This tiny Italian market in Pasadena specializes in fresh pasta made in-house, but if you leave without grabbing a sandwich, you’ve made a grosso errore. The five sandwiches on the menu are simple (i.e., four ingredients maximum), built with quality imported meats and housemade spreads on Bub & Grandma’s baguettes. We love the spicy salami with arugula and Calabrian chili butter, but if you’re only getting one, make it the mortadella.

Fabby Sandwicherie is a tiny counter in Downtown that makes tortas using chewy Jalisco-style birotes and fillings that belong on a French bistro menu: Mushroom coq au vin and pommes puree are mashed up with things like melted quesillo and escabeche. The result is luxurious sandwiches that are so good we’ll forgive the abysmal parking situation on Broadway. There’s a short menu of six tortas, the best being the beef bourguignon.

LA is no stranger to good pastrami (hello Canter's, hey there Wexler’s), but let’s make one thing clear: Langer’s is the best. This Westlake institution has been serving classic deli staples since 1947, like matzo ball soup, homemade coleslaw, and a creamy macaroni salad that’s beautifully simple. However, you’re here for the #19. It's the Langer’s signature of thick-cut pastrami sandwiched between two slices of their famous twice-baked rye and smothered in swiss cheese, dressing, and coleslaw.

Whenever we land at LAX, there are two things on our minds. The first is finding the bathroom, and the second is the tuna conserva sandwich from Gjusta. Is Gjusta in Venice a traditional sandwich shop? Maybe not, considering they’re open all day and offer roast chickens, pizza, smoked fish plates, etc. But Gjusta excels in the sandwich department. The bread is baked in-house, and the fillings hit that cliche California sweet spot of farmers' market ingredients and well-sourced meats.

We always hope that reboots are as good as the one the people behind Mizlala pulled off at this historic walk-up window in West Adams. Johnny's Pastrami combines everything you want in an old-school deli stand (a fast food-style menu, exceptional pastrami, life-affirming matzo ball soup) with nice touches like serving their sandwiches on Tartine marble rye. We particularly love the French Dip pastrami, which is about as thick as a football and perfect to split.

This classic daytime-only Iranian spot on Westwood Blvd is best known for its beef tongue, and rightfully so—it's a meaty, tangy masterpiece that deserves all of its hype. But it shouldn’t be the only sandwich you order here. We love their kuku sabzi, an herb-based frittata, or the juicy beef koobideh on thin, chewy sangak bread. Also, come any day of the week and experience a front patio that turns into the social heart of the neighborhood each afternoon.

Tell anyone in the LA area that you’re eating in Santa Monica and they’ll be like, “Please bring me a Godmother.” And unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that they’re not asking you for a new family member, they’re asking you for Bay Cities’ most famous sandwich: a stack of meats (prosciutto, ham, salami, mortadella, and capicola), cheeses, and peppers on delightfully crackly bread.

Jeff’s Table isn’t the first deli hidden behind a liquor store in Highland Park—they’re not even the first one to occupy the space they’re in. But hidden or not, this is one of our favorite places to get a sandwich in the neighborhood. If you’re really hungry, get the “Jeff’s Special”—hot pastrami, sauerkraut, and what’s basically a big parmesan crisp on rye—or the “Dirty Baby,” which is a turkey salad sandwich that involves housemade chili crisp, two kinds of smoked cheese, and pickled onions.

Ggiata is a new-school Italian deli with a decidedly old-school menu. You’ll find sandwiches filled with things like crispy chicken cutlets drenched in savory vodka sauce, meatball parmesan, and tangy grilled balsamic chicken with roasted red peppers. Though there are a few traditional cold cuts to be had, most of Ggiata’s sandwiches feel more like Italian suppers on bread.

This upscale Italian sandwich counter in Beverly Hills makes massive, luxurious sandwiches that are the epitome of decadent. That sounds a bit dramatic, but it’ll make sense when you see these fluffy slabs of focaccia lined with prosciutto parma, truffle cream, olive paté, and white onion agrodolce. The mortadella with salty parmesan spread and toasted pistachios for crunch is our current favorite, but there’s not a single flop on this menu.