Is there a restaurant that you’ve driven past countless times in your life, but you’ve never stopped to try it? Maybe you even looked it up to see what kind of food they have and thought to yourself, “One day, I’ll give it a whirl.” That’s essentially my story with Sandwich de Paris, a partially hidden local gem serving up reasonably priced eats in San Antonio’s Medical Center.
I’ve seen the sandwich shop on many occasions while heading across Louis Pasteur Drive for doctors’ visits and trips to Merit Coffee, but this week, Sandwich de Paris was the destination. Preliminary research revealed that the restaurant has been around since 1998, and when I arrived, it appeared as though business was still booming after 28 years.
A little after 1 p.m., I caught the tail-end of lunch rush, as the sole server was working double time to keep up with incoming customers and taking out food to those who already ordered. While they were helping out others, I was able to take a look at the menu to decide on my meal. Deli sandwiches come with a choice of soup, salad or chips, so I gravitated towards getting one of those.
In the end, I ordered the California club — turkey breast, bacon, avocado, lettuce, tomato, cucumber, onion and mayo on tomato herb focaccia — and a bag of potato chips, which altogether came out to $11.95 before tax. I also ordered a fountain drink ($2.75) before I realized they were out of Diet Coke and Coke Zero. Note for next time: Just get water…