Bara's Deli
Bara's Deli
Michelangelo. @_emwong_
Lettuce wrap, cali club added sprouts, jalapeños, peperoncini , and black olives...subbed Swiss for cheddar...PEFECTION
a bara deli sandwich wrapped in paper
a receipt for a phone order
The Mechanic
Small Caprese Salad
Sandwich Wrapper
The Heat Seeker
Dutch crunch, roasted turkey, pesto, provolone!
Inside
Michelangelo
So many beverages to choose from!
the inside of a deli
interior
Cali club + $1 pesto.
Turkey, pesto, provolone on Dutch crunch. So big I couldn't fit it in my mouth in one bite!
interior
Italian Combo Sandwich
outside
Inside
Bara's Deli
Sandwiches
Front with a nice Merch display
bagels
Iona C.
Dec 12, 2024
Sundays can be the saddest day of the week simply because a craving for a well crafted sandwich can hit you followed by the realization that this place is closed lol. My absolute favorite sandwich to get from Bara's is their Italian combo - pepperoni, dry salami and mortadella with your choice of cheese (I liked a smoked gouda) and other toppings on a Dutch crunch roll; however, Bara's recommends their soft sweet roll with provolone or mozzarella cheese... to each their own. While the amount of meat packed into this sandwich has varied each time I've ordered it, I've definitely never been hungry afterward. Some other favorites include the Bay Area Special - golden roasted turkey, black forest ham and roast beef with your choice of bread and toppings - and also the Bam Bam - roast beef, pastrami and corned beef with smoked gouda cheese and your choice of bread. The wait time on a sandwich is never too long except for certain sunny Saturdays in the spring/summer when everyone seems to want to grab one before going off to the park.
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Stephanie G.
Mar 1, 2025
Poor customer service and made no effort to recover from their mistake! They will make you wait 45 minutes for an online order even if you ordered while in their store. We ordered our sandwiches in the store using their QR code that they advertised on a sign by the counter. After ordering it said it would take 20 minutes. 45 minutes later (which is over the time it said it would be ready) we're still waiting in the restaurant from the time we ordered while sitting at their tables. Meanwhile handfuls of other customers ordered at the counter and came and went. We spoke the employee at the counter and they said they prioritize in person orders. Well we technically ordered in person because we were in store when we made the order that they advertised to use. They made no effort to apologize and they clearly don't make the orders in which they are ordered in no matter if it was ordered online through their app they advertise in store or at the counter. It's unfortunate that they don't deserve our business for their poor service and lack of effort to recover their mistake. It's definitely worth going to another deli in Castro Valley than this one.Addendum:We checked in 2 times the employee at the counter while waiting. The first time they said it's coming up (took another 20 minutes). The second time, it came in a few minutes but by that point we were in the restaurant for 45 minutes.
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Kristine F.
Oct 12, 2024
I was hungry after walking at Marina Park and checked my bookmarks for a new spot to check out. Bara's came up and I immediately scanned the menu. It always feels nice to support a local small business too.Eats:Caprese Panini + Grilled ChickenGarlic Beef PaniniCali Club x2Small Caprese SaladSmall Pesto Pasta Salad w/ ArtichokeI also grabbed family size bags of Ruffles Cheddar & Sour Cream + Original Sun Chips.I dived into the cheesy Caprese panini first, couldn't wait so I ate in the car. Absolutely loved the melted cheese but the bread was soggy and wet from the tomato and pesto. Not sure if it's because the sandwich was prepared by someone being trained? Garlic beef was tasty. Cali club was loaded with ingredients: turkey, cheese, bacon and avocado. Would've liked the bread to be toasted. I wonder if I can request that next time. Toasted bread just elevates a sandwich to a whole new level. I appreciate how they packed the deli salad containers pretty full and took the time to make it look presentable as well. The mini mozzarella balls were layered nicely with fresh basil and plump grape tomatoes. Pesto pasta salad was simple but a great side to the cheesy paninis. I might add some chili flakes next time.I'll have to try the Michaelangelo sandwich which has salami and prosciutto. Check out their impressive back wall of various beverages! Cookies, brownies, and ice cream pints available for sweet tooths.
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Irene Elizondo C.
Mar 5, 2025
Delicious & very filling. There are many choices of sandwiches to pick from or you can customize your own. They also have drinks, chips, desserts, salads & soup. The service is great & the place is always clean & well organized. I love this place & highly recommend it. I wish they had a place to sit down to better enjoy my sandwich.
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Matt S.
Feb 8, 2025
The minute I walked in I was greeted. The menu had a multiple options of different kinds of sandwiches, and a build your own option. Also, the chips and drink options had awide array. I ordered the Cali club sandwich and it was amazing. For the price which was around $15, they definitely gave a lot of meat and condiments. Baras used to be a liquor store, but they eventually converted it to a sandwich deli which was a great idea. Everybody, I know who's been There says they love the food. The staff are nice and the deli is clean. I highly recommend this place If you like sandwiches and pasta. I will definitely be returning to Baras in the future.
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Lynn N.
Jul 26, 2024
I am a sandwich lover, and Bara's was definitely a great spot! If I could, it would be a solid 3.5 star. The area is very nice, and the deli shop itself is roomy and inviting! There are spaces for indoor and outdoor dining.There were a variety of sandwiches, and when I asked for a recommendation, the worker said she did not have a favorite, but offered the popular ones.The Godfather was meaty and thick! The salami pulls through with this sandwich and the soft roll was nice. I think it was a bit too salty though! I also liked the Bay Area Special, it was lighter but just as decadent. I wished the dutch crunch was crunchier, but overall solid sandwich.This was a more affordable sandwich spot as well, and I hope to try more flavors in the future.
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Amy T.
Apr 1, 2024
I met up with a good friend of mine for lunch and decided to get sandwiches. It was our first time at Bara's and they did not disappoint! We met up on a Thursday around noon and it was busy! We were able to snag a table and also got our sandwiches within 5 minutes of ordering! Service here is pretty quick which made the lunch rush unnoticeable. I ordered the Bay Area Special with pepper jack cheese on dutch crunch bread. They are very generous with their meat portions and all the other fixings which I loved. I love sandwiches and this sandwich definitely hit the spot. The sandwich came out to be about $13.75 but their portions are huge! I was only able to eat half the sandwich and had leftovers for later :) I will definitely be back to try their other sandwiches if I am in the area!
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Desi B.
May 17, 2024
Found this place as I was in the area for an appointment and checked them on Yelp to see they had great star rating but mixed reviews. Didn't know what to expect upon walking in but my service was nothing to complain about. Food did come out fairly quick and that was nice considering it was a lunch rush when I came in. What I ordered-The godfather- based on the description, it reminded me of an Italian sandwich. Thought it was perfect for hubby as this is typically his go to at other sandwich spots and he is a meat eater. We thought the sandwich was okay, actually too much meat IMO maybe needed other fresh ingredients to cut the meaty taste. It was also very huge, not easy to fully bite into. It was also a bit dry maybe more aiolo would have helped. The mechanic- this one was the better of the two. The hot link and pepperoni combo was great. Would love to come back and try a turkey sandwich or other options next time. They do have a great beverage selection as well, bunch of stuff I have never seen.
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Darin T.
May 28, 2024
I was initially drawn to Bara's due to the rave reviews and foodie influencers hyping them up on IG. Parking is pretty difficult, but they do have street parking if you can't find a spot in the lot. It's a good sign that it's busy, indicating the food is worth the hype. I ordered my sandwich online, and when you go inside, there's really no indication of what you should do. There's a sign that says "Pick Up Here," but there is only one cashier manning a long line of walk-ins, making you feel awkward walking up to ask if your order is ready, almost like you're cutting the line of walk ins. When you ask and it's not ready, you feel like an inconvenience and just go back to waiting around. I would suggest they revamp their order system to a modern screen system that actually shows whose order is up, rather than having to interrupt the line. Logistically that probably takes some work but the current system they have needs work. I don't fault them for being busy, but the way you pick up orders is just very antiquated.The first time, I got a roast beef sandwich on Dutch crunch, which is my favorite. It was just okay. The roast beef was tender enough, which I liked, but the flavor was off--almost an artificial smoke flavor that I didn't enjoy. It was fine, super messy to eat, but not worth the wait. Thinking maybe I ordered the wrong thing, I went again and ordered a grilled chicken sandwich, which is my standard for judging any sandwich place. Again, the awkwardness of the pickup. So busy, no idea where my order was, and asking felt like being a bother. It finally came out with an apology from the owner. The staff is trying hard, so I don't blame them; it just needs a revamp. Either more staff, an "order up" screen, or something. I've seen it done better at other places.The grilled chicken sandwich was just average. It had chicken, cheese, veggies, and condiments, which is easy to get right, but it was again super messy to eat. I don't mind a messy sandwich if it's delicious, but this was just average taste-wise, unfortunately. I really wanted to love it, but I didn't.I love small businesses and encourage any biz in this area, so it pains me to leave a less-than-4-star review. But I'm just not into this one and have to be honest.
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Teresa S.
Apr 30, 2024
Definitely a hidden East Bay gem!! I finally got a chance to try out these sandwiches. There's plenty of parking, the restaurant was tidy and comfy. Although there was one order in front of us, we waited about 5 minutes to place our order at 3:39pm on a Tuesday afternoon. There was a line quickly forming after us. I will definitely place a mobile order next time. Our sandwiches were great. Solid 6" sandwich. Very fresh bread and Boars Head meats. Forgot to add Aioli on my Gobbler sandwich, so they gave me some on the side-although.... No jalapeño spread here. I found some hidden goodies such as giant deli pickles, piroshki's and carrot cake. Yum! The only we didn't get was Warm and Fuzzy's from their team. I guess there's no friendly way of hollering "NEXT!"
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