Great Escape: Coastside Edition

There’s a new sandwich shop in town, and its name is Gherkins, after those tiny cucumbers pickled and sweetened in jars with vinegar, brine and herbs.

A convenient location, sparkling curb appeal, indoor and outdoor seating, and an extensive menu, offering 33 different kinds of specialty sandwiches as well as salads, burgers, frittatas, breakfast sandwiches served until noon, and, of course, pickles, Gherkins has great potential for attracting a loyal clientele.

“We’ve had so much support from the local community since opening,” said owner Elias Jweinat, a Linda Mar resident who owns two other sandwich shops in Daly City and San Francisco named Mr. Pickles. “Our biggest customer so far has been locals, but we’ve had it all. Tourists are going to come and go, but locals are here to stay.”

Occupying the space that once housed 7th Street Montara restaurant, Gherkins is located on the corner of Highway One and Seventh Street in Montara, down the street from Montara State Beach and the trailhead for Montara Mountain, an ideal spot for stopping and grabbing a sandwich to-go for a picnic on the beach or bluffs.

A fresh coat of cobalt blue paint with lime green trim around the windows, revamped parking lot, and eye-catching signs of a personified gherkin happily smiling your way are just a few of the enhancements this commercial space has recently undergone with the new ownership.

“We took out 10 tons of debris, from weeds and trees, everything but the palm trees and parking lot,” said Jweinat, who feel in love with the location, “talked it over with the wife, looked into it, and it all sort of happened naturally,” he said.

Soon, Jweinat hopes to obtain the permits to expand the outdoor deck seating area and incorporate a fire pit. By the spring, he also plans selling picnic baskets and blankets with maps outlining picnic areas.

When asked why he named the store Gherkins, Jweinat replies, “I’ve always loved pickles and gherkins and things like that and enjoyed the flavor and so the little gherkin figurine become our character and was one of our designs we had with the other stores, and so I wanted to stick with that.”

So far the best seller on the menu is Cal Fire, a special combination that Jweinat came up with eight years ago at his Daly City store. Chicken, avocado, pepper jack cheese, and honey mustard sauce on a crispy Dutch crunch roll “covers all the bases from sweet to savory, and it’s delicious,” said Jweinat.

Other stand-out specialty sandwiches items, some aptly named after local landmarks, include the Midnighter with ham, pulled pork, Dijon, melted Swiss on a French roll, the Cabrillo Highway with chicken, Swiss and teriyaki, Farallone View with turkey and bacon, and Ross’s Cove, a ham and marinara medley with provolone cheese and pineapple.

“We have a lot of other great tasting combinations worth trying,” said Jweinat, “and people always find their favorite, have a craving, coming back for more.”

IF YOU GO

Gherkins, 171 Seventh St., Montara. 728-2211.