The Bread Basket

This deli joint is located right off of Brokaw and Zanker road near the commercial buildings. I’m keeping this review short and simple, I pretty much go here for just the jalapeño corn chowder. Nothing else, but I’m open to try something new on their menu. I also got a few crackers on the basket for the corn chowder, but it was stale. Add new bags of crackers people! Overall, staff is always welcoming and efficient with the customers!

The sandwiches were HORRIBLE. The girl making it looked like she was being forced into sandwich making slavery. So no love came out into the food. The corn and jalepeno soup was good though. But next time I’ll just go to Togos.

After a client meeting off of 1^st Street, my colleague asked if we could grab a quick bite. His ask was to get a good sandwich, but without a long wait. The first place that popped in my mind was The Bread Basket. I had to mention to him that this is kind of your «hole in the wall» spot, that just makes good food. He agreed to give it a shot.
As you walk into this place, it will look and feel a bit dated. Don’t let that fool you though. Everything that I’ve tried here has been excellent. For this review, I will just comment on my favorite sandwich here which is the Tuna Melt. For $ 8.95 you get a nicely grilled tuna sandwich, with a handful of crispy golden fries. Their tuna isn’t heavily saturated with mayo, so you can taste the onions and celery that is mixed within. I do have one complaint here: Today they used Swiss cheese instead of cheddar. I actually prefer cheddar cheese, but I won’t count that against them. The sandwich still came out very tasty. From the perfectly buttered/​grilled bread, to the melted Swiss cheese (should have been CHEDDAR!), it was a good sandwich!
Side note: Specify what cheese you prefer if you order the Tuna Melt
Conclusion: If you are tired of Subway, head on over!

10÷1÷15:
NO BUENO. I went to this place because I was in the area. I decided to go with their turkey sandwich, no mayonaise/​cheese, and extra veggies, of which I asked twice. In their menu listing, turkey sandwich comes with fresh beansprouts, red onions, pickles, lettuce and tomatoes. The guy there told me they had been opened for 25 years, and told me their turkey was home smoked. Well, I don’t know if that is true or not but when I opened up my sandwich and there was one slice of tomatoe on each half of the sandwich. What got this place a «nogo» from me was the fact that they did not include ANY beansprouts, or red onions, of which I asked for twice in front of the owner. I don’t know whether they are trying to be cheap, but when I pay $ 8.43 for a basic sandwich, I expect it to be stacked, not missing things from the menu item. This is not right. I’m trying to figure out a way to upload the picture, I would not recommend this place. Customer service… well I don’t think it exists obviously.

Great lunch spot for some deli style sandwiches. Got there before the line was out the super long. Talk about perfect timing! The veggie sandwich was great with a nice soft sourdough sliced bread. My kids love it too!

Great clam chowder, salmon, chicken, meat loaf, lasagna, etc. Sandwiches are good too. Salmon sandwich, roast beef sandwich.

3.5 stars
Their sandwiches are good (not amazing, but an ok-​good). They don’t have a huge selection for bread, which is surprising since they are called the Bread Basket. I think the choices are wheat, white, and one other. Their corn jalapeño chowder was good. Coworker and I came here on a Fri for lunch and it wasn’t packed at all. They have two out door tables, several tables indoor, and they charge an extra $ 0.50 if you use credit card.

I ordered a turkey sandwich on a sourdough roll with Swiss cheese! I got a salty turkey sandwich with white American cheese… Plus charged me extra to use my card. F that. I’m done
Who calls its business a deli if they don’t have sourdough rolls or the right cheese, etc etc. This is more of a cheap diner place.
Btw, The service sucks too! This is the 4 deli shop I been to in a roll that are own by Vietnamese that let me down.. Won’t Eva be back.

«Yay! I’m a fan!» That is what Unilocal says 4 stars is. I have been there enough times, I guess that is an accurate statement. Truth be told though, it is really close to my work, the Sourdough place a mile away takes 30 minutes to get a sandwich, and Dela Cruz deli has gone down the shiester. So… this place has become the go-​to, quick sandwich fix. I can vouch for the pastrami and the turkey avocado w/​bacon. The Chinese chicken salad is pretty good too.

I was in a different part of SJ and looking for a quick and cheap lunch spot. Stopped in for a sandwich; it was way too hot to get soup. Multiple reviews mentioned the turkey club, so I went for it. The sandwich itself was presented nicely: three slices of bread and cut into triangular quarter pieces. Next to it was a handful of wavy cut fries.
Sandwich was ok, a little on the small side. Bacon and turkey were the best part. Unfortunately it was served on white bread with a little too much mayo for my liking. Fries were crispy and hot, but so is anything that you drop into a deep fryer. Nothing to write home about. I wish I could have substituted them for the Dirty chips they had.
This place seemed pretty good, but not quite the experience I was hoping for when paying $ 10 for a sandwich. If you’ve got cash and are in the area, California Sourdough is better.

Whilst wasting my time away at my second home, America’s tires (my car suckkks), I was in need of nourishment. Consulted my trusty Unilocal and found this gem. Walked over, ordered a coffee and breakfast burrito with ham. Less than the time it took me to add cream and sugar to my coffee, the gentlemen is handing me a hot burrito all wrapped up, tucked in a bag with napkins.
Walked back and opened up the burrito and ohhhh my! I don’t want to say I’m a breakfast burrito expert, but I am a connoisseur, and this one exceeded expectations! My favs to date are Rose’s coffee shop (Saratoga) and Rosalena’s (the Alameda) but this is now my new tired favorite with Rose’s — and way closer to where I live! The burrito was perfectly warm and crisp (not soggy), the hashbrowns had a perfect crunch and the eggs were actually fluffy! The ham was coated with the melty cheese, and I was in heaven! Only regret was not ordering two!
Friendly staff, quick service, top notch burrito and cheap? A++ — I’ll be back soon!

I travel to San Jose periodically for business and usually stop in to the Bread Basket to grab lunch as it’s in walking distance to the office. Overall I am really happy with the place. I have read some reviews about rude service, but I have been there many times and have never had rude service. John (the man at the register) is actually nice and remembers people that come back.
Some of the food is average, but the smoked meats are really good. The two items tat are must try’s are:
Jalapeño Corn Chowder
Smoked Tri Tip
I also got a special last visit which was Orange Chicken with Rice. It was made with fresh squeezed orange juice and had fresh slices of oranges and green apples in it. I thought it was good.
I would recommend this place and will try it again on my next visit.

Now, let me tell you a little of my favorite things.
The Bread Basket is quaint little breakfast/​lunch place… with a salad bar.
What I’ve had…
(-1) Tuna Melt — It’s the the Chicken of the Sea with two slices of white cheddar. on toasted sourdough. Nothing special, and nothing to remember.
Jalapeño Corn Chowder — Delicious. Still nothing I’m craving, but great for lunch.
Veggie Burrito — Now this, great for breakfast… during the week. That’s it. Good thing is they don’t use those fake ass eggs or ingredients.
Cookie — Now… the COOKIE I’d come back for. Chocolate chip cookies made from scratch in the morning. Is my weakness.
(-1) Pricing. OUTRAGEOUS, for food that isn’t even on caliber with Specialty’s.
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If you’re in the area try it, don’t just take my word for it.
Unilocal!

Dutch crunch, bacon for days and turkey? Yes. This was an amazing lunch surprise, can’t wait to do it again.

When you claim to have «The Best Soup in Town!», and back it up with a very good rating on Unilocal,then you’ve got my attention!
I arrived at The Bread Basket at around 1 pm today. The lunch crowd was slowly trickling out so it was not too busy inside. When I first went in, my initial impression was that it was a cafeteria. I met John, I think he runs the place. I told him that it was my first time there, so he took the time to show me what was available. He seems like a nice guy! I ordered the cheeseburger, a bowl of Chicken Gumbo and another bowl of Jalapeño Corn Chowder.
I started on the Chicken Gumbo. It was not as hot as I would have liked. I thought it was ok. It reminded me of Campbell’s soup. After that I took on the Jalapeño Corn Soup. John told me that it was their most popular soup and so it is offered everyday! It was pretty good! It was served pretty hot which I like. But was it «The Best Soup in Town!» NO, not even close! Don’t get me wrong it was a hearty, flavorful soup and I liked it! But the The Best?!! No! The cheeseburger was ok. It was not special. It was definitely cafeteria food to me.
So the only thing I liked and would come back for is the Jalapeño Corn Soup. I am looking forward to trying some of their other soups on my next visit. I am rating this place 2 stars but since John is a cool guy I’ll bump it up to 3.

Little hidden gem. Very pleasantly surprised with this one. My trip tip was cut in front of me — can’t complain about that! Corn jalapeño chowder is also very good (had a cup) but it’s definitely not the only good thing about this place. The trip tip sandwich was delicious. I would say that the atmosphere is pleasant. Owners were super nice and friendly. Will come back.

I’ll keep this short and sweet. GOOD food, but TERRIBLE service. The owner is a shrewd Vietnamese man and really is not welcoming at all. If you ever try and customize your food (i.e. avocado instead of bacon), he will undoubtedly charge your more without any rational explanation. He seems to make up his own pricing in his head. As for the food, it is good but not great. It is SUPER GREASY! (remember: everything is cooked on the same grill!) Their Jalapeño Corn Chowder is really the only reason I’d ever go back.

I have been coming here for years, the food is consistently good. The owners are real nice as well as their staff. The turkey club is a real nice hot lunch. Will return many times.

I work about ¼ mile away, so it’s nice to find something I don’t have to fight to get to during busy lunch hours. The food and service are reliably good and you can make it in and out of here pretty fast.
The owners are so friendly! They have sandwiches, salads, burgers and soups. I have tried the BLT, the tuna melt and the veggie burger. I also like their jalapeño corn chowder.
Great to support a local business with wonderful customer service and good, quick food.

Best thing about this place is the Jalapeño chowder. Everything else is just normal to meh. Prices are not cheap. Service is generally friendly. Lots of seating area and its clean but a little outdated.
If you want to use credit card you have to order at least $ 10 or its an extra 50 cents charge.