by Bottom Line: Pele’s Fire from The Station Café delivers a delicious roast beef sandwich on freshly made bread, and the sauce will certainly set your mouth on fire.
There is a little sandwich shop just south of downtown San Antonio that has been around for a while and has built up somewhat of a reputation. The Station Café first opened in an old Texaco station at the corner of St. Mary’s St. and King William St. in 2006, though it has since moved just around the corner (and the owners have opened a tap room in the original location). The café is known for its sandwiches made with fresh baked bread, and it has also developed some notoriety for its spicy sauces and fresh peppers. I had read about their hottest sandwich—Pele’s Fire—a while back and had been meaning to try it, but the sandwich shop is only open 11 AM to 4 PM Monday through Friday, so that proved challenging for my schedule. I recently managed to stop by, though, and I may end up revising my schedule to become a regular here.
The Pele’s Fire comes piled high with lean roast beef, along with mozzarella cheese, lettuce, and tomato, and it is also slathered with their signature Ghost Pepper Sauce which they claim “should make the Hawaiian Goddess proud”. The sandwich sells for $8.99, and for a few bucks more you can add on some chips and a drink. And trust me, you’re going to need that drink, because this is at the highest level of their heat scale which goes from zero to seven chili peppers!
Their fresh bread is definitely one of the stars of this sandwich, soft and yeasty with a pillowy interior and a homemade taste. As for the roast beef, they work with good quality cold cuts which are meaty and tender and quite delicious. If you had a sandwich with nothing but that beef stuffed inside their bread, you would still have a tasty and satisfying meal. But this particular sammy is really all about the sauce, and that certainly delivers on the heat.
There is a nice tang from the Ghost Pepper sauce along with a good creaminess, a little bit of sweetness, and a peppery kick. And that burn hits right away! After the first bite, my mouth was on fire, and I wondered if I would be able to finish the sandwich. I like spicy, but not heat just for heat’s sake. So when it gets to the point of pure pain, I usually bow out. But that never happened with this sandwich.
The mozzarella cheese and lettuce and tomato were there to offset the burn to a degree. But the heat never fully subsided. Still, the fresh and tasty ingredients kept me going and I powered through the sandwich without looking back. I would put this above Fiery on my scale and maybe flirting with the Insane heat level. But it was such a delicious sandwich that the taste kept me going. The average mortal will certainly shrink away from this one after a bite or two, but those looking for the burn should enjoy it.
They have several other sandwiches that deliver some heat, and on a separate occasion I tried the Turkey Chupacabra which is kicked up with a habanero-based sauce and is their next spiciest offering. That is a heck of a good sandwich, piled up with meaty and tasty turkey slices, and I would put it at Hot on my scale or maybe a bit higher. Consider it a warmup for the Pele’s Fire, and if you can successfully tackle the Chupacabra you are ready for the next level.
There is no nutrition info for the sandwiches, but the Pele’s Fire is quite filling and I am guessing it is up there on the calorie count. I would put this one somewhere around 800 cals or higher, and when you factor in that bag of chips you are likely over one thousand total. This certainly kept me full throughout the day, with a nice warmth in my belly. Though, buyer beware. The Ghost Pepper sauce will come back to haunt you later in the day!
I got to the place shortly after they opened on a Thursday morning, and it was filling up pretty quickly as the clock got closer to noon. Considering the dearth of free parking in the area, you will want to time your arrival appropriately. But the visit is definitely worth it for a fresh made, tasty sandwich with plenty of heat levels to choose from. Just don’t plan on stopping by over the weekend because you will be out of luck!
The Station Café
108 King William Street
San Antonio, Texas 78204
Phone: 210 444-2200
Website: thestationsa.com
Hours: 11 AM to 4 PM Mon-Fri
