Ike's Downtown - Oakland

Violetta quickly learned my usual vegan orders and began suggesting different sandwiches for me to try, which I really appreciated. The online menu has always been available, but I was thrilled to see the wall menu updated recently, adding many more vegan options. Another major improvement has been the turnaround time for orders. I used to dread making the trip to Ike's because it often took at least 30 minutes to an hour from my nearby office to receive my sandwich. Now, since Violetta started, my sandwich is ready much faster. I now consider a trip to Ike's a quick 10-minute break from my busy workday. She always keeps you informed about the wait time when you order and has consistently surprised me by stating only seven minutes, and even five recently. Overall, there has been a significant enhancement in customer experience over the past year. The staff is doing an excellent job catering to customers. In the past, it felt like you were doing them a favor by visiting, which was a real turn-off. Now, it's a much more enjoyable experience.

We enjoy bringing both vegans and non-vegans to this place. Our favorites are the Pee Wee and the Meatless Mike.

There are so many delicious sandwiches here! The Meatless Mike and the Eggplant are both fantastic. They also offer gluten-free options, which is a great bonus!

This is is great spot to grab a vegan sub, especially if you are with a non-vegan crowd. I got the vegan Meatless Mike, which is their meatball sub, and it was delicious. Apparently PETA has recognized their vegan meatballs as being some of the best (I found this amusing). The sub also had vegan provolone cheese and marinara. At $9.99, the price wasn't too bad either--I would say it was absolutely worth it for what I got. I can't wait to return to try their other options!

I stopped in for lunch with a friend. There was a line as it was peak lunchtime, but it moved fairly quickly. The menu lists several vegan options, but when I ordered, I had to ask about the bread (whole wheat is not vegan) and repeat that I wanted everything vegan. We both ordered the Pilgrim sandwich which was good. They also give lollipops in the bag and the staff remembered at the last second to double check if we wanted vegan ones, so we swapped ours out. Overall, a good place to grab a quick bite.