A Thoughtful Sandwich Specialist: Home of the Outstanding, Meaty Italian, Amazing Vegetarian, and Moist, Complex Turkey Sandwiches - Wax Paper (Chinatown) [Thoughts + Pics]

Hi @A5KOBE,

Well, since you’re on our FTC Gjusta Club Council, just know that Gjusta’s Italian is even better, so if that’s easier for you, just go there. :wink:

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I’ve always chosen other items at gjusta but i guess I’ll have to get the Italian next time.

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It’s pretty fantastic

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I had no idea they opened in Chinatown!!

Thanks for that nugget.

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I liked it but I wasn’t wowed with it. Too much going on for my taste. I’ll need to research it again, in the name of science.

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Thanks for your selfless pursuit of knowledge!

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Hi @hungryhungryhippos,

There are certainly so many good things at Gjusta, I don’t blame you. But definitely give their Italian a try at least once. :wink: Hope you like it.

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Hi @A5KOBE,

Nani?! How could you not love it? :wink: :stuck_out_tongue: (j/k) Maybe give it another try, along with a Prime Rib Butcher, a nice Smoked Fish Plate (Salmon Belly! Cold-Smoked Hamachi, maybe some beautiful Sardines), then get a slice of Carrot Cake or if they have the Pastel de Nata (Portuguese Egg Tart), one of those!

You know, the usual FTC Gjusta Club “starter” lunch. :wink:

Based on your review, I rushed down there for the Ophira Eisenberg. The ham indeed was moist and I loved the kick from the walnut crunch. The only problem was the baguette cut the roof of my mouth and I thought there was too much of the aioli, making it a bit too sweet. I solved the latter issue by squeezing out little globs of aioli on to my plate. I gobbled it down, but can still feel the tender spots on the roof of my mouth. My friend’s roast beef (Neda Ulaby) was great. The one bite of it she let me have, so cannot confirm nor deny that parts of it were chewy.

Had the absolute best maple almond cold brew soft serve for dessert. Would drive down just for that. The servers were really nice. They were doing gangbusters on their catering orders. We saw at least half a dozen platters go out just in the 30 minutes we were there.

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Ahem…

You win! HR line was only 30 minutes! Who could resist that? Report to follow… after I wake from my food induced coma. Of all the glutinous ‘murican gluttony!

You win too @aaqjr!

…We were already caffeinated, so no Endorffeine today.

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That should be a great book. Chris wrote for lucky peach IIRC. Love that store.

30 min on HR! Nice

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Oh cool! I :heart: that store now too!

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Hi @TheCookie,

Wow, nice! Only 30 minutes for Howlin’ Ray’s? That’s awesome. :blush:

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Hi @ChineseChou,

Thanks for the report back. I’m glad that you generally enjoyed Wax Paper. Bummer on the Baguette. Ours wasn’t as crusty / sturdy to cut our mouths, but we’ve seen that problem with various types of Banh Mi Sandwiches as well around Little Saigon and the San Gabriel Valley.

That’s definitely a weakness of Wax Paper (that they don’t bake their own Bread), so if they had some types sitting around for a bit, it could affect tenderness / staleness, etc. Glad you liked the Neda Ulaby (Roast Beef), and liked the tender Ham. :slight_smile:

I’ll have to try that Maple Almond Cold Brew Soft Serve(!), which sounds amazing. Thanks!

I haven’t been to Gjusta in about a month…must rectify that soon. Thanks for the reminder!

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Remember its for science…love that excuse, err, reason. Will use it on my wife next time I go out for Filipino when she is on a girls’ night out.

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How is that possible? What time? How did you know?

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2:30p yesterday.

We only planned to grab sandwiches at Wax Paper, which we did. But we were in Chinatown, sooo why not drive by the plaza for a peek? Shortest line ever. I jumped out while A parked the car. The line was so quick I almost missed ordering while buying the book. We got lucky. When we left the line was back to an extreme length.

I’ll explain the sandwiches in my report. Here’s a hint. They were an afterthought. :relaxed:

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Attention: this is sort of a report.


The minute we walked in a lady behind the counter apologetically informed us that they had catering orders earlier and were out of some ingredients like Focaccia for the Garth Trinidad (Roasted Turkey/Focaccia) and ingredients for the Neda Ulaby (Roast Beef/Ciabatta). Yep, between USC and the business & government offices they’re off & running. We drank cups of cool water from the dispenser while looking at the menu and discussing what’s available.

I asked for a bread substitute for the Garth Trinidad but they declined (no substitutes, no biggie). They offer Turkey w/the Ira Glass - Avocado, Cucumber, Sprouts, Pickled Red Onion, Shredded Cheddar, Aioli


I normally don’t like sandwiches with a lot of ingredients slipping & sliding around but the Seeded Wheat Bread did a good job of holding everything together. Yep @Chowseeker1999, as turkey sandwich meat goes it’s very good and the aioli didn’t overpower the greenery & shredded cheese. But I’m still looking forward to having the 2 separate sandwiches. :slightly_smiling_face:

Herb Bologna, Salami, Pickled Red Onion, Mama Lil’s Pickled Peppers, Shredded Lettuce, Pecorino Pepato Cheese, Spicy Aioli, Oregano Vinaigrette on Sesame Roll, side of Chili Vinegar.


Following advice we asked for the sandwiches to-go but they still seemed rather loosely packed. It would be good if they wrapped them. My Italian Sub days are kinda’ over so I only had a couple bites. The Salami was tasty. But I must be a lowbrow, salty, Oscar Meyer kinda’ girl because I thought the Herb Bologna was kinda’ boring. I liked the Spicy Aioli - reminded me of Comeback Sauce. Loved the Chili Vinegar.

They gave us a sample of Maple Almond Cold Brew / Vegan Strawberry Soft Serve while we waited at the counter. Delish, I’m getting a whole cone next time.:blush:

The reason for my lackluster report - among other things (them being out of ingredients for our first choices) is we only had a couple bites. Because Howlin’ Ray’s had a 30 minute line! No way we were going to make sandwiches a priority. The next day I discarded the soggy bread, lettuce and anything else that went south and repurposed the meat, cheese, peppers & veggies into a tasty lunch. :slightly_smiling_face:

Service was super friendly. 2 Sandwiches + 1 Soda = $35.

P.S. There was a lady sitting on the sidewalk right outside the United Foods Building selling bags of Limes (10-12) for $1.00. We also bought a quart of peeled & sectioned Jackfruit and a bag of Rambutan from a stand for $8.00. Kinda’ crystallizes the disparity between old-school Chinatown and the young turks moving in. That’s L.A.!

Happy Chinatown Eating!

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Thanks for the report @TheCookie. :slight_smile: Bummer that they were sold out of a few key items / sandwiches. As you said, glad that they have business to keep them around!

The Ira Glass is pretty amazing by itself, so if you get a chance to try it again next time, give it a shot, along with their proper Garth Trinidad (Turkey). The Bub and Grandma’s Focaccia that’s served with it is wonderful (along with the full set of ingredients (the Cabbage-Citrus-Serrano Slaw, Miso Sesame Aioli, Furikake, etc.).

Thanks for the heads up on their desserts! Sounds delicious. (And I’d do the same thing you did, if we only had a 30 minute wait for Howlin’ Ray’s!) :wink:

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