Hi, folks! The time has finally come. The long-awaited opening of the sandwich shop — aptly named Something About Her — from iconic Vanderpump Rules duo Katie Maloney and Ariana Madix officially opened its doors this week on Wednesday, May 22.
Something About Her (located just down the street from SUR at 640 N. Robertson Blvd., West Hollywood, CA 90046) opened at 10 a.m., according to Google, but we got in line by 9:35 a.m., and the line by that time was already pretty long.
In fact, by the time we got there, the line had already wrapped around the corner and into the alley! We weren't SUPER far back but still very happy we arrived early. And it felt like with every passing second, more and more people showed up.
At about 10:23 a.m., we were still waiting in line when a SAH employee made the announcement that the POS system was down, so they were only letting one to two people in at a time. Before this moment, we did not know what a "POS System" was, but we were pretty sure it didn't intentionally stand for "Piece of Shit System." At that moment, though, we knew it would be a LONG wait to get our sandwiches. LOL at us telling our coworkers we would be back by noon. Oh, how naive. But!! About 20 minutes after the announcement of the POS system failure, Katie and Ariana came out and started taking pictures and chatting with everyone in line. We were awestruck, and the energy completely shifted. Everyone (including us) got very nervous and started prepping for their selfies. In fact, a woman next to us literally cried upon meeting them. We're not here to judge! Any Bravo fan understands just how much this show can mean to people.
Also, not to brag, but we did make it into Katie's Instagram story looking sufficiently awkward (and honestly with no idea how much longer we would be standing there in that line).
And here's the selfie we got with Katie and Ariana! Clearly, we paled in comparison because they both looked radiant, but we were excited nonetheless!!!
We weren't kidding about the line. It took about 2.5 hours for us to get toward the front of the line enough to have an actual view of the storefront. RIP to the outdoor seating they had that one time.
As we waited, multiple paparazzi drove by, trying to get a shot of Katie, Ariana, and the grand opening. It made sense but was wild nonetheless. We waved and felt important from our place in line.
The line did move every so often, but honestly, as close as we felt, we were still so far...
However, we did not wait over a year to try these sandwiches to give up that easily, so we continued to wait. Ariana and Katie came out occasionally to apologize to people in line. SAH employees were also handing out water. And before we knew it (as mentioned, approximately 2.5 hours after arriving in said line), we were next up! Ariana and Katie stood just inside the door. Ariana was greeting people, and Katie was as well, but they were also bussing tables. Katie took our trays when we finished eating, and Ariana cleaned the table next to ours with a washcloth.
Here's what you see immediately upon entering Something About Her! Note: We did our best to take photos *without* people in them, but the space was much smaller than expected, and it was genuinely impossible to avoid people in photos, given the crowd for opening day. It's a very cute space that we estimate would comfortably fit 15–20 people max. We were both surprised by how much smaller it seemed IRL than on TV, but after all, it is a sandwich cafe and not a sit-down restaurant serving dinner, so in theory, the smaller size makes sense. However, the size did not account for the sheer popularity of these two women and their sandwiches, which we love for them if we're being honest.
There was cute artwork on the wall featuring the two of them. Honestly, the vibe was a little different than we expected, but we found it to be very aesthetic and cute!
We were asked if we wanted to dine in or take out at the door. Although we did feel enormous guilt knowing how many people were in line behind us, we chose to dine in but told ourselves we would eat quickly. Okay, yes, we felt bad, but not that bad, obviously. We needed to see the SAH tray setup! Sorry!!
To the right of the register where you place your order there was also a cute little merch setup. We both bought merch...and we can't lie and say it wasn't heavily influenced by the fact that Katie's mom, Teri Maloney, was manning the merch setup and we were dying to speak to her LOL. She was so nice, and even told us what her favorite sandwich was (she loves "The Kerry" which is SAH's vegan tuna sandwich, made with chickpeas, and "The Meg"!).
And here's the behind-the-counter setup. As you can see, they sell Loverboy which feels incredibly generous to Kyle and Amanda from Bravo's Summer House. They also sell Cameron Diaz's wine line (Avaline) and Olipop, Better Booch Kombucha, glass bottled water, and boxed water. No plastic bottles were in sight!
Once we got up to the counter, we swiped a menu. We had overheard other people ask for a menu at the door while waiting before we got inside, and they were told they were out of menus so we weren't sure if we would be able to finagle our way into taking pictures of one, but we knew we couldn't leave this damn sandwich shop without doing so, for you guys.
As you can see, the sandwiches range in price but are between $14–$17. We ordered "The Diane," "The Drew," and "The Viola."
Here's the second page of the menu which features the third sandwich we tried, "The Viola." As you can see, they also offer sides (chips) and assorted sweet treats.
Now, for the sandwiches...
"The Diane" costs $16 and consists of an Artisan baguette, Sicilian-style tuna salad with olive oil, sunflower microgreens, marinated fennel, preserved lemon, and fresh dill.
"The Drew" costs $14 and consists of an Artisan baguette, whipped chive-infused goat cheese, mango jalapeño jam, shaved pink lady apples, cucumber olive oil, rich balsamic glaze, arugula, fresh mint, salt, and pepper. You could also add prosciutto for an extra $4, which we did not do!
And "The Viola" costs $17 with turkey, $14 without. We got it with the turkey. This sandwich consists of grilled golden sourdough bread, smoked turkey, chipotle mayo, roasted red pepper, homemade balsamic onion marmalade, smoked gouda, shaved cucumber, and red onion.
And here's a shot of the assorted sweet treats! We opted for a chocolate walnut cookie, which we INHALED immediately after being in line for nearly three hours and realizing just how hungry we were. It was chewy and delicious, in case you were wondering.
And here's the drink menu! We got two boxed waters and one Better Booch Kombucha. They sell alcoholic beverages, but we weren't in the mood, even though buying a can of Loverboy was tempting since we are both fans of Summer House on Bravo.
The menu also featured this cute note from Ariana and Katie, BTW. It's just another reminder that most people here probably aren't here just for sandwiches...they are here to support these two women who they've watched on their TVs since 2013.
If we sound biased, it's because we are. We have both been fans of Vanderpump Rules since its inception and have always considered Katie and Ariana our favorites from the show. They could sell us cardboard boxes for $37, and we would probably still show up and support. And, judging by the lines today, we don't think we're alone in that. Ultimately, we don't think people go to SUR for food. You go for the experience of being in a place you have watched through your TV for years to see the people you have developed parasocial relationships with. The fact that the sandwiches were edible and pretty tasty to boot is a great bonus to an activity we would have done regardless.
And although the whole "bringing in a few people at a time" thing really slowed the line, it made for a very nice dining experience once we were in there. The service was pretty speedy, considering that these SAH employees were fighting for their lives against hundreds of rabid Bravo fans, and they even brought the food to our table. Here's a pic of our 3 sandwiches in all their SAH glory, complete with serving trays, pickles, grapes, and Something About Her branded paper. We personally thought the grapes were a nice added touch.
Also, they gave us really big napkins. IDK, we just think this is an important detail because there's nothing worse than a flimsy ass little napkin that barely wipes the mustard off your fingers.
As we said, we tried to eat quickly (and we mostly did — around 25 minutes total), but once we sat down, it was kind of hard not to linger. From the decor to Katie, Ariana, and Teri Maloney's welcoming, staying for hours would have been easy! But eventually, we knew that it was time to take the final bites of our sandos, get a to-go box, and bid Something About Her adieu — at least for now.
When we thanked Katie and Ariana as we were leaving, they mentioned being concerned that they wouldn't be able to serve everyone who was still waiting because SAH closes at 4 p.m. And when we stepped outside, we definitely understood why. There were still at least 100 people in line, probably more. It wrapped down and back out of the alley we waited in and down the street. It is truly a testament to the power of Bravo, VPR, Katie, Ariana, and, of course, sandwiches.
