By Lloyd Levine –
Santoro’s Submarine Sandwiches serves the best sub sandwiches I’ve ever tasted. If you are in or around Burbank, Glendale, Los Feliz or the east end of the San Fernando Valley, Santoro’s is more than well worth stopping by.
Santoro’s has been a fixture in the City of Burbank for more than 50 years. The restaurant is nondescript and the inside is sparse, with just a few tables, and some counter space and bar stools. Some historic photos of the restaurant through the years adorn the walls.
As for the food, it’s the sandwiches. There are cold and hot submarines and a variety of side dishes. When it comes to sandwiches, I’m a purist and a “simplist”. The ingredients matter and if they are good there is no need to muddy them up and hide them.
My favorite sandwich, and the one that I’ve been ordering since I was 7 or 8 years old (my grandparents lived nearby) is the Italian Cold Cut. The bread is good and made fresh daily and no sub sandwich can be better than the bread on which it is made.
When it comes to the meat, they give generous portions of high quality Italian deli meats. While the meat is excellent, it’s the seasonings that set a Santoro’s sandwich apart from every other sandwich I have ever had. The topping consists of chopped pickles, tomatoes and onion, again in generous quantities. The finishing touch is the oil and a couple of shakes of herbs and pepper to top it off.
That’s it, no mayonnaise or mustard to get in the way, no lettuce, olives or anything else. It almost sounds too simple to be that good, but the Italian meats are uncluttered, and absolutely delicious. I have had a few of their other sandwiches over the years or tasted those of friends and can attest to the quality of the meatball sub as well as the turkey and pastrami, all served on a French roll. However, for me it all comes back to the Italian Cold Cuts sandwich.
Santoro’s is located at 1423 W. Burbank Blvd. in Burbank. The phone number is (818) 848-8888. The web site is www.Santorossubs.com
