I stopped by Sourdough & Co. in Pinole the other day to try it for the first time and wanted to share an honest experience for anyone thinking about grabbing lunch here.

First thing I noticed was the parking lot. It was pretty full, so I actually felt lucky to find a parking space. That usually makes me think a place is busy and popular, which is always a good sign when trying somewhere new.

When I walked inside, the first thing that stood out was how clean the place was. The restaurant looked very well kept and organized. Surprisingly though, it was extremely quiet inside. There was no one else ordering and nobody sitting down eating at the time. I received a mild greeting from the staff and then started looking over the menu.

Since it was my first time there, I wish there were pictures of the menu items to help decide what to order. When you’re trying a place for the first time, it helps to see what things actually look like.

I ended up ordering the 8-inch #2 roast beef sandwich with smoked brisket and a large mac and cheese.

The mac and cheese honestly was very good. It was creamy, flavorful, and probably the highlight of the meal for me.

The sandwich itself was okay. I would call it about average in terms of taste. The main issue for me was the size compared to the price. The 8-inch sandwich felt smaller than expected and the portion of mac and cheese wasn’t as large as I thought it would be either.

The total for those two items came out to $27.39, which honestly made me feel like I considerably overpaid for what I received.

To be fair, the staff seemed friendly and the restaurant was extremely clean, which I definitely appreciate. But based on the portion size compared to the price, I left feeling disappointed.

Overall, the food wasn’t bad, and the mac and cheese was actually very good, but for nearly $30 for lunch, I expected more. Personally, I don’t see myself stopping here again.

Hopefully this helps someone else decide what to expect before visiting.

When I searched for gluten free on the yelp search, Sourdough & Co popped up. I was so happy Pinole allowed this store to open up here. This is way better than Subway. Good quality meat and bread. Better deals. So I called and they have gluten free options available. I believe we spoke to the owner because when we arrived, she made sure she did not cross contaminate while making our sandwiches. Very small space for seating but overall good food. Indoor is modern with many sandwiches to pick from. Thank you for preparing with safety! We ended up finishing our food. We will come back again 🙂