After a really bad breakup and a disappointing divorce, two best friends decide to run away together to open up a small-town sandwich shop in the big city. Sounds like a romantic comedy, right? It’s actually just the origin story of Katie Maloney and Ariana Madix’s long-awaited fast-casual restaurant, Something About Her. When you turn off of the loud Sunset Strip in West Hollywood, you’ll eventually find a striped yellow awning tucked away at the end of a quieter block (ironically just doors down from a store called Ariana’s Rugs). Somehow, it feels like you’ve entered a small town in a Nancy Meyers movie where Drew Barrymore could run out wearing an apron covered in flour at a moment’s notice.

But rest assured, you’re still in Los Angeles, just minutes away from Lisa Vanderpump’s hospitality empire where this duo famously got their start. Ariana and Katie had been feeling the pressure from their cast mates and fans alike after announcing the idea for the sandwich shop in 2022 on Vandeprump Rules. Now that the opening is finally here, Ariana tells me, “I feel like a combination of I’m excited and I am only just nervous in a sense that… I care a lot that I have just those same kind of nerves that you get when you’re about to do something very cool.” But were the romanticized sandwiches worth the wait? I tried the menu and spoke with Ariana and Katie about how it all happened. Here is my official review of Something About Her.

Review Of Katie & Ariana’s Something About Her Sandwich Shop

Image Credit: Betches

What’s on the Something About Her Menu?

The menu is focused on an array of handcrafted sandwiches ranging from $8-$19.00 that the ladies described as “elevated classics with something unexpected” that feels like someone “just made it fresh from their home kitchen.” The menu highlights curated ingredients from in-house dressings and marmalades to unique marinated produce paired with artisan breads and cheeses.

Each sandwich is named after an iconic actress you’d recognize by name including The Viola, The Reese, The Drew, The Kerry, The Kate, and The Meg (though they could see a world where a few lucky men may make an appearance as a seasonal sandwich like Jude Law or John Hamm). It makes sense the menu is certified for the girls, since Something About Her is a business Ariana and Katie started with the support of the women in their lives, like Lisa Vanderpump and Katie’s mom Teri who Ariana says was “really helpful.” It also just felt natural to open a restaurant because as Katie puts it “Well, this has been my life experience.”

What’s it like inside Something About Her?

Image Credit: Betches

The shop is a green and gold art-deco dream that feels more like your rich aunt’s living room than a grab-and-go restaurant. I could easily picture myself stopping in for a bite between errands to people-watch from the wooden bench that faces the handful of marble tables. Sitting down, you’re within reach of the entrance and the register, but that’s exactly the snug, homey energy Katie and Ariana wanted for their shop. As for the SAH staff uniforms, the infamous SUR minidresses are staying in the back of Katie and Ariana’s closets. This staff will be much more comfortable in a T-shirt. As Katie told me, “I think both of us not really being a fan of uniforms for a long time, that we wanted to have something that felt cohesive, but everyone has such great unique style that we’re like, ‘Okay, if we do a T-shirt, then everyone else can bring their own elements to that as well.’”

A Review of the Something About Her Sandwiches

The Reese

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As Katie’s current favorite sandwich on the menu (second the Nancy, their take on a BLT), I had high expectations for this dill chicken salad on grain bread. While I happen to be of the staunch camp that is weary of raisins in salads of all kinds (chicken, potato, etc.), this did feel exactly like a classic sammy your grandma would throw together for lunch in her garden.

The Meg

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This wrap is named after Meg Ryan, the smart and spunky heroine of romcoms past. That’s exactly what this wrap is: bright and tangy with its traditional Greek dressing that somehow doesn’t overpower the dry ingredients thanks to the crunch of the lavash bread wrap. My only note here is that I wanted more chunks of that creamy feta cheese in the middle and the option to add a protein (I mean, who can say no to a grilled chicken option?).

The Cameron

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As an East Coaster to my core, the true test of a sandwich shop always lies in the strength of its Italian. It’s an item that’s easy to throw on the menu without really making it your own. That’s why I was pleasantly surprised to find The Cameron to easily be my Oscar-worthy fave of the bunch. It has a healthy stack of the classic Italian deli meat combo (salami, soppressata, and mortadella) paired with roasted red peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, and red onion bathed in garlic aioli. But the magic of the sandwich comes from the homemade balsamic onion marmalade. The subtle sweetness of the marmalade and basil combined with the slight sour of the lemony arugula, all benched in a ciabatta roll, made my taste buds dance like they were out late partying at Pump. Ariana’s top pick def justified the $19 price tag.

The Drew

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While The Cameron was my personal dream sandwich, the flavor of The Drew was beyond chef’s kiss. I knew I was going to be happy from the first crunch from the baguette (I like my carbs extra carby and this bread delivered). Inside, the bread is lined with whipped goat cheese in a chive oil that I could willingly drown in. The next thing that stood out was the shaved apple. The paper-thin sweet treat, paired with another unexpected sauce in the mango-jalapeno jam and balanced with mint for sharpness, made the sandwich rich but not too rich. If you have the extra $4.00 to spare adding the option prosciutto seems like a no-brainer.

So, is Something About Her good?

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Ariana and Katie stans will be happy to hear Something About Her was honestly worth the wait, for both regular customers and celebs. The VPR icons have already had some exciting Bravolebrity guests stop by including Andy Cohen and hope more will come (like RHOP alum Candiace Dillard Bassett or even The Countess LuAnn De Lesseps, who they told me they’d love to host for a future cabaret show). As a romcom fanatic, I had to find out who the VPR icons would cast as the #1 guy in a romcom starring themselves. I’m not sure we’ll see Dev Patel, who Katie says is “so gorgeous… he’s beautiful,” or André 3000 who Ariana would want to “sweep [her] off my feet” even if he hasn’t done a lot of acting because “it’s [her movie],” walking through the doors anytime soon. But fans are welcome to come live their own romcom fantasy at Something About Her starting May 22.