My family has been in Glendale since the 1920s, which meant every holiday came with a folding table stacked high with cold cuts and cheeses from Mario’s. Those platters weren’t just food, they were tradition, shorthand for where we come from.
Italian delis in Los Angeles are more than places to grab a sandwich. They’re neighborhood fixtures, loud with lineage, laden with cured meats, and held together by people who remember your face and your order.
This isn’t a guide for chasing the “best sub sandwich” algorithm. It’s for anyone who understands that the counter, the bread, and the person behind it are the point.
The SOB Sub from Mario’s Italian Deli & Market hails spicy soppressata salami and oven-roasted chicken with balsamic vinegar and olive oil, lettuce, tomato, onion, mustard, mayonnaise, and mozzarella cheese.MARIO’S DELI ~ GLENDALE
Mario’s has been serving Glendale for more than 60 years, and locals know exactly what to do when their number is called: Order the SOB with the works. Add fresh mozzarella. And don’t overthink it.
This is a place that takes its bread seriously, thick, sturdy, and famous for a reason, built to hold together a sandwich that feels less like a menu item and more like something made for the regulars.
Try to order one of their signature loaves over the phone, and the manager might ask when you plan on eating it. Not to rush you, but because he doesn’t want you tasting it past its prime. That’s how fresh it is.
740 E. Broadway, Glendale, CA 91205
Closest Metro line and stop: Bus Line 90 – “Glendale/Broadway”
“The Sandwiches” from Roma. Photo by Lauren Bethke for L.A. TACO.ROMA MARKET ~ PASADENA
In 2020, the internet “discovered” what Pasadena had known forever: Roma makes a perfect sandwich by never changing it. Known simply as “the sandwich,” it arrives on crusty bread from a Sicilian baker, slicked with olive oil, layered with capicola, mortadella, salami, and provolone. No substitutions. No tweaks. And it’s insanely affordable.
Owner Rosario Mazzeo is often posted up on a folding chair near the register, watching over his kingdom, making sure that if you have any questions, you know where to find him. The sandwich comes wrapped in pink paper that feels straight out of a John Waters movie. It’s simple, elegant, and deeply uninterested in your opinion.
Roma doesn’t have a website. That alone tells you everything you need to know. True if-you-know-you-know vibes.
918 N. Lake Ave. Pasadena, CA 91104
Closest Metro line and stop: Metro Local 662 Bus – “Lake/Mountain”
The Eagle Rock Italian Bakery & Deli interior. Photo courtesy of @eagle_rock_italian_bakery/Instagram.EAGLE ROCK ITALIAN BAKERY & DELI ~ EAGLE ROCK
Founded in 1949 and now run by brothers Vito and Anthony Cafarchia, Eagle Rock Italian Bakery and Deli smells like powdered sugar and espresso, which hits you before you even register what you’re ordering. This is a place where pastries matter as much as sandwiches.
Cannoli crack when you bite into them. Cookies taste like they were made for someone dear and specific. Bread is baked fresh, but never touted as such.
Everything here feels purposefully made, like it’s been done the same way for decades because there was never a reason to stop. Eagle Rock Italian Bakery isn’t loud about its legacy; it lets the food do the talking.
1726 Colorado Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90041
Closest Metro line and stop: Metro Local 180 Bus – “Colorado/Mount Royal”
Photo by Lauren Bethke for L.A. TACO.SORRENTO ITALIAN MARKET ~ CULVER CITY
Sorrento’s story starts with a refrigerated van.
In the early 1960s, Albert Vera Sr. arrived from near Naples, bought a white van, and began selling deli food on wheels. He met his future wife, Ursula, on a delivery route. Together, they opened Sorrento Italian Market in 1963.
Today, the market still feels personal. Parking’s in the back. Picnic tables sit outside for people who don’t want to rush. The Italian sandwich has real chew, generously dressed with mustard and mayonnaise, thick-cut salami, and controversially (but memorably), marinara instead of tomato. We had never seen this technique for subbing out a tomato, and it made a huge impression.
This is the type of place where the cashier is cracking jokes while you’re paying, saying your single sandwich will be $60 with a totally straight face.
5518 Sepulveda Blvd. Culver City, CA 90230
Closest Metro line and stop: Metro E Line – “Expo/Sepulveda”
The Little Don Lorenzo sandwich. Photo by Lauren Bethke for L.A. TACO.BAY CITIES ITALIAN DELI & BAKERY ~ SANTA MONICA
Bay Cities is controlled chaos. It is the oldest Italian deli in all of Los Angeles, and easily the largest. Bread comes out of the oven every 20 minutes. Lines snake through aisles. There’s an entire wing of the store devoted to alcohol. Somehow, it all works.
The move is a hard roll. The baguette, still warm and shockingly affordable, is also worth grabbing. While the Godmother gets all the headlines, the Little Don Lorenzo is a sleeper hit: bread that has the right amount of chew, gently salted prosciutto, fresh mozzarella, tomato confit, and basil.
If you don’t want to wait for the deli, grab one of their fresh grab-and-go sandwiches near the wine room. I saw them being restocked twice within the time I was there; that’s how fresh they are. Bay Cities has been around since 1925, and it still knows how to surprise people who think they’ve ordered everything.
1517 Lincoln Blvd. Santa Monica, CA 90401
Closest Metro line and stop: Metro E Line – “Downtown Santa Monica”
The “Torpedos Grab&Go” section at Giuliano’s in 2022. Photo courtesy of @giulianosgardena/Instagram.GIULIANO’S ~ GARDENA
Giuliano’s opened in 1952 with one sandwich: the torpedo. You can still find it pre-wrapped on the counter, in two sizes, no decisions required: soft French roll, mortadella, capicola, provolone, pepperoncini. The inside is vintage and warmly lined with dark wood and hanging photos of Italy. A wall of fresh bread behind the counter is moving quickly, as there are lines of people who already know the drill, grabbing it.
Outside, tables fill with older men drinking beers out of paper bags in the middle of the day. Inside, mini cannoli wait by the register, crispy, restrained, perfect. Giuliano’s has never pretended to be anything other than what it is, which is why it works.
1138 W. Gardena Blvd. Gardena, CA 90247
Closest Metro line and stop: Metro J Line – “Rosecrans”
Gelato from Monte Carlo. Photo by Lauren Bethke for L.A. TACO.MONTE CARLO/PINOCCHIO’S ~ BURBANK
Half-Italian deli, half-cafeteria-style restaurant, Monte Carlo/Pinocchio’s has been serving the Burbank community since 1971. Think big red booths, red-checkered tablecloths, and imported Italian goods. Think peak Burbank.
Studio execs line up in shirts and ties, as parents share gelato with their kids. It’s a place where everyone feels equally comfortable. Combination sandwiches fly out alongside trays of lasagna and homemade sausage. There are murals of the Italian countryside, a room filled with Pinocchio stills, and 24 gelato flavors competing for attention.
3103 W. Magnolia Blvd. Burbank, CA 91505
Closest Metro line and stop: Bus Line 94 – “Magnolia/Catalina”
Inside of a San Carlo pastrami sandwich. Photo by Lauren Bethke for L.A. TACO.SAN CARLO DELI ~ CHATSWORTH
San Carlo is what happens when hospitality turns into a personality trait.
Giovanni Roberto emigrated from Puglia in 1968 and bought San Carlo Deli in 1975. Today, he greets you in Italian, before you’re offered coffee, wine, or something you didn’t know you wanted upon arriving.
“Your money is no good here!” Giovanni jokes, shaking hands, remembering names, teasing regulars. We were then fed calzone, meatballs, pastrami sandwiches, cappuccino, espresso, wine, focaccia, and sent home with a shirt, all for $20.
He remembered everyone, from the family of five served after us to the shy teenagers grabbing a quick bite to go. This isn’t just a deli, it’s a lesson in how to take care of people. San Carlo Deli is small but mighty and deserves all the praise. The food was incredible, but what will have me driving all the way to Chatsworth is Giovanni himself.
10178 Mason Ave. Chatsworth, CA 91311
Closest Metro line and stop: Bus Line 158 – “Devonshire/Mason”
The sausage and meatball sub from Cavaretta’s. Photo by Lauren Bethke for L.A. TACO.CAVARETTA’S ~ CANOGA PARK
Cavaretta’s is as old-school as it gets in the West Valley. Opened in 1959 by Lou Cavaretta, it later passed to Paul Nunneri, who wisely changed nothing. The shelves are still stacked with imported pastas, tomato products, sweets, Italian beer, and wine.
Dodgers memorabilia covers the bar. A hallway displays family photos and signed black-and-white portraits of famous Italians. The sausage and meatball sub is a heavy-hitter, with semi-sweet sauce, spongy bread, and a real snap from the sausage.
The website says it best: “Come in, you might just bump into someone you know”. Really shows the small-town, family vibes of the valley.
22045 Sherman Way, Canoga Park, CA 91304
Closest Metro line and stop: Metro Local 162 Bus – “Sherman Way/Topanga Canyon”
A sausage sub from Claro’s. Photo by Lauren Bethke for L.A. TACO.CLARO’S ITALIAN MARKET ~ SAN GABRIEL
Family-owned and operated since 1948, Claro’s Italian Markets has spent more than 75 years feeding Southern California’s Italian community. A sign by the door sets the tone: “Some people eat to live. Claro’s customers live to eat.”
Step inside and you’re hit with the smell of marinara and simmering vegetables, a small, unmistakable wave of nostalgia that snaps you back to childhood in the best way.
It’s a classic take-a-number situation: wait your turn, scan the shelves lined with pickled vegetables, jarred sauces, and fresh cheeses, and let Elvis hum softly in the background while you decide.
The move is the small Italian sausage sub. At $12 after tax, it comes packed with deeply savory sausage, sweet peppers, marinara, and melted mozzarella, balanced, unfussy, and exactly what you want from a place that’s been doing this right for generations.
1003 E. Valley Blvd. San Gabriel, CA 91776
Closest Metro line and stop: Bus Line 76 – “Valley/Delta”
The #7 from the Eastside Italian Deli with hot roast beef, pastrami, and cheese. Photo courtesy of Eastside Italian Deli.EASTSIDE MARKET ~ VICTOR HEIGHTS/CHINATOWN
Eastside Italian Deli has been anchoring Chinatown’s Victor Heights neighborhood since 1929, though its roots stretch back even further.
Founded as Eastside Market by Puglia-born Domenic Pontrelli in Lincoln Heights, the business moved to its current Alpine Street location as the neighborhood’s Little Italy grew around it. Over the decades, it evolved from a full-service market into a deli, adapting as the city changed while never losing its soul.
Since the 1970s, Eastside has been stewarded by the Angiuli family and is now run by Johnny Angiuli’s sons, Anthony, Rocco, and Vito.
The draw remains the same: affordable, deeply satisfying sandwiches, especially the legendary #7 roast beef and pastrami, dunked in homemade tomato sauce, that keeps everyone from City Hall workers to construction crews coming back.
1013 Alpine St. Los Angeles, CA 90012
Closest Metro line and stop: Bus Line 45 – “Centennial/Alpine”
The 3-foot sub from Lanza Brothers. Photo courtesy of @lanzabrosmarket/Instagram.LANZA BROTHERS ~ CHINATOWN
Lanza Brothers is the second-oldest Italian deli in Los Angeles (after Bay Cities), a holdover from the neighborhood’s Italian past, something it shares with San Antonio Winery across the street.
Founded by John Lanza, an Italian immigrant who lived on the same block, it’s one of the last businesses established by the city’s first wave of Italian arrivals. When second-generation owner Louis Lanza retired, he sold the shop to John Kim, who promised to keep the market and its beloved sandwich recipes unchanged.
Nestled just east of the L.A. River in an industrial corner of town, Lanza Brothers remains a neighborhood staple, known for its hearty sandwiches, satisfying soups, and friendly service.
You can grab a beer to go with a no-frills sub: cold cuts, mustard, mayo, nothing fancy, just deeply satisfying. It’s one of the cheaper sandwiches in town, ranging from $9.25 to $11, wrapped up in those little bags that somehow make it taste even better.
1803 N. Main St. Los Angeles, CA 90031
Closest Metro line and stop: Bus Line 76 – “El Monte Station”
Dining and Cooking