CA (Multiple Locations) – Ike’s Place Sandwich Shops

This is the sandwich shop or our dreams. When it comes to gluten-free and vegan (including dairy-free), there are options for everything at Ike’s Place (also known as Ike’s Love & Sandwiches). And the best part – there’s no upcharge for special diet requests!

Even beyond what you see on the menu above, Ike’s Place has vegan cheese and a vegan version of their famous “dirty sauce” available (the regular “dirty sauce” is dairy-free, but contains egg), both at no extra charge. For strict vegans, they also have vegan meat options and suggested plant-based sandwiches. And the staff informed us that all of the breads they use (there are a few options to choose from) are dairy-free and vegan.

I was excited to trial Ike’s Place out as it had been a while since we’d found a good sandwich spot. That said, I thought the prices seemed slightly high at first – that is until we ordered two of their MASSIVE sandwiches served on hefty sub rolls.

Unless otherwise requested, the sandwiches at Ike’s Place are served hot. This turned out to be perfect for special diet swaps – Tony’s gluten-free bread (also sub style) was nicely toasted and a seamless flavor fit, and the dairy-free cheese on my sandwich melted in, making it hard to distinguish from dairy cheese.

To note, I’m not certain if the regular dirty sauce at Ike’s Place is naturally dairy-free. Since there was quite the line, I opted to stay on the safe side and just order the vegan dirty sauce rather than inquiring further. All in all, after working up voracious appetites from a morning 8 mile walk, we were stuffed and thoroughly satisfied.

We visited the Monterey location (my picture below), but Ike’s Place has locations throughout Northern and Southern California – from Santa Rosa in the north all the way down to San Diego. They even have one random sandwich shop location in Tempe, Arizona. See their website (below) for locations, menus and even online ordering!

Website: ilikeikesplace.com