Popular Los Angeles Sandwich Shop Mendocino Farms Makes Its First Foray Into Bay Area

LA’s fast-casual chain, Mendocino Farms, is finally making its way to Northern California, bringing a hefty menu of sandwiches and salads along with it.

Angelenos have been flocking to its swelling number of locations for over a decade for healthyish, family-friendly dining options. Now, the company’s 17th store will open in Campbell on December 8, swiftly followed by locations in San Jose’s Santana Row, San Mateo, and San Francisco’s Financial District (465 California St.) in 2018.

Though owners/married couple Mario Del Pero and Ellen Chen opened their first shop in Downtown LA, their roots are in Northern California; Chen is from Lafayette. The whole concept is based around the Bay Area’s style and values, making it an easy fit for its first location in Campbell’s The Pruneyard development, nestled next to Trader Joe’s, Pacific Catch, and a nearby Whole Foods. Incidentally, Whole Foods became a minority investor in the chain in 2015, which has been fueling its increasingly rapid expansion throughout California.

The Bay Area’s influx of “Mendos” will have menus similar to its Southern siblings, brimming with options like a Kurobuta pork belly banh mi ($10.95) and the Rescued Vegetable burger ($11.95), made with used vegetable pulp in a collaboration with Pressed Juicery.

Wonho Frank Lee

The Campbell location is a 3,000-square-foot affair, designed by Oakland’s Arcsine Architecture + Design (also behind Agave Uptown in Oakland), and meant to evoke a “Napa farmhouse.” (The chain’s other locations — including Santa Monica, pictured — are decidedly more upscale than, say, nearby Mr. Pickles sandwich shop in Campbell.) There’ll be individual, communal, counter seating, and patio seating, plus a living wall to tie it all together. And luckily for ‘burb-dwellers, there will be several kid-friendly components, like foosball, corn hole, and a kid’s corner with a chalkboard and games.

Beginning December 8, the Campbell location at 1875 South Bascom Avenue (in The Pruneyard Shopping Center) will open daily from 11 a.m.- 9 p.m.. Stay tuned for more info as Mendocino Farms expands throughout 2018.

• Mendocino Farms [Official]