Papa Don’s Deli

I really wanted to love this place, but the service was so poor and the sandwich so un-​exciting, I can barely give it 3 stars. The sandwiches are moderately priced and small, so go for a whole, not a half, unless you are a tiny mouse or child. While devoid of any other customers, the stoned sandwich maker took 15 minutes to make 2 half-​sandwiches, one of which, he got wrong, so our sandwich-​date, became one of those awkward moments, where half the couple eats g and the other half is watches. When the half sandwich did arrive, after 20 minutes, it was mediocre. I will give it another shot and hope it goes better, as it’s an adorable storefront mom’n’pop operation. Currently, it’s marketing is better than it’s food, which equals thumbs partially down, with possible hope for the future…

Went twice in two days, loved the sandwiches and friendly staff. Very old time feel. I love the smell of the roasted beef wafting in the air. Knocked down a star only because the 2 items my sister and I wanted off of the menu were out.

They now take debit cards… yay!

First time trying this hole in the wall. I had the Godfather and was very satisfied. Service was friendly. a little slow but not too bad. I’ll be back, as it’s only a few blocks away from work!

Small, comfy little Deli but don’t let than fool you!
Love their egg salad sandwich! very light on Mayo, the way I like it. The JUDY is awesome (Tuna) as is the BLT and Turkey sandwiches, Really cant go wrong, Wish they had soups!
The people are great and friendly and even have breakfast!

Its ok, old, run down. Food is pretty solid but you pay for it.

The godfather sandwich is a masterful selection. Hold the Swiss though. Swiss cheese has no business in an Italian sandwich. Everything was fresh and delicious. Dropped in at 1pm. No lunch rush really. Got my sandwich quick as can be expected. Got a bottle of honest orange mango tea, score. Looked in my plate for the pickle wedge I saw everyone else enjoying… none to be found! I went to ask for one, they ran out. Sandwich spot runs out of pickles on a Tuesday in the middle of a mellow lunch rush! Seriously.
Dude was barely apologetic. «No pickle, ran out. Next time.» An accompanying pickle with a sandwich is as essential as bread! I’m just extremely disappointed at this. It ruins the whole sandwich eating experience.
I’ll come back sometime. I’ll get over the pickle crime committed. The other con of the visit was that the drinks were barely cool. Fridge doing a poor job of cooling them. A big plus was the people. They seem to be genuinely nice. Some lady, a regular, came in and wanted to add a soda to her sandwich but didn’t have a penny more than to pay for her food. Dude gave her a soda on the house for being a regular. They try. I see that. They just need to also try to keep their pantry stocked with essentials, like pickles.

My sandwich was a bit pricey for what it was. I didn’t like the doughy bread either. A baguette would’ve been better. This deli is so plain, old and with low energy. It’s boring to go there.

Great lunch spot in south Pasadena! Got the turkey sandwich and enjoyed the fresh ingredients and nice atmosphere. The staff was nice and it was quick! It’s nothing fancy but just what you’re looking for when you need a quick lunch.

I had the egg sandwich the other day.
Very satisfying. The pickled jalapenos on the side did not hurt.
Nice, warm, friendly atmosphere was also welcome.
Great place.

We don’t have a ton of great sandwich options in Mt. Washington so I regularly venture to Papa Don’s for a mid-​afternoon bite. They have great sandwiches (my particular favorite is the tuna special on Mondays — LOVE that sandwich) and it’s good value. I wish they regularly offered sides like potato salad or macaroni salad. The staff is always super friendly. I would suggest ordering by phone and picking up because they can get backed up during the lunch rush.

Disclaimer I am from NY. A decent Deli back home is a dime a dozen, out west however is another story. I lived is Pasadena for years and this was as closed to home as I felt. I do have an on going love affair with Bay Cities but this is where you apply the different area code rule. No one in LA wants to leave there designated area code (with the occasional exception for food or sex) Papa Don is my East side bea. Bea Cites is my West side ride or die.
Papas has a foot up. Allow me to count the ways.
1. They do breakfast, cant be bothered to make yourself of soggy cereal? Papas got ya covered.
2. Cali-​Mex offerings Breakfast Burritos, Chilaquiles, and Chorizo may places do it, Dons does it well.

This place came highly recommended from a local friend, so I had it on my list to try.
Its located on a corner away from everything else. When you walk in, it has that small town, mom & pop feel immediately. Everyone here is super friendly.
My local friend recommended a couple of sandwiches: the Godfather & the Hot Roast Beef. Both sandwiches are Excellent. They are so good, that I haven’t deviated to try anything else. Plus, my husband now craves the Hot Roast Beef every weekend.
We’re fans and will be back.

Amazing deli! The roast pork sandwich is extremely flavorful and filling! The deli is clean and friendly!

Good atmosphere, quick and clean service, I had the pork hoagie special was nice and spicy, my friend had meatball sub, big meatballs, nice area and vibe.

Their sandwiches are really tasty here:) if you live a good cold cut then I totally recommend this place. I got the Italian sub with extra pickles and loved it.
The employees are really nice aswell:)

I love supporting small business and while this one will do the job in a pinch it’s far from their 4 Star average.
Can you find better sandwiches within a mile radius of here? YES… but I’m usually in a hurry and over the few years I’ve come here I can always find parking right in front, service is friendly and the wait time is acceptable, could be faster but I’ve seen much worse.
While I’ve not tried everything on their menu, I’ve not had anything I’d consider better than 3-​Stars OK!
Meatball Supreme ($ 7.25)
It’s a 3 Ball sandwich which should be 4 IMO, on a french roll, topped with marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese, menu says Large meatballs? I’d say they were average
and had room for a 4^th ball.
Overall the sandwich was very cheesy but marinara sauce was a bit bland and while the balls look like they are well seasoned
the flavor was nothing more than OK. 3-​Stars
Breakfast Burrito
Cali Burrito ($ 6.50)
Nice size but a bit overpriced for a breakfast burrito… eggs, bacon, potato, cheese & salsa… now I’m not one to judge food on it’s looks or how it’s plated BUT
damn that looks anemic, get that thing some Sun!
Eggs were cooked nice and that’s about it, the rest is all downhill…
Bacon — Look at the photo, it’s PINK and soft, NOT BROWN and crispy!
Potato’s — Cut in cubes it was undercooked and still s-​l-​i-​g-​h-​t-​l-​y hard, NO color to the potato’s so they didn’t spend too much time on the grill either!
Cheese — IF it was there I didn’t notice or taste it. 1.5-Stars
Salsa — Was on the side
House made BUT Mild :(
Most of the food here I’d say is 3-​Star OK, but this Breakfast Burrito just killed them!

Sandwiches here is very good for a hole in a walk place in which it looks like highschool kids run the place by taking orders and payment. There’s not much of foot traffic in and out of here which means there’s rarely a wait to order and food comes out quick.
I got the grandfather sandwich which is an italian cold cut, the bread is soft and with a very slight crunch on the top unlike the bread at Bay Cities in Santa Monica the bread is way crunchier which I prefer.
The Saturday special was the hot roast pork sandwich which is also a solid sandwich if you’re looking for a hot sandwich that is semi-​wet.
Price: $ 13 for 2 full size sandwiches
«The good»:this place takes credit card now and has wifi supposedly, lots of street parking that’s free
«the bad»: open from 8 – 3 very limited hours, the highschool boy running the counter is not very helpful with questions, just asked how big a full size compared to a half size and all he said was «you’ll be full if you order a full size» ok thanks but that wasn’t my question.

One of my favorite Mom and Pop sandwich spots! Everyone is very friendly and welcoming at Papa Don’s. Sam and Susan are the best and they have a great staff. I always enjoy my time here and the sandwiches are made fresh to order! Thank you for putting a smile on my face Papa Don’s! :)

When I think of «Mom & Pop shop» I immediately picture little Papa Don’s Deli. Hell, it even has Papa in its name. This small lunch spot is stuffed in the middle of a small strip of store fronts in a residential neighborhood of South Pas. where Monterey and Pasadena meet. This intersection is a busy stretch of road in this part of town, but the foot traffic is minimal. That being said, I would imagine most customers in this dinky deli are locals.
While working in the area I decided to head over for a sub during our lunch break. Even the owner of the house we were at (a mere 4 or 5 blocks away) surprisingly had not heard of Papa Don’s. That being said, the guy was holding a Micky D’s cup while we were talking so I would take his neighborhood knowledge with a grain of salt.
The menu here is fairly small and to the point. You want sandwiches? They got ‘em. The thing that brought me to this location to begin with was the legendary stories I’ve heard about the famous Godfather sub which is stuffed with practically every meat you can think of. Even so, I went in a different direction completely and ordered the Lite (vegetarian with provolone cheese, marinated artichoke hearts, alfalfa sprouts, cucumbers, lettuce, and tomato). Talk about a 180 eh?
This sandwich was surprisingly tasty and filling. Normally sprouts aren’t my favorite thing in the world, but these ones weren’t bad. The best part of the whole sub definitely had to be the artichoke hearts. They were perfectly marinated and added tons of flavor to every bite.
Papa Don’s can satisfy all your sub cravings, whether it be your carnivore side or your herbivore side. My veggie sub was great, yet again proving that «healthy» doesn’t mean «flavorless»!