The Eastside Deli has, amazingly, been in this spot (or nearby I assume) since 1929. It's in a mainly residential area just off the 110, right near Dodger Stadium.
L.A. is one city with no clear Italian section, but I guess at one time this (plus Eagle Rock and San Pedro) were Italian strongholds. The only remnant of those times seems to be this spot. (And I suppose Casa Bianca in Eagle Rock is another.)
The area is now LA's Chinatown.
I remember Eastside as being slightly funky, with huge, sloppy, delicious meatball sandwiches.
It had been awhile since I'd visited, so I decided to see what it was like nowadays.
Upon entering, I noticed they served Peet's Coffee. Very good sign indeed.
Then it was time to join the line, which as usual was a mix of downtown office workers, UPS drivers, and a family or two. The interior is way more upscale these days, with multiple large screen TVs, new furniture.....
The line moves very fast. Like any Italian place there are photos of Frank Sinatra, posters of the Sopranos, etc. adorning the walls, along with giant hunks of cheese, salami, and other assorted stuff.
When I got the sub, I noticed it looked noticeably smaller than in the past.
So how was the sub? The bread was fresh enough, but unremarkable really. The sauce gets an A+. Delicious and perfect amount of sweetness vs. tanginess. However, they were very skimpy with the sauce.
Cheese was good, and you not only automatically get cheese, but it's provolone, which is the right kind of cheese IMO for a meatball sub. (Not a fan of parmesan sprinkled on my sub.) You also automatically get green peppers, which I also like on a meatball sub, although....there was only one, maybe two peppers.
Now onto the meatballs. I was not too impressed to be honest. They were overcooked so they had a crunchy outside. The ratio of bread crumbs to meat was heavy on the bread crumbs. But worst of all, they were way too salty.
I would say that either Eastside was having a bad day, or they have gone downhill. This is not the sub I remember, sadly.
