Grapes & Hops Deli

Best sandwiches in San Diego. The number one is amazing. It’s also a liquor store and has a lot of different options.

Awesome family-​owned and operated deli with great sandwiches and a great selection of snacks and drinks! A must-​stop spot when you’re in San Diego!

We were looking for somewhere for lunch, this popped up so we thought we would give it a try. When we turned up, we were a little surprised by the wine and beer selection. Good variety of wines, good selection of beers plus over 20 different sandwiches!!!
We tried the Honey Bee, Boardwalk and the G &H Special, all of which hit the mark. The care taken to prepare and serve is excellent. The ingredients are beautiful. Lots of love go into making these sandwiches.
We sat outside — there is not a lot of seating, but there is enough for a few small groups. Take away and online ordering are available.
Since we are visiting from Australia we were unsure what to expect. Overall a great experience. Well worth the trip downtown to grab some lunch.

Walked in and greeted with a friendly «How’s it going chief» classic greeting, asked a few questions and I went with the G&H special on a white roll, it looked and tasted delicious. Looks like I found my new lunch spot.

Service was great as others have noted, but if I’m going to give a deli a good review I need to be full after eating the sandwich. The sandwiches here are just too small and don’t come with enough meat.

Grapes & Hops is great! It’s a little deli right inside the liquor store. The staff is super cool and the food is amazing, what more can you ask for?! They have a punch card, so you after your 6^th visit you can get your sandwich or salad free! I can’t wait to go back and try more off of their menu!

Little whole in the wall deli inside a liquor store. Very small, and as other reviewers have noted, there’s not much room or organization when it comes to waiting and placing your order.
Decent selection of sandwiches, chips, and drinks (alcoholic and non), and average customer service. They have a small outdoor seating space with metal chairs and plastic tables which were better than nothing. I got the Gaslamp Elite with ham, swiss, pears, lettuce, and mayo on Squaw bread. The sandwich was on the smaller side and for 3 sandwiches, 2 bags of chips, and 3 bottles of water the total was $ 38ish. Steep for the ambiance and size of the meal… The flavor was great, I’ll give them that.
Pricey but yummy… I’d stop by again if I was in the area.

Awesome deli and wine shop in the heart of East Village. They use Boars Head brand — my favorite! And have a nice selection of specialty sandwiches or create your own. It’s a pretty tight space but they manage to pack in a nice selection of moderately price wine, liquor, craft beer and refrigerated drinks — plenty to look at while you wait for your sandwich. I like the G&H Special!
Also they do a generous reward program — buy 5 or 6 (?) sandwiches and you get one free!

I visited Grapes and Hops, and after my first visit, I have to say the lot of you are on some form of Walter White inspired blue meth to keep repeatedly giving this establishment 5 stars.
I was really torn between giving 3 stars and 2, but they were rude and impatient and that tipped it over in my book. Nobody deserves a 3, ‘average’, for being a jerk.
So as I made my way through the maze of liquor bottles in this tiny bottle shop and got up to the sandwich counter, a man (the owner? no idea) came to take my order. He was a tiny bit rude and acted very impatient, giving me snippy responses to simple questions. He wasn’t even going to ask me what bread I wanted my sandwich on until I asked him what bread it came with. Having someone be rude and impatient to you when you came to them for lunch is really awful. I’m sorry if you had a bad day, but guess what, your shit attitude made my lunch bad. I have bad days at my work too, but I don’t take it out on random people.
The line was squeezed between walls of liquor, so as I waited my turn I wondered what would happen if someone entered the shop — who would they shove past to get inside? Probably me, I have that ‘I’m the friendly guy’ look, and people like to shove past me. I’ve taken to holding dual UZI’s and they stopped. Thanks, NRA!
Anyway I had to wait for my sandwich to finish and they brought it to me. With all the 5 star reviews this place got, I at LEAST expected one of the best sandwiches I ever tasted. But no way it was not the best, and moreover, the bread I had requested was half stale and not the right texture any more. How are you giving people stale bread? Wtf.
To his credit Mr. Rudeface McGee later came by and asked how things were and said some thinly veiled, pre-​rehearsed, half-​hearted platitude he didn’t even believe himself because I think deep down he knew he had not been cool. But too late.
They charged me 12 bucks for my meal. I’ve had a similar meal at other deli’s for up to 5 bucks less, and they tasted better too.
It’s doubtful if I would ever give this place a second chance. There are plenty of places nearby, and catty-​corner from this place is a real 5-​star joint unlike this one.

ENVIRONMENT:
This place is a liquor store and the deli section is not visible from the street. but it’s straight back as you enter. Table seating available for small groups in the front. No indoor seating. NO RESTROOMS.
PARKING:
Street metered parking is best. Takes credit cards.
FOOD:
Honey Bee on white $ 8.99
FEEDBACK:
It’s just alright. Its not mind blowing and flavor was not that unique to warrant $ 8.99. They dont pile the meat high which is disappointing since its kind of pricey. For a buck or two more… You can have restaurant quality at a more formal establishment so I dont really get the hype here. Maybe their alcohol has Unilocalers buzzing under the influence. Lol
Given a choice for next time, I would go ¼ mile up the street and purchase the same Boar’s Head brand deli meat from Ralph’s and make a dozen sandwiches myself from the comfort of my own home.

This place is deli heaven! Called in our order because we knew we were going to get there during the prime time lunch hour. The guy on the phone was incredibly friendly and patience even though he had a huge line in front of him. He was manning the register and the phones and there were a couple people manning the deli counter.
I ordered the honey bee and added some red onions on toasted sourdough bread. IT WAS AMAZING. The bread was incredibly soft, warm, and a little toasty on the outside. The ingredients inside the sandwich were all very fresh and crisp. They don’t skimp on the meat! My sandwich was definitely half meat and then half everything else. If you’re a red onion lover, make sure to add some. It gives the sandwich a nice kick in taste and crunch in texture.
The line was pretty long, but that’s expected when you have an awesome deli. The guy manning the register felt bad about the delay in the line and offered everyone a soda on the house. Tons of franchise/​chain restaurants never offer anything in place of inconvenience or delay. It was a very nice gesture and something that would make me a return customer.
Next time around, I’m trying the California Thanksgiving! Can’t wait.

I don’t think this is necessarily the best local deli in SD, but I do think it’s the best deli IN a liquor store. So if it were to compare to regular stand alone delis it’s good, not the best as Unilocal rated it the #1 local spot.
I had no issues with the sandwich. They used high quality meats and ingredients and assorted bread which gave it an extra touch. I got the Joeys Classic Italian sandwich. They pack on 3 different meats of which they use boars head. The meat slices were thick and plentiful. I got my toasted and that was a mistake. It just got too oily and soaked in the bread. Next time I’ll try it not toasted. I got jalapeño bread and it had a good kick to it.
Overall, I wouldn’t say the best deli but it’s pretty high up. I know other deli that uses their own meat and it’s also very good, I still think Nosh is the top in downtown for lunch. But G&H is a good lunch spot, the Italian will cost you about $ 10. Make sure to check your sandwich as they gave my friend the wrong one.

Because I have absolutely impeccable luck, the day I decide to eat lunch at the little Italy Farmers Market a ocean evaporates into the sky and pours down on San Diego. As a result, the stands pack up right in front of my eyes, which I do not blame them for considering the roads were transformed into rivers. I vaguely remembered hearing about Grapes and Hops and decided to make the 1.5-mile trek across the flooded city. The reason I am emphasizing the weather is because the deli only has outdoor seating, which is impractical considering the circumstances. In my soaked state I was not in the mood to change my lunch plans, so I ordered anyways.
The man who took my order was friendly and we chatted as some unknown face made the sandwich. The store sells a plethora of alcohol and a few people staggered in to buy said liquid as the man and I observed in amusement. Also, he remarked on my fabulous order — «the best sandwich on the best bread» — which he most likely said out of pity of my drenched state. He also planned on me becoming a regular and gave me a punch card where the 6^th sandwich is free.
After getting my sandwich I went to Smash Burger to eat (I’m sorry if that was rude). Opening up the paper I noticed a pickle! What a pleasant surprise on such a dreary day. The sandwich was really very sweet, which is completely logical considering it was the Honey Bee. The turkey was great (they really pride themselves on Boar’s Head meat, I don’t know if that’s significant). If I were to order it again I would ask for less honey mustard because it was slightly overwhelming and I couldn’t taste the rosemary or Parmesan on the bread until one of the last bites with no fillings in it. But, I will not order it again because there are so many other sandwiches to try. I stole some Cholula from Smash Burger (even sorrier), which added a nice spice to the sandwich and toned down the sweetness.
For the record, the food was very good and I intend on going back, but only time will tell if I can make it to that 6^th sandwich.

Tasty sandwiches, really good customer service. Prices are pretty standard for the size and amount of toppings you get. Fresh bread, large portions of meat, avocado, fresh lettuce and tomato. They’re flexible if you want to change a mustard or other topping on their menu sandwiches. I had the honey bee, which was great. Overall tasty sandwiches!

What a neat find! I work around the corner from this ‘deli’ and have walked past it more times than I can remember, but had never noticed it before. The reason for this is because it is located inside of a liquor store (strange I know). A few of my co-​workers somehow discovered it and raved about it for days. Slowly people around the office began to try it and had nothing but glowing reviews as well so I finally became so curious I had to try it.
I looked at the menu before hand so knew exactly what I wanted, but keep in mind that they have an enormous amount of options and the online menu does not list it all. I decided on the Boardwalk sandwich; Chipotle chicken breast, picante provolone, red bell pepper, fresh avocado, mayo, spicy deli mustard, tomato and fresh green lettuce. I opted out of the mustard because that is just awful…
The highlight for me was the plethora of bread options. They provide an entire page worth of options ranging from different fresh breads to wraps. I decided on the jalapeño and cheddar bread which went GREAT with the already spicy chipotle chicken breast. The service was not incredibly fast, but still not too bad for lunch hour.
The bread was so fluffy and fresh while the meat was not only plentiful, but juicy as well. It is not too often that a simple sandwich impresses me like this, but I just loved it. I will absolutely be back.
The fact that the owner was extremely nice and inviting is a big plus as well!

As others have described, Grapes and Hops looks like a liquor store but operates as a well-​functioning deli. I grabbed a sandwich here after I was at an event in the East Village.
Like any valued local deli, it’s sweet that a number of the sandwiches are named in accordance with the location and patronage. I got the Market Street Select (Sausalito Turkey Breast, 3 Pepper Jack Cheese, Leaf Lettuce, Tomato, Red Onion, Mayo) on Rosemary Parmesan Bread. Ordering was seamless and the sandwich came out quick. I enjoyed it on the patio, which is a good place to observe foot and vehicular traffic pass by. The only minor thing I would have liked is for the bread to be slightly toasted.
All in all, Grapes and Hops has solid sandwiches with the right amount of ingredients and great customer service by the staff. There’s even a loyalty program that’s different than other typical sandwich spots: I believe you only need 6 purchases to get a reward!