Big Front Door

I was working in San Diego this week and was looking for something local and different. Finding a good deli is always a great treat, and BFD absolutely delivers on all fronts. The food was super fresh (especially the veggies... wilted lettuce is the bane of my existence), the location is awesome, and the people are amazing. If you find yourself in the area and want a satisfying dining experience at a very reasonable price, look no further!

All I got to say is "The Monster" is no joke! It's a great sandwich. It is the sandwich of all sandwiches! You would think all the items in it would get lost in each other but no! Not with this sandwich. Each layer is stacked in such a way that the sandwich never lost its integrity (never fell apart) while you are able to taste all the layers. Potato salad in a sandwich? Game changer! You just gotta try it. Maybe split it with a friend, maybe not just go ham. 🐷

2025 Update: Still a wonderful place! Love the indoor/outdoor patio, the concrete modernism mixed with the inviting warmth of the employees and great sandwiches. Had the breakfast sandwich this morning and it did not disappoint. ——— The Cubano is an insanely delicious sandwich, don’t skip it! Also very friendly staff who enjoy what they do. Will always come back to this place 🤓

This is a fun sandwich shop! Really nice selection of cold and hot sandwiches along with great looking salads and breakfast options. Add in beer, coffee, dessert options, a cooler full of drinks and you got yourself a great spot to eat! Really great places to sit down, both indoors & outdoors. Outdoor patio has heaters to keep it warm. I'll be back!

Hands down the best sando in the area. Please do yourself a favor and order the Wasabi Beef 👌🏻 this sando hit the spot! P.S The churro muffin didn’t make the picture but that pastry tastes like heaven!

I travel the nation bi-weekly, and am always on the search for great sub sandwiches. Easy to say, this is probably the BEST Caprese Sandwich I've had to date! The bread was perfect the ingredients fresh, and the addition of pickles made it perfect!

Great sandwiches and lots of outdoor seating when the weather is good. I got the Ham and Poppy, which was delicious.

Pretty good fast-casual spot that takes a "cheffy" approach to sandwiches. I preferred the Cali Cubano over the BBQ Rib Sandwich. Keep expectations in line: as solid as this place is, it doesn't transcend its genre -- it is still only a sandwich shop.

Overall- 5/5 Ambiance 5/5 - Casual cafe with plenty of seating (both indoor and outdoor) and lots of natural light. You have to find street parking nearby, but we went on a Sunday and it was really easy to do that. We really enjoyed the rock music they were playing at the moment. Service 5/5 - Very nice team working there. The service was fast, and when we asked them for recommendations they took the time to share what was popular. Very friendly - keep it up BFD! :) Food 4/5 Potato Hot Box - Solid dish. I would've enjoyed some more if the potatoes were crispier and the portion a bit bigger. Cali Cubano - Hubby ordered this, was REALLY delicious. My mouth is watering just thinking about it...

I've gone here a few times and the service always stands out. The staff at Big Front Door are always friendly, kind, and welcoming, which adds to the inviting atmosphere of the space. You'll note when you step in that the menu is fairly large, and it can be hard to choose! Personally, the best I've tried so far is the Hoisin-Ginger Pulled Pork. The sandwiches themselves are pretty big and reasonably packed, so you can easily get two meals out of them. I took the menu's advice and grabbed a churro muffin ("you have to have one") and it definitely didn't disappoint! The restaurant offers a mix of indoor and outdoor seating and is a great place to relax while you eat. That said, I might suggest ordering ahead (even if you're dining in) as the sandwiches in my experience can take a bit to come out, even when it's not crowded.

Big Front Door (BFD) in University Heights has been a favorite local deli for a few of my friends. I finally visited recently after driving past the shop for the umpteenth time. There were free diagonal parking spaces available in front of most of the businesses on Park Blvd, however you needed to reverse into them which is not the norm. The corner suite was mostly empty upon my arrival. I did like the open air setup of the indoor dining area that fed directly to an adjacent outdoor patio. Three menus were written on sheets from large paper rolls that hung on the wall to the right of the service counter. Breakfast items and salads were on the right, hot sandwiches were in the middle, and cold sandwiches were on the left. The sandwich prices ranged between $10 and $13 which weren't too bad, however I didn't think they were quite 12 inches in length. Of the 14 cold varieties, my pick was the Wasabi Beef. The ingredients were roast beef, sesame seed, scallion, red bell pepper, pea sprout, wasabi aioli, and soy ginger sauce on a torpedo style roll. The meat quality was decent, but what made this product were the aioli and sauce. Each brightened the sandwich with a sharp, pungent flavor. The white bread was fresh and soft which is always a good benchmark. My lunchtime BFD experience was worthy of four stars.

The food was great and definitely fresh! Service was quick and easy, appreciate the cashier for her patience. My only complaint was the amount of flies in the area but the restaurant does have a big outdoor seating area with a huge door so it's understandable. Parking was also difficult to find They don't do combo meals, chips/sides are charged in separate along with drinks!

I tried to venture out and try a new sandwich for my second visit and got burned lmao. The B3 was super disappointing and actually ranks as one of my least favorite sandwiches I've ever had in my entire life. Unless you ADORE steamed brussel sprouts, avoid this sandwich at all costs. I like brussel sprouts. So when I read the description of a blackened chicken sandwich with brussel sprouts, Brie, and sauces, I was down to try it, expecting thinly sliced, crispy/roasted brussel sprouts. I wasn't expecting WHOLE STEAMED brussel sprouts taking up 70% of the sandwich. The blackened chicken and any of the other flavors in this sandwich were hidden away from the sheer force of brussel sprouts in this sandwich. The balance is so, so wrong. Unfortunately, I couldn't finish the sandwich. I think they need to go back to the drawing board on this one. But maybe I'm wrong, because there are many positive reviews of this sandwich on yelp. I'm still leaving a positive overall review because I enjoyed the LGBT so much last time. Now I'm kind of scared to try anything else on their menu, but I'm sure they're good. I'll be safe and stick to the LGBT...

Summary: Deli sandwich spot with a wide selection of flavor profiles to choose from. Cold sandwiches to hot sandwiches to breakfast sandwiches. As you may hope from a sandwich spot, they do sandwiches really well, from the bread to the contents. I had the hoisin-ginger pulled pork sandwich. The flavors were well-balanced and the bread had a great bite to it. We ordered our meals for carry-out, so can't speak too much on the ambiance of the venue itself, but the experience of ordering the food was simple and easy. Would definitely recommend if you're looking for a solid sandwich to enjoy!

Overall: delicious, filling, and fairly priced sandwiches, fun menu, kind and fast service, with a chill indoor/outdoor ambiance Honestly, this was probably one of the best fast casual sandwiches I've ever had. If I lived locally, I'd totally be a regular for the Cali Cubano and honestly there was a ton on their menu I was stoked to try. Everything was fresh, balanced, and tasty!

Some of sandwiches here are just bonkers good. Like blow your mind. The staff is pretty friendly and talkative. I feel like they have a unique cast of people that work there. Vibes are good. Restaurant is clean.

Craving a delicious and freshly made sandwich? And you want to support local? Come here!!! My favorite sandwich spot. It can get a little breezy with their outdoor seating so come with a jacket just in case! Grab a soda and a bag of chips and you're set! Service 10/10 Taste 12/10 Ambiance 10/10

This place has recently been recommended to me and I can't believe I haven't heard of it sooner! I love a good sandwich and Big Front Door has good ass sandwiches that are a huge portion for a reasonable price! They also offer salads, breakfast options that sounded delicious and a variety of beers and beverages We came in with an hour to closing so the place was pretty quiet but there is plenty of seating inside as well as an outside porch Will definitely recommend this place moving forward!

Loved my sandwich from BFD. When I arrived in a weekday for a quick dinner, there was no line. The worker at the front was super friendly and talked to me about menu items she had recently had that she enjoyed. I opted for an avo highway with added turkey and my total came out to roughly $16. Although I didn't stay long, there was ample indoor seating should you need it. The sandwich is LOADED and honestly filling after only eating half of the sandwich. It was also made fresh to order and took a bit of time to be made which I appreciated. Cannot recommend BFD enough if you're in the area!

Very tasty well made sandwiches. The staff/ management were friendly and completely accommodating to our dietary restrictions. I highly recommend.

More like three and a half I'm very disappointed that they have changed the menu so that the turkey club no longer has turkey. It's been going on for a year and I refuse to order it with chicken I finally ordered it with chicken the other day and it was horrible it was not the same as the turkey club at all so I don't recommend the turkey club unless they actually have turkey. On the upside I do like the tuna melt now.

these sandwiches are huge and so yummy! the cookies are great as well. my favorite is the breakfast sandwiches

I thought the sandwiches were delicious here. I got the smokey the Meatloaf and it was delicious. Seasoned perfectly. Good size and value. I got a side of the asparagus bisque soup and wow was this flavorful and delicious. Perfectly creamy and the stalks of asparagus was the perfect crunch to the creaminess. The egg plant ball was good as well and I don't generally care for eggplant but it was delicious. Chicken parmesan sandwich my friend said was good. Service was great.

Ordered to go and ate at home for our work from home lunch and it sure did not disappoint. Food/price: - B.g.p ($12.25): roast beef, house smoked gouda, pepperoncini, lettuce, roma tomato, red onion, oil & vinegar, chipotle aioli on sourdough bread. The pepperoncini made this sandwich, adding such a delicious tang and hint of spice that cut the roast beef and added so much flavor. And the portion was so big! - Tuna melt ($13): long line albacore tuna, cornichon, red onion, celery, aioli, tomato, cheddar on sourdough bread. My favorite of the two sandwiches we got. I've never seen cornichon in the tuna melt before but it was a great idea - added a delicious crunch to your bite and flavor! Will definitely do this at home too. The sourdough bread on both sandwiches were so good, I could eat it alone. They don't skimp out on the filling either. Loved this sandwich.

Really good sandwiches! Stopped in for lunch on a Saturday, it was not crowded, flow was easy. Menu on R wall at entrance. Service was great: nice cashier and server. Food came out at a fair time, it was not quick as these sandwiches have more than just deli meat & cheese. Ordered: Cali Cubans, B3 and 2 kid grilled cheese, along with Dirty chips yum! The B3 was so good, roasted sprouts, spicy flavored chunks of chicken on ciabatta. Cali Cubano was delish according to those that ate it. Kids grilled cheese, chose sourdough. It came with a saucer of fruit which was a nice surprise. Patio: super windy this day but had couples seating available, we put two tables together since there were 5 of us. It was clean and had a relaxing ambiance. I would drive here again to eat the b3! It's different and yummy, stands out from the typical deli sandwiches.

I work near by and and was in search for a easy take out dinner that's more on the healthier side and came across this deli. It has sparked my interest in the past being that it has giant windows - it looks super welcoming! I was able to snag parking first loop around the restaurant on the street and walked on in. There was no line at all! I ordered the tuna melt for myself and a club for fiancé and of course picked up one of each of the desserts because life is short. I waited under 10 minutes for my order and went on my way out. I do want to say they have the cutest outdoor little patio section perfect for a sunny day and also beer on tap- good to know for my next trip there. It's very spacious, clean, and good tunes are playing so it's not awkward if you want to dine alone! My tuna melt was phenomenal. Bread toasted to perfect, buttery but not greasy. The cheese pairing was perfect and the tuna was fresh and not too fishy. It was hard to not eat the whole sandwich in one sitting My fiancé attacked his sandwich so I unfortunately did not get a picture of his club but he said it was really good! Don't skip out on the churro muffins!!

Took my Pops out to lunch and he says he wants a BLT. We came to Big Front Door and received a warm welcome from behind the counter. The space is open and inviting. Dog and human friendly! I enjoyed a b.g.p. and barely finished half. The cross section of every sandwich is Pinterest worthy: fresh produce, house smoked meats, ample portions. I immediately texted my family at home and took 3 more sandwich creations to go! Will definitely return :) Thank you.

Was craving a more healthy option and decided to come here based on the high reviews. The restaurant is an open space with fans, and you can sit wherever you want after you order from the front. I ordered to go but it felt cool and relaxing while I sat waiting for my order. The Keeper: One of the hot sandwiches, and it was amazing! I always have doubts with chicken breast since it can always be dry the moment it's overcooked, but here it was very juicy, nicely done. All the other ingredients go together very well, I love the garlic aioli with bbq sauce, and the lettuce and bacon. 5/5 BGP: One of the cold sandwiches with roast beef, with gouda, lettuce, tomato, vinegar and soudough. I wasn't as big a fan of this sandwich. The beef was too tough and didn't have much flavor by itself. Wasn't much better with the pepperoncini, tomatoes, vinegar, and sourdough, which I thought was too sour of a combo. The chipotle aioli is good, but I wish there was more of that flavor. Crazy that this sandwich is the more expensive one despite being cold and not as good. 2.5/5

Clean, friendly, quick service. Sandwiches were very tasty and pretty good sized. Breezy and bright interior with lots of table. Bathroom was very clean when we went. Have to ask for a key to use. Will be back!

If I could give six stars to BFD I would. I am only devastated that I can't come back here on a regular basis as I am only visiting from out of town. The photos of the sandwiches looked so good and as a sandwich connoisseur,I could not resist. Every ingredient was fresh, the bread was soft & doughy, and the condiments are all house made. You can really tell they put their heart and souls into these babies. I think we ate these in record time. The employee was also kind and attentive. I wish I could come back and try more! Don't miss out on this AMAZING spot.

Solid lunch place with plenty options and good quality sandwiches. Would recommend. Service and ambiance are just ok but it's a sit down deli, not really expecting anything fabulous in that regard. Some of the sandwiches are a bit too weird and creative, mixing stuff that doesn't go together. But many of them are super nice.

Actually has a really great variety of sandwiches, we tried 3 different ones and all were great. Hot, cold, the salads consistently great. On top of the quality, the prices are good and the place is really clean and open. A great place for a hot summer day. Food comes out quick and great. Would recommend to anyone.

Tried BFD for the first time after a huge sandwich craving and it was such a hit! It's located under what seems to be an apartment building (lucky tenants!). Found street parking pretty easily on a Sunday afternoon. The huge handwritten menu welcomes you at the door with a pretty large selection of cold & hot sandwiches, salads, & breakfast items. We ordered the Club and the Cali Cubano and were not disappointed. Don't be fooled when you get your sandwich and think they're small because they are PACKED and so filling! Wiill definitelt be coming back to try the rest of the menu lol!

Amazzzzing sandwiches! B3 was so good!!! My husband got the chicken parm sandwich & that one was amazing too. Nice, open door spot. Lots of seating. Staff was friendly and helpful, answered all questions & recommendations. Highly recommend stopping by for a quick lunch!

We live close by and we're obsessed with this sandwich shop. I recently got a super simple bfast sandwich with eggs, avo, and chipotle sauce; it was magnificent. My boyfriend always gets a variety of their sandwiches, with the latest being the Sonoran. Service is always fast and friendly; bonus points for how nice they are to people's dogs! Our doggo loves their treats :)

Great service, great food! Love the area, stumbled upon this place through yelp, and didn't disappoint!

The hubby and I swung back by BFD for lunch, thinking we'd get a salad, but quickly changed our minds after remembering how bummed we were last time for not ordering a breakfast sando. He ordered the basic breakfast sandwich which was on a super soft and fluffy ciabatta roll, served hot with scrambled and almost soufflés like eggs, the house aioli which added a nice creaminess to the sandwich, cheese and bacon. It was superb and definitely worth getting any time of day. I ordered a cup of chili which was meaty, tangy, had a mild kick, had fresh chopped scallions and grated cheese on top to tie it together. It was delicious and I would've ordered a bowl knowing how good it was. The side of cucumber salad I ordered was to counteract the heavy rich chili I ate. The cucumbers were very vinegary but remained crisp; something I'd pass on next time.

BFD Sandwiches is a modern sandwich shop with an extensive menu of hot and cold sandwiches. They even have a full coffee bar in house. Right away, I noticed how welcoming the staff were here. They were smiling and bubbly, and asked right away if my friends and I had any questions. We ordered four sandwiches: the cubano, the Sonoran chicken, the club, and the chicken Parmesan. The Sonoran chicken sandwich was the star of the show: it came with a slab of fire roasted poblano pepper, cheese, chicken, and roasted corn. You'd think that corn in a sandwich would taste weird, but you'd be wrong. It was delicious. The club sandwich stood out as well- their bacon portion was more than generous. Lastly, if you have a sweet tooth like me, please try the churro muffin- it's delicious. One more thing: they were very sweet to my friend's dog and brought us some dog treat samples that they made in house. I'll be back. :)

We love sandwiches so we were excited to try this spot out! We did an order for pick up and it was easy to navigate. They have street parking right in front and they had my order waiting when I arrived. I ordered the wasabi beef. It was a lovely presentation but I do wish the beef itself had more flavor. The toppings were wonderful. I will be back as the entire menu looks delicious

I just had one of the best club sandwiches. The bacon was crunch, bread was nicely toasted, fresh lettuce and tomato, and a decent amount of turkey ham. Some places are shy with the turkey amount, but not this one. I definitely recommend. The area has easy to find street parking. The place is wide open and vented so if its chilly outside, bring a hoodie.

The breakfast sandwiches here are no joke -- hands down one of the best in San Diego. They also are ginormous - the perfect Saturday brunch meal to hold you over until dinner time. My fiancé used to get these sandwiches after a long run when he was training for a marathon. We like to order ahead and pick up our sandwiches as sometimes the wait is long on the weekend. Otherwise we love enjoying the sandwiches in their open air cafe space.

Waited 40 minutes for sandwhich and soup... This was incredibly irritating since the family of 5 received their sandwiches, though they ordered minutes after me. After i got my food i asked if there was a spoon in the bag and the cashier says, "Oh yeah, we forgot the soup and runs to the back". Yoooo, 35 minutes for a sandwich and they can't remember a simple soup. Nope, not for me. 2 stars since the cream of mushroom was good.

Huge portions!!! Was finally able to stop into BFD for a working lunch earlier this week. Definitely a cafe style stop on Park Ave that if you blink you'll miss. Great open seating + patio, friendly staff and apparently a sandwich menu that changes periodically. I went with the BGP and it was pretty good! Loved the chipotle aioli and the freshly toasted bread. Will definitely be back to try the coffee and breakfast sandwiches.

Just went to this place on a whim while driving around North Park. Once we looked at the menu we had a hard time deciding since everything sounded so good....great counter service and good music playing. Ordered the Loins of Fire and it was so tastt. Just the right amount of spice and juiiceness. Pork Loin tasted juicy and fresh. We will be back. Great pricing as well.

11/10!!! This place is SO good. My husband and I have tried nearly everything off of the menu so this review is soooo over due. He loves the Cali Cubano and Club. My go-tos are the B3, buffalo chicken and Sonoran Chicken. The cookies are delicious and staff is always so friendly! We love this place and highly recommend!

This place rules. Everyone really nice. Great selection of drinks and extra items. The desserts are fantastic and my dog is obsessed with their magical treats. Tons of spots to sit and chill. Food is very filling, sandies are THICCCC

on vacation my husband and I had lunch here, wow a great place, great food , will definitely revisit on our next vacation there Charlotte / chandler az

Absolutely the best sandwich in town! The service is friendly and fast and the location is convenient. Keep in mind the parking can be tough but if you get it to go you can park in the 15 minute spots out front! My fav is the caprese on sourdough with bacon.

I was looking forward to trying this place. I placed a carry out order and was eating my sandwich when I pulled out a long, dark hair. This is disgusting.

Cobb salad was great. Cuban sandwich was pretty good but bread got soggy and normally would not have avocado on it. But still tasty. I liked the peanut noodles. Cute beachy feel patio. Got breezy and chilly in the shade. Bring your sweater! I'd go back for sure.

Popped in for lunch grabbed a cali cubano and some Mac salad. I'm a sucker for a good Cuban and this place delivered; Mac salad was alright but the sandwich was great. Guy who took my order was really nice. If I had more time I would've liked to eat there and enjoy the cool indoor/outdoor vibe

Very solid sandwich! I was lucky to try some when I was volunteering during SD Pride. The vegetarian/vegan options were just as good as the meat-centric ones, so I was sold. I really enjoyed the avocado highway (lettuce, tomato, parmesan crisp, I forget what else) and I bet it would be a total banger with bacon. The pork loin sandwich was a little bit tough, but perfect in terms of flavor and spice (enjoyed the heat from the pickled jalapenos and poblano). Despite having made a zillion sandwiches for the event, BFD really won in terms of quality control. The packaging and presentation were pristine and I was impressed. Definitely up there on the list of SD's best sandwiches.

B3 Sandwich - blackened chicken, brussels, brie, aioli, honey dijon, ciabatta Club Sandwich - turkey, bacon, lettuce, roma tomato, mayo, oil & vinegar, house mustard, sourdough Holy moly these sandwiches were amazing!!! Club sandwich was classic and perfectly done. B3 was out of this world. So flavorful, so interesting in ingredient choice, worked perfectly. Breads were excellent. New favorite sandwich place!!!

Location: I haven't been here since they were at their old spot, but now it's located at the bottom of some residences. I like the new spot a lot as it has open-air seating. Parking is street parking only. Surprisingly on a Saturday afternoon, it wasn't challenging at all. Service: they were really friendly despite it being busy. Sandwiches did take quite a while, but maybe it's because we ordered hot sandwiches. It was worth the wait. I ordered the "keeper" - it was spicy and flavorful. My sister ordered a sandwich with Brussel sprouts, which was so unique and really quite good! The bread was so plush (think I got ciabatta). We would definitely come back !

Great selections and they have different options compared to other sandwich shops. Fresh delicious and reasonably priced for the location.

I've been coming to BFD for years - like when they were just a couple of blocks down from their 'new' location. The old place had a lot of personality and the new place is modern - but the food quality is still excellent! They have an assortment of cold and hot sandwiches with some nice sides (chips, potato salad,etc.) and some sandwich names that will just make you smile (reflective of the area). And they have a really nice outside patio to sit with your 4 legged friends. Service is top notch - everyone has been extremely friendly and the recommendations have been great!

Parked a block away. Open air seating area on a overcast breezy day. Dog friendly. Beverage options include diet coke, wine. Service was meh. Garbage a bit hard to find was overflowing at 1:30pm on a Saturday. Chicken parm on a soft plain ciabatta with a crispy parmesan crisp which was needed, chicken, mediocre red sauce, and I asked for no basil. BBQ chips were meh. Chocolate chip cookie had a not so fresh odd sweet taste I did not like much. Music was good, The Cars song Drive. Sandwich, chips, can of diet coke, and a cookie for $20 + tip.