This is Bay Cities Deli in Santa Monica, where they make the best sub in L.A., called "The Godmother."
If you have not had one of these, you really need to go get one.
The above picture is of course before they painted the place yellow, and I don't think that pay phone is there anymore. However inside it looks the same, and the sandwiches are the same.
The problem with Bay Cities is that everyone knows about it, and the wait can be eternal.
Luckily, if you know about on-line ordering, you can bypass the line:
Someday I should try something other than the Godmother. But I never do and probably never will.
Here, there is a dilemma. Mild Peppers are very dull. Hot Peppers will overpower the sandwich and turn it into an endurance contest.
The solution is to type in "Mix of Hot and Mild Peppers" on the request screen, even though it says NO REQUESTS. (In person, you just say "mix peppers.")
Now you can drive over and get it.
And instead of waiting in the huge line, you go to the secret back room. (It's not a secret back room but it feels like one.) There, your sandwich will be waiting for you.
The Godmother is a perfect monster sandwich. The bread is the perfect amount of crunchiness, the toppings expertly balanced and always in the right proportions.
Of course if you find yourself there and have not ordered ahead, there is another secret tip. Go to the hot food counter and get a meatball sub. (The only other thing I ever order.) There is never a line at the hot food counter.
