Little Lucca - Sandwiches, South San Francisco

724 El Camino Real, South San Francisco CA 94080
(650) 589-8916
Parking: in parking lot, street parking
1809 El Camino Real, Burlingame CA 94010
(650) 697-8389
http://www.littlelucca.com/

Last Visited: May 13, 2012

Food: 3 stars
Atmosphere: N/A
Service: 2 to 3 stars
Price: $ to $$

Little Lucca's has been around since 1980.  The original location is housed in a historic building in South San Francisco.  While it's a super small shack, the place is always packed with a line out the door. 

Little Lucca's is known for their famous original garlic sauce and their hot pepper sauce.  These two sauces really add that something special, an extra bite, to each bite of your sandwich.  Inside the shack, there is a counter running the length of the building.  As you enter, you'll see the extensive menu behind the counter along with lots of special sandwiches too. Piles of fresh rolls are stacked up along the wall too.

Aside from the sauces, the large portions (about 8 to 10 inches of bread) plus the fresh ingredients (they're well known for their dutch crunch) really make the sandwich stand out. 

- Fire Roasted Steak Sandwich - Tender steak is sliced thin and heated in a microwave, then placed on a giant roll (I chose dutch crunch) along with the works.  Delicious flavor, however, because of the wait to pay (see below), the bread really turned soggy.  $8.25

While there is no seating inside the shack, there are a few picnic tables outside for you to enjoy your sandwich.  The cashier services pre-orders before walk-ins, so I had to wait a minute for one pre-order and another five minutes for the second pre-order to be paid.  The minutes were ticking away and my sandwich bread was turning soggy.  After a four minute walk nearby to a place that I could sit, the bread just didn't hold up to the fabulous sauces and moisture.  While the top was fine, the bottom was just starting to fall apart. 

If you can eat it nearly instantly, it is probably a four star sandwich, but I give it a solid three stars.  The green garlic sauce is really delicious and the portions make this a great value, but I would really like to get out the door faster. 

There is plenty of variety when it comes to available sandwiches, and they'll make it to your liking.
You can also pre-order via fax for pickup.  I would strongly recommend this for larger orders.  Also, cash is required for all orders under $10.