This wine shop sells some of the best sandwiches in SF

Editor’s note: In this recurring column, SFGATE food writers celebrate the Bay Area’s rich deli culture by spotlighting longtime family-run delis — the neighborhood institutions — and the newer community sandwich hubs.

With its layers of thinly sliced mortadella, salami and a generous heap of peppery arugula, the Italian American hoagie has become the unofficial menu specialty at Palm City Wines.

Palm City Wines, a trendy Outer Sunset eatery and wine bar, is found in a former liquor store on the peaceful corner of Irving Street and 42nd Avenue, where locals often stroll by with dogs in tow. On the side of the brown building, a yellow painted half-circle brightens the decades-old structure, while the message “This must be the place” beckons customers to come in.

Husband and wife duo Dennis Cantwell and Monica Wong never intended to have their wine bar be known for sandwiches, but somewhere between a pandemic pivot and Cantwell’s connection to Philadelphia, Palm City Wines garnered a following for its West Coast take on classic hoagies.

“It definitely wasn’t the initial plan,” Wong shares with a laugh. “We always thought that it’d be fun to do a hoagie night, but it was something we kind of tossed around as a fun, silly idea. It kept coming up for us, so we decided to just go for it.”

Cantwell and Wong knew they wanted to sell something that held up and could be toted to nearby Ocean Beach or Golden Gate Park, so they focused on hoagies because of their sturdy rolls. Since opening, five hoagies have been featured at the bar and listed on a blackboard near the register: roast pork, shrimp salad, au poivre and roasted cauliflower. The Italian American — their best seller — tops the list.

While the menu doesn’t change often, Cantwell and Wong do add a BLT in the late summer when tomatoes are in season. The wine bar also offers a selection of small plates, like little gem salads, marinated olives, and salt and vinegar chips best enjoyed with a glass of wine.

On a recent visit, I stopped by for the Italian American, priced at $20. It’s a steep price but one that makes sense given this hoagie is almost a foot long. Wong recommends pairing the sandwich with a sparkling rose by Ayunta that is kept chilled in a sliding glass fridge behind the counter. Inside the sandwich, I saw a stunning array of orange, pink and green hues from the fresh ingredients.

The hoagie begins with mortadella sourced from Italy. Each ingredient — mortadella, finocchio salami, mozzarella, shaved onion, nduja sauce and arugula — is carefully stacked and tucked between a custom-made white hoagie roll from San Francisco’s Rize Up Bakery. The arugula is lightly dressed with a vinaigrette that helps balance the fattiness of the deli cuts while also adding a slight peppery crunch.    

Unlike many sandwiches, the hoagie rolls at Palm City Wines have a noticeable firmness to the bite, which is completely intentional. Wong explains that the rolls were crafted with transportation in mind, since customers often enjoy half of their hoagie later. Others take their entire sandwiches beyond San Francisco city limits.  

“The hoagies go everywhere,” Wong said. “They go to Ocean Beach, to the park, they go across the city. I’ve had people drive them to Lake Tahoe. I’ve had someone that was flying it to London.”

To test the theory, I headed back to the East Bay in the late afternoon and made it home around early evening. When I unwrapped the remaining half of my Italian American hoagie and took a generous bite, I was surprised that the bread hadn’t become soggy despite my hourlong drive. 

The roast pork — another top seller — comes with garlic herb roasted pork, broccoli rabe and two types of cheeses: provolone and Point Reyes Toma. It also happens to be the best hoagie to reheat for customers hoping to have lunch the next day because the sandwich doesn’t have raw vegetables that could become soggy. Wong recommends warming the sub in a 400-degree oven for 10 minutes. 

Takeout seems to be the preferred way Palm City Wines customers enjoy their hoagies. During my visit, a few customers sauntered inside to pick up their online orders before heading back out to the quiet neighborhood. Still, I noticed that a couple of groups of customers preferred to sit by the storefront windows to enjoy their hoagies as they people-watched. 

Still, Palm City Wines didn’t exactly open without a hitch. Cantwell and Wong started working on their new business back in 2019, but construction was put on hold due to a city planning error. Fortunately, Cantwell and Wong were able to open the wine bar in April 2020 for takeout-only amid shelter-in-place orders. While well-known restaurants like Chez Panisse temporarily shifted to sandwiches during the pandemic, Palm City Wines stuck with the strategic pivot that helped secure its success even after the return of indoor dining. 

Cantwell and Wong were thrilled when they finally opened for indoor service in August 2021 at 4055 Irving St. The space has some history: Before it was a liquor store, it housed Portola Market, a grocery store that dates back to at least the 1950s. Wong shared that the building maintained its structural integrity and had “good bones,” so the couple made sure to preserve the existing ceiling boards, which are currently exposed, and also keep the elegant French-style windows above the main entrance.

While Palm City Wines never claimed to be a deli, it certainly takes inspiration from one. Wong said that she and Cantwell have always aspired to be a business with a fun neighborhood vibe while fostering the approachability of a deli. You can’t customize your hoagies, but with these meticulously crafted sandwiches, you won’t need to.

Palm City Wines, 4055 Irving St., San Francisco. Open Monday and Tuesday, 4-10 p.m. for mortadella nights (no hoagies or salads available); Wednesday through Sunday, 12:30 p.m.-9 p.m.

Got a favorite deli to share? Send it to food editor Jessica Yadegaran at [email protected]