Uncle Dougie’s

There’s a reason why it shut down.

I am highly sympathetic to this company but at the same time very angry. This is a very good restaurant with top-​quality tasting food, at a decent price, yet they closed down. Why? Because of a failure to keep consistent opening hours, thereby making it very difficult to retaining customer satisfaction and loyalty. This type of business model is a vicious cycle: Less opening times = less customer loyalty = less money = less opening times.
They are out of business now so this 1-​star rating won’t affect anything

Uncle Dougie’s didn’t impress me — worst of all, it didn’t even impress me when I was drunk. I came in here one night after Raleigh’s (oh, how we miss you) and ordered the ½ meatloaf sandwich and fries.
I got the sandwich pretty quickly, but had to wait a long time for my fries (I’m guessing because they fry them to order). I found the meatloaf to be too dry and tasteless, and the marina sauce was just average. The bun was nicely toasted and just the right size. I really enjoyed my fries when I got finally them, but woke up the next morning feeling terrible. I figured that they just sliced up and deep fried a whole potato, so it was extremely greasy. They also didn’t put any/​enough seasoning on it, so it just tasted like… potatoes. I had to use quite a bit of salt, pepper, and ketchup to make it better.
I had a nice chat with the owner while waiting for my fries, and he told me about growing up in New York and whatnot. Friendly guy.
The place is oddly set up and I feel like there’s a lot of wasted space that could be used for tables and seats. There is a neat bar and a couple of tables to sit at, so you can enjoy your sammich as you people-​watch on Bowditch. Everything is really new and clean, and the store is decked out in metal, making it sleek and stylish. If anything, Uncle Dougie’s has a lot of style and personality to it. I like the odd hours that they keep, and it’s very smart to cater to the late night munchies crowd.

EDIT (3÷25÷12): Uncle Dougie’s is now closed. So long.
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Why, oh why didn’t I come here earlier?
Like when it opened? What was I thinking?
I was skeptical from all the positive Unilocal reviews about Uncle Dougie’s. Every time I pass this place (this is right around the corner from my apartment), I think «this can’t be it. Everyone on Unilocal must be on crack or something. There’s no one here and it’s very barebones!» I was wrong.
Today I decided to try it out. I wanted to see why a place like this has so many positive reviews. I ventured in and was greeted by Dougie himself, a Asian New Yorker with a wonky hair color.
I tried their meatballs and macaroni, along with a salad and garlic bread. This didn’t even break the bank! ($ 7.30ish) Each of it tasted amazing. I am a big fan of the marinara sauce and every type of meatball they have.
This place has quickly become one of my places to eat for lunch/​dinner. I only wish I decided to come earlier.
With the Asian Ghetto and so many other restaurants around Telegraph, Dougie’s is slightly at the outskirts of all of Telegraph’s amazing restaurants. I really hope more people discover and come here.
One problem I do have here is that the hours are inconsistent. After I get out of class at 7, I have always wanted to try this out only to realize that it’s closed. The hours appear to be inconsistent and I hope Dougie figures out a set business hour schedule.
Until then, I will be coming here more often!

Uncle Dougie prides himself on the authenticity of his NY-​style sandwiches, and having visited NYC recently I’m inclined to agree!
Recently introduced the meatballs and macaroni which taste amazing. This is quickly becoming my new favorite place to go!
As a Berkeley student, the price is well worth the quality.

I find myself coming back to this place more and more as time passes. It’s not so much that the food here blows you away or has really strong flavor (which the atmosphere of this place and the limited menu options seems to suggest — «only four sandwiches, but done right!» I think it says)
It’s more that the food is pleasant and always satisfies rather than WOWs. This may not be what most people want to hear right off the bat (or even the owner’s intent), but try a sandwich and I bet you’ll find yourself thinking about it more and more when deciding what sounds good for lunch. It really is just pleasant and «mild», more of a mainstay I’d say. Sure Indian food or Chinese (or whatever) might sound good one day, but would you eat it every day? Probably not. I feel like I could eat this every day though. That’s what I like about Uncle Dougies.
Also, I feel the price point is about right. I really like the owner and I have no problem with the food being under heat lamps some of the time. It’s not old, it’s just being kept warm. You can’t exactly make meatloaf fresh from scratch to order, can you?
So give this place a try. I’ve only tried the meatloaf and the chicken parm. Like I said, I wasn’t blown away by it and was actually somewhat disappointed my first time. «You only have four sandwiches right now, they better give me a f***ing mouth orgasm». But then I came back… and I came back again. You know what sounds good to eat for lunch right now? Uncle Dougies.
You’ll see. I really hope this place blows up and the owner does well.

Got a ½ meatloaf today. This time it was made by Dougie himself.
Plenty of drippy marinara (
), not that the juicy meatloaf needed any.
BTW, the original 17^th St Oakland branch is closed. Not enough business :(

Real good food, and it’s open late! Great for a late night study snack.

Decided to try one of Uncle Dougie’s chicken parmesan sandwiches for a change (I’m partial to asian food for lunch). I had an early lunch so was the only person in there. Met Dougie, a New Yorker born and bred, complete with the accent. Very personable guy. I watched as my chicken parmasan was made from scratch and it was quite delicious and satisfying. Dougie says he is closing his Oakland shop so the menu at his Berkeley location will become more extensive, with pasta dishes and a buffet. Will definitely come back when I’m in the mood for a hero sandwich. Fuhgedaboudit!!! :)

Uncle Dougie is a very bipolar restaurent.
The owner definitely has the right idea of serving customers, and know that when you have glass windows between your cooking and the customers, you better do a good damn job of showing them they are getting what they’re paying for. He is very ethusiatic, and whenever HE serves, he makes sure the sandwiches are fresh and hot. However, they have many other servers, that make a great restaurent such like this lose customers, because they give you the minimal portion they can profit on, and take out sauces right out from the fridge and dump it on your sandwich.
With that said, I REALLY really recommend the Potato chips ($ 2.25), you have to wait approximately 5 mins for it, because they cook it FRESH, but OMG it’s like the best potatoes i’ve ever tasted. It’s crunchy around the edge, and soft in the middle, they give you thousand island dip too in the cone that they make to contain your chips. it’s just simply fast food made classy. Their sandwiches are about the same, really depends on your personal preferences.

Uncle Dougie’s is really close to Unit 1 and 2, which is good for UC Berkeley students.
I walked in and was greeted by a muscle-​y Asian guy with purple hair and a New York accent; a refreshing change from the typical, mass-​produced, don’t-give-a-crap-about-anything Subway employee.
Eventually, I realized I was talking to Uncle Dougie himself, and that the owner of the business was the man who’d be serving me today! Indeed, you’d be able to tell that from the taste of his Italian Sausage and Peppers sandwich. The meat was moist and juicy, the seasonings added flavor without becoming too distracting, and the bread, freshly-​toasted, completed the ensemble. Uncle Dougie used to run bakeries, and so, he knows how the hell to make a decent loaf of bread.
I dare you to try his heroes, and then go to Subway or Togo’s. You’ll be back at Uncle Dougie’s the next day.
Also, it didn’t hurt that his pretty daughter was working there too… but I digress! The service was friendly, and Uncle Dougie has some funny stuff to say. He shook my hand as I was leaving, too, and personally invited me back for my next lunch.
Try getting that at Subway.

Uncle Dougie’s is where it’s at.
Each type of the 4 sandwiches are good in their own right. I’m particularly keen on the chicken parmesan, while my housemates like the sausage&peppers.
Don’t really understand the complaints about the worker looking bored… Usually, a shop that small doesn’t need more than 1 – 2 employees. So yes, when there’s nobody there, it can get kinda boring.
As for the ingredients being in heat trays, I couldn’t care less. As long as my chicken is juicy, and Dougie slathers on that magical marinara, I don’t care if it was sitting in that tray since that morning.
If the price went down from $ 6.50 with tax to $ 5 for a full hero sandwich, I’d come here twice as often. 5-​star potential.

I had their italian meatloaf hero. It was a little too oily for my taste, but tasted pretty good. When I walked into the shop, it was deadly quiet, and the worker seemed to be extremely bored. A lot of the food looked like it had been sitting there for quite awhile, so it was already less appetizing.
I’m willing to give this place another try if it becomes more popular and the food is more fresh.

So I came here as part of the promotion from Munch On Me, and I have to say, the sandwiches are very yummy.
I know many folks like to slap on a dozen of ingredients in their sandwiches and for those who like it simple, this is an ideal place. They have a very small menu and I believe I’ve tried almost all of them already and I have yet to be disappointed.
I think my favorite thing with the sandwiches is definitely the bread. I love it because it’s toasted and very crunchy.
They also open at latenight from 11pm-​3am!

Meatloaf Sandwich… drool…nom nom nom…
combo that includes a hot sandwich, chips and soda for under $ 7 = win.
Funny Chinese-​Italian owner that talks with a New York accent is a decent guy and will treat you right and set you up with a damn good and messy sandwich if you come in with the right attitude.
Will definitely be returning to try the rest of the menu. I got to sample the eggplant parm and it was more than decent as well.

The food here is depressingly bad especially given all the other food choices in Berkeley. The staff is very friendly but they seemed extremely bored probably because they get so few customers. (They’re on my way to work so I walk by daily).
They gave me a sample of all 4 sandwich options: chicken, meatloaf, eggplant, sausage & pepper. Each filling was served with marinara sauce. The meatloaf was tasty but the bread was just ordinary. The fillings spent the day sitting under a heatlamp waiting to be served. The salad was just pathetic: iceberg lettuce with a couple of slices (literally) of cucumber and tomato placed on top. You can make yourself a better salad and sandwich at home, or just head over to Intermezzo a couple of blocks over on Telegraph for a fabulous salads and sandwiches.
Personally, I won’t be going back there again because you can get so much better for the money in this neighborhood.

New place that needs a little loving before it can get more stars. It’s pretty empty and sad right now, the staff looked bored. They also handled food with ungloved un washed hands that also dealt with money.
Their sandwiches are tasty comfort food, but also the kind of thing you’d make out of your own leftovers. Having said that, it’s very satisfying. For only having four things one would expect something a little special, which it really isn’t, or at least for it to cost maybe $ 5 for a whole sandwich, but alas that is not the case. With a little work, zest, or something a little special this could get more stars.

I like the idea of authentic New York heros, but I don’t think this place does it that well, at least not yet. I don’t like the idea of the hero fillings sitting in a warming container all day. The menu is straightforward and simple. There are only 4 types of heros, 1 kind of salad, soda, and chips. The 4 types are meatloaf, eggplant parm, chicken parm, and sausage + peppers. The meatloaf tasted good, almost meatball-​like. The chicken parmesean looked the best sitting in the containers. The eggplant was decent, but my boyfriend liked it and he doesn’t like eggplants at all. The sausage and peppers was decent too. The bread used was thick and dense, but otherwise alright. The sauce was like cheap, thin pasta sauce. Overall, I think the quality is comparable to something one can throw together at home. One can find solace in the cheap prices. The soda and chips are super cheap, but they are just soda cans and little snack bags of chips. Half hero is about $ 3.50, full hero is $ 6, soda is $ 0.92, chips about $ 0.50, full hero + soda + chips is $ 6.90.

The inside looks pretty bare — and they only offer ~4 kinds of sandwiches. But don’t let that turn you away. The staff was super friendly, and the sandwich was done pretty well. I had the chicken parmesan — the chicken was crispy, the bread was chewy in the right way, the marinara sauce was good.
Update!: I stopped by again to try the «meatloaf.» It was even better than the chicken parmesan — juicy and tender, and just done really well.
And I didn’t know this — but you can sample all the 4 fillings. The owner was there, and when he heard I was ordering the meatloaf without having tried it — he insisted that I try it first. Not that it mattered — it was delicious. The owner was there and thanked me for stopping by with a coupon for a free drink next time.
He also said that once UC Berkeley starts school, they will be open later — until 8 (I think) on MWF, and until ~2 am on Thursday and Fridays.

I stopped by for a quick bite on my way to work, and I was pleasantly surprised. The prices are cheap and the eggplant parmesan half-​sandwich was moist and delicious.