SUDDEN SHUTTERS
Hidden gem sandwich shop closes after 36 years in San Antonio
French Sandwiches appears to have closed sometime in September or October.
San Antonio has lost another of its hidden gems, this time near the Medical Center. Long-running café French Sandwiches at 8448 Fredericksburg Rd. has served its last bánh mì.
During the last week, both Yelp and Google reviewers reported that the restaurant’s entire suite had been cleared. A now-disconnected landline was the only way to contact the restaurant, which does not currently have social media profiles or a website.
French Sandwiches had been open since at least 1990, according to a 2009 San Antonio Current article and its menus, but there’s little else online about its history. The restaurant remained under the radar through most of its run.
It took two years between French Sandwiches' first Yelp review and its second. At the time, Vietnamese cuisine was relatively niche in the city, and local food writers were still explaining bánh mì with asides.
Sandwiches (natch) of all kinds made up the bulk of its menu, ranging from turkey clubs to roast beef on a croissant. But those in the know went for Chef’s Continental, a baguette piled with sausage, pâté, and a tangle of cilantro and cucumbers — a classic bánh mì even if French Sandwiches originally did not call it by that name.
The shop itself was spare, with a few prints on the walls and unremarkable tables, but it was clear the owners took pride in their business. There was always an assortment of potted plants near the check-out counter and each of the tablecloths had crisp corners.
It’s unclear why the shop shuttered after its formidable run. One Yelp reviewer said a next-door tenant told him it was over health concerns, but CultureMap can’t verify the claim.
Chef Tavel Bristol-Joseph has won multiple accolades for Nicosi.Photo by Robert Lerma