Storefront Deli

I was holding off on my review of Storefront Deli because I intended to go back several times and do a comprehensive write-​up when I had sampled most of the menu. Now I feel robbed. This review is the rose I toss onto the coffin as it’s lowered into the ground.
I only managed to go once, and that was for a take-​out lunch on a lazy Sunday. Matt B. went in and picked up our food while I waited at the curb. It was a very quick stop. I barely got my book open before he came back.
I got The Mousa, a $ 12 sandwich that I wish I could eat again. It was a meaty sandwich, layered with soppressata, coppa, guanciali, provolone, lettuce, tomato, red onion, and pickled cayenne peppers on a sub roll. The Italian meats made a spiced up, flavorful blend, and the pickled peppers added an extra prickle of heat. Matt had bagels, and he was impressed. It would’ve been nice to continue getting bagels at Storefront — our neighborhood doesn’t lack for good food, but there isn’t a close place to get quality bagels.
Anyway, Storefront has been gone for a while now, and I can’t say I miss it too much since I barely got to know it. I’m disappointed it didn’t last longer, though, and I hope we enjoy whatever takes its place. R.I.P. Mousa. You lived a good life.

Damn. This «deli» by the same folks who brought us Salt’s Cure is now closed. But since I came by late last month while it was still open, I’ll go ahead and add my review. I think it hurt them to be a mostly take-​out place, with sparse seating and somewhat limited offerings. I mean the minimal concept works at Salt’s Cure, but there the menu constantly changes and folks can have a sit-​down meal.
Anyhow, I had the BREAKFAST SANDWICH with egg, cheese and added bacon for $ 2 more. I chose the biscuit for my bread. It was very dense and buttery, but broke apart easily. The egg was nice and runny. In general I like the build your own breakfast sandwich concept, but the portion here is so tiny it can only be a snack. Plus having since visited a restaurant in Portland specializing in biscuit sandwiches, I think Storefront Deli’s version is disappointing, but that’s all moot now.

Infinite sadness.
Another one bites the dust.
To whomever was responsible for the closing of storefront deli… all I can say is… I hope you die a slow and painful death. Kidding, just a normal death is cool. KIDDING! I just hope you get like a hangnail or like stub your toe in the dark at least…
Zak n Chris from Salt’s Cure are the masterminds behind this awesome place. I had an amazing day off with both of my kids and this place supplied our lunchtime sustenance. I even brought the wife back a turkey sandwich to go… cuz I’m a kind and loving bastard like that… sometimes.
TURKEY SANDWICH
Surprisingly not horrible for a turkey sandwich… in fact, pretty damn good. Quality bird, mustard seed, greens, a lil cranberry… damn tasty.
BLT!!!
Uniquely satisfying, bordering on angelic… the original bacon flavor stems from the bacon being cured in-​house, giving it a distinctive sweet yet gamy and salty porky taste that is extremely enjoyable. The quality lettuce and heirloom tomato play a minimal role… as it should be. The star here is the bacon… would you expect anything less?
The bacon is so good a bought a mini slab to take home and indulge in on my free time…
Great stuff, you can still get this porktasticness over at Salt’s Cure… so get your ass down there.
POTATO SALAD
Pretty damn good considering it was just potato salad…
APPLE PASTRY
Crusty, flaky, warm appley goodness.
Did I mention the bacon here might be life changing? Nope, that was my homeboy J. Gold. and he knows a thing or three about pork in LA. So, so long storefront, I’ll be weeping alone in hopes of revisiting that BLT sometime in the not too distant future.

Don’t let the word deli deceive you — this is how Los Feliz does deli. It’s not your neighborhood bodega with all the good and bad, crowded, cats, coffees and cold cuts. Not that I wouldn’t mind a few of those in the neighborhood, so long as they make sandwiches…
This is the Los Feliz, gussied up just a little version of that.
The thing is, I really like sandwiches. And I peered in here one day and saw that, behold, they had a chicken salad sandwich on the menu ($ 8). It’s true, a chicken salad sandwich is one of my favorites (there are a few, but hear me out) particularly if served on a croissant. And lo and behold! they had croissants – I would give this a shot.
They were particularly accommodating in putting the chook on the croissant. Their supply of croissants, less so as they ran out and instead offered to put part II of my sandwich on the most appetizing biscuit I have ever seen.
And I must say, that was a good chicken salad sandwich. A rather simple affair, you might think, they’re all the same. I probably have 5 reviews on Unilocal that specifically mention chicken salad.
This, done right.
They also have enormous cookies at the counter ($ 2), an assortment of rolls to take home ($ 4 – 6), pies, and various and sundry other pastries.
It is also a place to get breakfast or coffee. No dinner, they close early at 5.
It is not however a place to get the most bang for your buck. The reason my sandwich was split into croissant and biscuit halves was because each was so small one would get you a sandwich the size of a party snack. Frequent shoppers of say, Porto’s will cry a little. There is a cost to everything being made in-​house and I thought it fared better than nearby community (which was expensive and not very good). It was good, but I could see, as many others have mentioned, this as a place where it’s easy to spend a bit of money.

I’ve heard great things about storefront and unlike Home this place did not disappoint. After the before mentioned place, which doesn’t even deserve to be typed again, I came here.
This is a heavenly sausage egg and cheese. Hints of BBQ sauce perfectly compliment this delicious patty served on a muffin. Plus super badass chocolate chip cookie.
Simple at its best!

i am in love with this cute little small gem of a place!!!
The food is delicious & amazing. This place is a farmer’s market meet small mom & pops shop :) The people there are extremely nice!!!
Such a great place to go & grab a bite for lunch or pick up a TO-​go sandwhich for late: D So i was craving this place after Katie B told me about it, and couldn’t stop thinking about it, so one day i stopped by before work (yes i live life somewhat dangerously sometimes on the verge of being late for work just for good food), i picked up some coffeeee (regular, i was too chicken to try the lousy coffee, hehe), & the california chicken sandwhich!
When i ate the sandwhich for lunch, IT WAS AMAZING!!! I seriously wish i got another one. The chicken taste very organic and the sandwhich still maintained it’s cruchiness!!! So good that i wish i didn’t share any with my coworker!
The owner told me that all the ingredients for this gem are from a local farmer’s market & he picks it up every wednesday! Even more amazing — I can’t wait to try all of the salads!
Just an FYI more of a TO go Place, not much seating but TOTALLY worth it!

You know what’s lame? Ordering a chicken salad sandwich.
You know what’s more lame? Ordering a chicken salad sandwich from a place that’s affiliated with a place like Salt’s Cure.
You know who defies the concept of lame as described above? Storefront Deli.
I have no idea what possessed me to order a chicken salad sandwich out of the plethora of options available at Storefront Deli (probably because while there is a plethora of options, they’re not spelled out, so you have to know how to talk the deli tough talk and I, sadly, don’t know that language), but clearly this was a fate designed by the late lunch gods, because when that sandwich made its way to my mouth, I was reborn. Or maybe just the chicken salad sandwich was reborn, but either way, it was like a yellow brick road of pure gold, so a gold brick road. I finished the first half of the sandwich in record-​breaking time and picked up the phone immediately. I called up Storefront and asked what kind of voodoo chicken salad spell they put on me, and the gentleman who answered the phone was bewildered at my question, for I clearly wasn’t making any sense, then asked in plain English. I know this is not a layer of fried onion strings in the sandwich, but what is this plane of deliciousness? «Oh, that’s the chicken skin, we add it to the sandwich.» Brilliant, you use the skin of the chicken as an ingredient in its own sandwich. So meta. I don’t really know what else was in that, but I had to stop after the first half to admire such a thing.
Their bread and pastry case is another thing of wonderment. All look ripe and ready to be gobbled up by eager carb loaders. I admit I ordered a Pretzel Roll Twist that I was «going to save for later» but ended up eating it that same very lunch session. It was soft, chewy, perfectly salted, and buttery. I just shook my head while writing this in the same vein you would thinking about something silly but endearing your significant other did. It was smirk worthy.
My chicken salad sandwich was $ 7, and so monstrous and hearty that I split it into two meals, and the pretzel fluff was not more than $ 2, so I scored big time, like a hat-​tricked Englishman on the football field.

I had the chicken salad sandwich today for lunch. It was divine. I love that they left the skin on the chicken so each bite had different pops of flavor. Also, thank you for getting it right and putting lettuce between the salad and the bread ON BOTH SIDES so the bread doesn’t fall apart. As a former deli wench myself, I must give high marks. Also, the staff was fantastic and let me sample a few things that I will definitely be ordering next time.
I thought the price point was totally fair considering the quality and the portions. Way to go Storefront!

My boyfriend and I came here twice during our LA visit and I know we will be back again. Their basics are fabulous and their pastries were delicious. I also love that they have Utz chips. On our first visit we tried:
Breakfast Sandwich, sausage on a bagel
Cheeseburger w/​bacon
Mini Apple Pie
Chocolate Croissant
Lousy Coffee
The breakfast sandwich was just okay for me, but the egg was perfectly done and the sausage was tasty. The cheeseburger was the real standout. Super delicious and juicy! Great flavoring, not too salty, and it is a sort of small burger, but with something that savory and satisfying, you really don’t want to have a huge portion. The pastries are thoughtfully done and really reasonably priced. I would recommend trying whatever they have that looks interesting for the day. The croissant was amazing and had a great flaky exterior with high quality chocolate on the inside. The lousy coffee is $ 0.50 and is Folger’s. They also have a $ 3.00 cup so it’s kind of nice they have this option in case you just want something warm to drink with your pastries.
The second trip we tried:
The Mousa
The Frenchman
Mini Strawberry Pie
Pretzel
Butter Scone
We actually didn’t order the Mousa, we ordered the Egg Salad, but I our order was messed up somehow, but we ordered to go and didn’t realize it until we already left. No real complaints though since everything there is good. The Mousa had AMAZING bread and was a good oily Italian type sandwich. I’m not so much a fan of this type of sandwich since I have an aversion to really umami-​flavored things, but it was still good from an objective stance. I LOVED the Frenchman sandwich. This sandwich was created for me. Delicious butter with arugula, a little bit of ham all on an amazing baguette. The bread here is so good! If I had known how good the baguette was I would have bought one to take home with me to SF. I devoured the whole thing with my boyfriend stopping me in just enough time for him to try some. Again, all the pastries were great. The pretzel was soft and tasty and I loved the Butter Scone. It wasn’t too heavily dense or dry like most scones I’ve eaten in my life.
The staff was helpful and generally friendly and gave suggestions. Parking here was a cinch both times. We were able to get parking right in front of the deli and there were plenty of other spots to spare. Also, If you’re a bread crazed woman like me, get some bread to take home!

Meats up in yo piece! Baked goods in the neighborhood!
I had already been a huge fan of Salt’s Cure so I knew I was going to love this place, and I do. The love affair started with a custom made pâté sandwich on their delicious baguette, topped with arugula. Their charcuterie is on point, and I can’t wait to bring home a pot of delicious rillette. I wasn’t as enamored with the BLT. The bread is thick, the bacon is thin, the tomato is sliced quite thin, the lettuce is iceberg — it just didn’t sing for me.
But woah, the burger. Dry aged beef intensity, and the bacon lends that extra salty crunchy fatty pop that brings the whole thing to a level of beefy glory. It’s almost a necessary addition since the burger patty is cooked to more a medium than medium rare. And the bun, the BUN! Everyone is making lousy brioche buns these days and it is so satisfying to know that someone can still nail it. Spongey and springy, and not soggy, is the name of the game.
The breakfast biscuit is the extremely rich man’s Carl’s Jr. breakfast biscuit and I say that with nothing but the utmost respect for both breakfast sandwiches. You know how the outside ring of the biscuit is the best part because you have the crunchy, brown-​buttery crumble of the outside, and a part of the fluffy, tender inside? Well there’s four corners of outside-​biscuit deliciousness, and somehow he gets as many layers in this thing as a croissant. It’s biscuit wizardry.
The corned beef sandwich is a winner, too. Ultra tender beef married with their tangy coleslaw — you can’t really go wrong, except, eat it fast or it can fall apart on you.
The desserts are phenomenal too. Salted caramel apple bread budding made from leftover croissants rocked it. Pete the baker is a genius! And the lousy coffee aint that lousy and I get it every time for 50 cents.
Very limited seating and everything is packaged to go.

I love how this place is right around the corner from work. I went here on new year’s eve for lunch at around 11:45am and it was getting packed already. I recommend going early to beat the lunch rush. I ordered the BLT and it was awesome. It was $ 9 (a little pricey but I guess that’s fair cause they give you high quality ingredients). The bread was toasty yet soft, the bacon was salty and smoky, and the lettuce was crisp and fresh. Literally, one of the best BLT’s I’ve ever had. I will definitely be back for breakfast. They also sell pastries here but I didn’t try any this time. The only downside is– my friend and I had to eat outside cause the place is tiny tiny and has few chairs/​small counter.

I had so little expectations of this place. What pissed me off even more was that their hours are so limited, I had trouble finding time to go, too. What really made me make an effort to come out here though was Jonathan Gold. He recently visited here and approved so I decided to come visit. I’m so glad I did, true gem on Hollywood Blvd. I almost missed it two times because there’s no marked awning.
The inside is very clean and looks very much like a modern deli. They have a ton of framed photos of deli’s from around the US (or at least it looked like it). I spotted the Strand Bookstore from NY and I’m not sure how that fits it.
Everything is made in house! I had the Mousa. When I first got it, it looked a bit sad. I was expecting a pile of meat because it seemed like the most heaviest and heartiest sandwich but when I peeked inside, I saw the thinly cuts of house-​cured meats and got super excited. The meats were awesome and the bread was AMAZING. It was so soft and fluffy. To me, the meat and the bread has to be great.
My friend had what seemed to be a boring, ordinary, chicken salad sandwich. The menu stated that it just had red onion and mayo but I can tell you that it wasn’t the case. There’s must’ve been something else in the dressing of the salad because it was so flavorful. It was really delish! I wished they didn’t toast the seeded wheat slices of bread though. I would’ve preferred it non toasted.
We also ordered a side of the egg salad and I could’ve done without it.
What surprised me the most was how cheap and affordable everything was! Most of the pastries were under $ 3! Places like this do not sell house-​made pastries for that cheap! This was definitely a gem!
There aren’t many seats but they have a wooden blocked bench around a plant you can sit on.
I highly recommend!

I am so excited! Finally, something worth writing home about that’s a stone throw away from where I live! Heretofore it has all been taco trucks.
This place is RAD. They make everything in house– we’re talking not only cured meats and bread, which seems doable, but the actual condiments, like ketchup and cream cheese! That’s some advanced deli action, y’all. I heard about it on NPR (like a lot of folks, I bet) and thought, oh wow, I jog by there all the time, how haven’t I ever seen it? So I had to get up and go early this morning to get a kickass bagel and sablefish.
As a New Yorker, I am very discerning about my Jewish and Italian food (read: bagels and pizza do not get taken lightly.) And this was one of the best bagels I’ve had in LA. My friend got the egg sandwich with the Salt’s Cure bacon, which was all diced up for better egg to meat bite ratio, in my opinion. The yolk was a gorgeous dark yellow and still runny, note for caution when you dig in– make sure you’re eating over a napkin. I love a runny yolk, and liked dipping the sandwich into it. Mmm. I’m sure they can cook it through if that’s your deal, but I liked it that way. Also got the sable bagel, which if you don’t know your Jewish fish, is akin to lox but slightly more mild. It was delicious and subtle. And again, the bagel was great, a nice toasty crunchy brown exterior with the right amount of fluffy inside, and not too large, so you get a good compact eat.
I also got a bag of «vintage cookies» (day old) for a buck– they were still soft in the middle and in no way could I tell they were old. There were three giant chocolate chip cookies in a bag, so that’s a killer deal! Make sure you have someone to share them with, they are RICH, buttery goodness, like your grandma made ‘em.
The egg salad looked beautiful (like I said, they’ve got nice dark yolked eggs there) and there was a great selection of cheeses and meats… I basically want to eat everything. When it’s not 8am, I will return to try the famous cheeseburger, even the way they have it listed on the menu is charming, with three simple options of regular, double, or bacon (how In-​N-​Out of them.) All of the baked goods were also very attractive, so I’m going to come early to get some Christmas eats of cheeses, salads, and a lovely demi baguette. The prices aren’t cheap, but aren’t overly expensive for the quality… not that different from what I’d get back home from our local Italian deli for the good stuff. I’ll be updating this review with more sandwich tries, no doubt. :-)
By the by, it’s a eat on the run type deal, with some counters if you want to eat there, so don’t come for a date, unless you are taking that date on a kickass picnic, in which case, DEFINITELY bring a date. The food is the focus.

I would call this an «upscale» deli. It’s not your Langer’s or Canter’s kinda place. It’s «trendy.» The vibe definitely feels proper though for the super talented owner’s of Salt’s Cure — all around hip and quality products. Locally sourced and fresh ingredients pave the way for straight forward dishes in a no frills (but very cool) atmosphere.
They serve up lots of tasty items… there’s The Frenchman, which is made with a deliciously salty, air-​dried California ham… very juicy cheese burgers made medium rare for only $ 7 bucks… (but you can add bacon for and extra $ 2) Simple scones and egg and cheese breakfast sandwiches — It all looks yummy.
I liked the Frenchman — it felt very European to me in that it’s not heavy on the meat but comes on ½ a baguette. I was satisfied but not stuffed after eating it. Which is fine.
This place is hipsterville, so Intelligentsia coffees are a given — though I do love that they have «Lousy» coffee available (which is usually Folgers) for only .50 cents.
It’s not a huge place and seating is limited. Plan on taking it To-​Go and if you happen to get a bar stool, by the time your number is called, then consider yourself lucky.
PS — The bottled sodas (esp. the cream soda) are choice.
Four stars because although you can pick a deli side like Raw Kale salad or Marinated Cucumbers, I would have loved if my sandwich came with a bag of chips or something. For just 2 sammies and 2 drinks, $ 30 (plus tip) will keep me from returning more frequently. I get it — it’s quality house cured meats and house baked breads — I love that — don’t change a thing — just throw in some free chips or sweet pickles or something on the side so we can at least pretend we are paying deli prices.

Breakfast fuckin’ sandwich. English muffin, egg, cheese, bacon. Yeah. Yum.
Only thing that I wasn’t totally into was the oozy egg and cheese situation. Made it sloppy to eat. But it tasted great and the OJ I got with it was stunning.

When I heard that the guys from Salt’s Cure were opening up a deli in my own backyard (across from the Hollywood Goodwill) I was stoked. I mean (confession) I haven’t actually been to Salt’s Cure yet, but everyone tells me how amazing it is. Lucky for me it lived up to the associated hype. I ordered a Turkey Club and it was fabulous. Maybe a little greasier that I had envisioned, but certainly delicious. A little salty, a little gooey all on a soft baked roll. So good. It set me back $ 9 which is a bit pricey for a sandy, but worth it for this gourmet grub. The shop itself is cute. Not very much seating, but a nice little hole in the wall of the vintage (read LA hipster) feel. Another bonus is the proximity to Covell. Wine and sandwiches on the same block!
Welcome to the neighborhood Storefront!

Burger was tasty, the beef was very rich and deep tasting. it’s not the best burger EVER (Hawkins House of Burgers FTW!
)
BUT that said, it was pretty tasty, and they had a HELLA AWESOME Chocolate chip cookie. Like, finger lickin’ good. Very much a to-​go place, with just a counter to eat at (there’s also a bench outside)
Their breakfast menu is served ’til close — so I have to come back to try that.
Street parking in this neighborhood is screwed — park on a side-​street (I parked on a residential street behind Cheetahs)

I wanted to like Storefront the moment it made its way onto my radar. It’s close to home, the concept is right up my alley, and the people who work there are exceptionally nice.
Two people in the span of one week e-​mailed me the same rave review of the burger. The article painted a image of what I thought made for an exceptional variation on the theme. A buddy and I met there for lunch a couple weeks ago to see for ourselves if it was as-​good-​as-​advertised.
Sadly, the Storefront burger fell flat. The overcooked gray interior was nowhere near my requested medium rare. Or was it that the girl behind the counter pretty much told me the burger would arrive medium rare. Either way, it wasn’t. Nor did the patty contain as much fat as I would have hoped. The bacon (again recommended by the girl behind the counter) offered little additional salt or fat. What’s more, the thing just looked pathetic once it was unwrapped.
Aside from the burger, another misstep was that the trash receptacle was placed right next to the countertop near the front entrance, which is the only indoor option for sitting and eating one’s foodstuffs. So many flies… it was uncomfortable and, quite frankly, unappetizing.
…Of course, the other three Unilocal reviews for Storefront all seem to mention the breakfast sando. Maybe that’s the key to finally unlocking the best Storefront has to offer. Just get rid of that garbage can. Or at least move it. Gross.

Went here yesterday for lunch. This place has an awesome vibe that reminds me of the bodegas in New York City. The service was helpful and intuitive. The menu is pretty extensive for a deli.
This place offers some great sandwiches. I had The Mousa which is their take on an Italian deli sandwich. The egg salad was awesome as well and I’m a harsh judge of egg salad. The mixture of mayo and season plus the textural difference with the buttered toast was an excellent combination.
Did not have the pastries, but they looked very appetizing. Ordered the pâté and flavor profile is on par with anything I’ve had at higher range restaurants. The truffle cheese is very unique. Overall this is a real nice addition to this area of town.
This place is basically a takeout place with only four bench seats against the storefront, no pun intended. It would be nice if they added a few more seats perhaps sidewalk for more flexibility for their customers.

Solid breakfast sandwich, good coffee and a selection of meats & cheese… this place is a great stop in Los Feliz. It’s also a stellar way to avoid that a.m. Sunset Junction coffee rush.
It’s great to have a legit deli in the ‘hood (basically the only thing Los Feliz didn’t have already) and I am impressed with how quickly the space has evolved and come together.