would give this place a five-​star score but unfortunately I just don’t have enough experience with Italian delis except for the one I grew up with and this one. I just know that I loved my childhood deli and because there are very few in the OC, coming here makes the tummy very happy.
Cheers!

A bustling packed crowded place with good sandwiches.
Service was good and friendly, just need to look around and get the number and pick your own bread. So the bread might not be the best kind, but the meat was pretty good! The meatball sandwich I had was delicious and was like a sloppy joe that had the sauce slopping all over!
Also picked up some meat lasagna and salumi. Now I know what I am going to have for dinner and have choices! Salumi is so versatile that you can use it for breaky (omelet, sandwiches), snacks with cheese and toast cracker plates, etc…
They also carry Molinari frozen ravioli and other pasta, vegetarian lasagna, and a good selection of salumi and some cheese. In addition, they have some canned food and packaged pasta and Italian rice and coffee.

The sandwiches and deli meat might be great for all I know.
The service was not good. At all.
There was a sign on the cold drink fridge: «Please grab a number and wait silently by the register and we will ring you up.»
Wait, have they ever heard of Customer Service? Wait Silently? I was all set to assume that this was a tongue-​in-​cheek sign. HOWEVER, there were no numbers on the number rack. And they helped someone else who came in afterwards. And they didn’t once greet us or tell us that they would be right with us, proving that they DID want us to wait silently. .. with the attitude of «I would be eternally grateful if you would let me give you some of my money for an overpriced drink.» If that drink was for me instead of for my son (who was with me), I’d have put it back and gone elsewhere.
As it is, I’ll never know if the meat or other items are good… I’m going to walk on by from now on. I don’t need such blatant snotty attitude in my life.

Go to this place early and know how to order because it gets crowded in a hurry.
They carry the full line of Molinari salami which is a big plus in my book. I always get the tuscano sandwich on a seeded roll. There is no seating inside so if it’s a nice day grab your sandwich and sit along the pier. You will thank me later.

Um, yeah. Update. Garlic rosemary turkey, hot salami with everything (except mustard), add the basil spread. Try it. Thank me later. Church is where it is at.
Oh yeah, these guys made us some 3 foot sandwiches for our month end dinner at work. They made a 3 foot meatball sub. Think about that. One of the employees brought in a crock pot specially for the occasion. (I am posting a photo right now)

Until I get an opportunity to come back, Mastrelli’s won’t get more than an okay verdict from me.
There probably isn’t a better sandwich in the Financial District, but for $ 9 I was expecting a sandwich that could go toe-​to-​toe with any other sandwich place in the city.
The sandwich sounded great, and the meat was good, but the flavors just didn’t come together very well. I got the Renzo special and although there was a layer of sundried tomatoes and mozzarella I could only occasionally taste them.
Also, FYI this sandwich is not filling enough to be shared.
Mastrelli’s is located in the Ferry Building across from Boulette’s Larder.

The truth is… I never feel good walking into this place. And the reason is… most of the employees think they’re God’s gift to the deli world, with attitudes to boot. I feel like saying to them, «look, just because your arms are covered in tattoos and you’re sporting the latest trend in facial hair doesn’t make you the badass that you think you are.» They also tend to make certain comments or facial expressions that just aren’t okay to say or do in front of customers.
I also don’t care for their infamous «bread box» that they seem to be so proud of. Something about it just irritates me. Seems very amateur-ish…and their sandwiches are just okay. It also sucks that there is a teeny tiny little homemade sign way up high that says something about how the sandwiches don’t come with any condiments unless you ask for them specifically. I would bet that more people miss that sign than actually see it and then have to deal with a dry ass sandwich. Not good.
I decided to give it an extra star because at least they carry some Italian imports and other things that are hard to find in typical grocery stores.

Damn. Good. Sandwich.
You pick your bread from the over sized «bread box» and then order your sandwich when your number is called. You hand over your bread and they make you that damned good sandwich I mentioned above.
I opted for the Renzo Special and demolished half of it while waiting for my Alcatraz tour to start. I still have the other half in my bag and I’m willing to bet it still eats like a champion even after all this time. I’m trying to «save» this as much as I can b/​c I know I’m going to miss it severely when it’s all gone.
Prosciutto, coppa (spicy!), sun-​dried tomatoes and mozzarella.
Say word.

Overrated.
I did not care for this place; the bread was hard and chewy and
the meat was decent, not mouth watering. The bread ruined the whole sandwich.
Wait in line for this Schlock?
Neva!
Service: slow.

Another great lunch spot in the Ferry Building.
Without hesitation, I would recommend the meatball sandwich and the chicken parm. The sandwich guys here are pretty amazing — one would always give me two stamps for every sandwich I ordered :-) …
Chicken parm is almost always good at a NY deli, but for some reason, it’s a tougher find in San Francisco. Italian delis are the best, and be sure not to miss out on this one!