Heroic Deli, Adam Fleischman and Jeffery Merrihue’s new spot in Santa Monica, opened yesterday. I walked in around noon and ordered the OMG which is their $15 take on the Italian hero. There were 3 orders ahead of me and it took about 10 minutes to get my sandwich. The meats are good quality, but their giardiniera is only mildly spicy. It comes on a toasted ciabatta roll which I enjoyed.
It was good, but seemed small for a $15 sandwich. Would I go back considering Wexler’s is only one block away and Bay Cities is only a few more blocks past that? Maybe 1 out of 10 times. Their short rib sandwich sounds good so maybe I’ll go back to try it.
Looking at their website it looks like they’re gonna have some $10-$12.50 sandwiches too, which is closer to Mendocino Farms range. At $15 though, you’d better be the best sandwich in town, even if the town is Santa Monica. Maybe it is?
What I will say it that the def have to be better than Bay Cities (8$ for a Large with the works) That was the line for me when I first tried the Italian at Gjusta Is the value there at 2x the price. For me the answer is yes - I still do love me a godmother (even if it’s glory days are behind it) but the Gjusta Italian is on another level.
It’s not an impossible bar to clear I’m certainly down to give it a shot
I haven’t been to Heroic Deli but I think you have to make allowances for the quality of the ingredients. If they really are using imported meats and cheeses, it’s going to be more expensive than Bay Cities, which uses Boar’s Head for a lot of its cold cuts.
Today they had a few OMGlready to go at around the same time and seemed to still be making more sandwiches in the rear. Delicious sandwich with a good, spicy pepper spread on the side but, as others have noted, a bit small for the price (smaller than the Italians at Gjusta and Rose Cafe, the latter of which is about the same price and the former only $2 more). No weekend hours yet but I suspect that will change as they settle in and as they expand the menu.
Tried the OMG at Heroic Deli the other day and my take was pretty much the same as everyone else. It’s a tasty sandwich with high quality ingredients, but a tad overpriced.
The sandwich itself is reminiscent of the Wally’s Hero at the old Cheese Box in both size and execution (both use a roasted tomato for extra umami). But whereas the OMG will set you back $15, the Wally’s Hero was only $9. Or take the Gwen Grinder, another sandwich with high-quality fillings and bread, but which is only $12.
I appreciate what Heroic Deli is trying to do but it’s going to be a tough sell at that price point.
Sadly yes. About 6 inches, if I’m being generous.