East Side Delicatessen

Best sandwich in the Park Blocks. Fresh ingredients, build your own and the homemade rice krispy treats top it off perfectly. Plus the sandwiches are huge plenty to share!

I’ve been a lover of eastside deli for a really long time. They’re convenient and reasonably priced. They even craft their sandwiches in a timely manner. But yesterday they could not have missed the mark further, and I can strike «reliable» off the list of words I used to use to describe this place.
I should have known it wasn’t going to be a good experience when I saw the girl behind the counter hand a guy his sandwich saying they «accidentally» toasted it and if that was okay. Strange, how you can accidentally toast something but forgivable, right?
So I get my sandwich after sitting down for a bit, sipping some water. Pick it up and head home to enjoy like I’ve done dozens of times before. Fifteen minutes later and I’m unwrapping my sandwich and something is.off. It seems unusually small. Now I loaded this thing up, spicy chicken, onion, lettuce, tomato, pepper Jack, avacado, pepperocini… I even threw on cucumber and shredded carrots and my favorite mustard and Cajun Mayo. So I’m expecting something hefty but whatever. I have a bite.
Bland. Painfully bland. And the bread is too soft to be toasted like I ordered. I split the thing open and see my perfect spicy little sandwich is missing some things. I don’t mean one ingredient or even two. I mean FOUR AND A HALF INGREDIENTS. I say four and a half because while they technically added the avocado I paid extra for, there was only one slice. I have onions, lettuce, tomato, spicy chicken, and a pathetic little slice of avocado. I can’t even taste the Cajun Mayo so, all things considered, I can’t be sure it is there at all.
I don’t know if they were training someone new or if they were suffering from that four o’clock lunch rush (yes that is sarcasm) but I do know I’ve never felt so betrayed by a sandwich.
So again. Missing four and a half ingredients. Not toasted. Not going back again.
I just really wish I’d pried open and checked the sad little thing before I tipped.

It’s been about 14 months since I visited East Side Delicatessen in North Portland with a friend and gave them three stars for my bland «build-​it-​yourself» BLT sandwich (ordered through the plastic-​covered cards that you can mark up via the use of a Sharpie). My friend found his lettuce wrap a mess to eat after it fell apart and had to eventually eat it with knife and fork. I walked by this outlet, cold and hungry, threw the past to the winds, and ordered the French Dip once in the door (they had the sandwich name spelled differently on the menu, can’t remember, but it was clever and funny).
The minute I walked in the door, I loved the coziness of this much smaller shop near PSU. The gentleman at the counter greeted me and made sure I had marked it up correctly. I sat down at a table and very soon my French Dip on a six-​inch Asiago cheese roll came out in good time. It was neatly wrapped with a just-​right amount of au-​jus in a cup. The best part was having some horseradish sauce that had the perfect snap that was memorable but not overwhelming. Everything, but everything, was immaculately clean without taking away the coziness. The counter-​guy and the cook-​guy in the back worked together like a well-​oiled machines who still had time to be friendly. The sandwich as a whole was delicious, and I had to make myself eat slowly and not snarf the whole thing down because it was so good and I was so hungry. You may also order chips, cookies, drinks, salads, and soups.
So, the moral of this story is if you first don’t succeed, try, try, try again at another East Side Delicatessen location and surely you will hit the sandwich jackpot. While I might not visit the North Portland location, I do plan to come back here to visit often because it’s so close to home and the prices are so reasonable ($ 7 for sandwich). You need to treat yourself to one of their meat or vegan or vegetarian options as well!

Eating at East Side Delicatessen for the first time was a life changing experience. After many visits, it is still holds up. Great happy hour, killer sandwiches… what else could you ask for in life?

This place must be good, because by lunch time on a Saturday they are already out of soups and other items. Quick fast friendly service. I like how they have dry erase markers for their menus. It’s smart to expedite the process and ensures that customers are accountable for what they order. I will definitely go again.

I’ve only been once so far, but it seems like a very decent grab-​and-​go kind of spot. I like the array of options. If you have to pay $ 7 for a sandwich, at least this one is chock full of good stuff and on decent bread (not stellar, but decent). I wasn’t blown away, but I didn’t feel like I had thrown away my money. I’m sure I’ll be back for other items.

Stopped in after walking the downtown area. My boyfriend had the Italian — vegetarian «meat» on sourdough. It looked great, and after a few bites, I almost ordered my own but I decided on the 2 towns ciderhouse — so refreshing after all that walking. Would definitely stop in again for my own 6″ sandwich.

Sandwiches are amazing. You can build your own or get one off the menu. I work close by and come here at least once a week.

Great soup, my sandwich was tasty but my husband ordered something with an olive pesto that was near inedible. Location was hard to find parking.

Sandwiches are now $ 7. Still $ 2 to add soda and chip combo. Still great value. Sometimes cool art on display.
Happy hour means cheap microbreweries beer, $ 3 for cider and local beer.

My husband and I stumbled upon East Side Deli on one of the hottest days in Portland. It’s very close to PSU, so I assume it’s crowded during the school year, but we were lucky it was June!
I ordered the Caprese and my husband made his own salad. Although his was good, mine was definitely better.
If you’re vegan or vegetarian (like myself), you will be pleasantly surprised by all the options! I am excited to go back and try the BBQ vegan sandwich. It sounded amazing.

Sweet Hot Mess with sliced Roast Beef smothered in a sweet bourbon sauce and sauteed peppers and mushroom was delish. It was even better with the addition of the Ardvark Habanero sauce in the self help squeeze bottle. The hotdog had good taste and fresh toppings other than the buns. It was dry and too much. I was super happy to see Townsend Tea Co Brew Dr Kombucha.

Sandwiches/​6-​inch subs are now $ 7.
I would’ve liked veggie sandwiches to be at a lower price but ok.

Prices went up for everything including beer. quality is not as good. Employees seem worse. What’s going on?

I’ve tried the sandwiches and hot dogs with lots of toppings. What I keep coming back for is their substantial, fresh, affordable salads. These things are big. They come with protein on them, the dressing is good, and the vegetables are crisp. My favorites are the Italian or the Classic with chicken salad and provolone.

This place is always fantastic. Fresh, hand made, done right and happy to see customers.
Small hole in the wall and the second location just as good as the first on hawthorne. Not many places to sit but there is some outdoor seating for the summer. Such cool options, specials daily, or you can make your own. I have never tried anything but the sandwiches on Dave’s Killer Bread. Everything else looks amazing but when I crave a good sandwich this is the place to go.
They have soup and salad and hot dogs. Vegitarian menu, a kids menu as well as a salad menu. Just go pick up the one you want, grab a sharpie and choose away. Don’t forget to write your name lol.
They make everything by hand so be aware it’s a few minute wait, but you can adjust your order how you want it and everything is fresh so the wait is totally worth it.

Delicious Ruben sandwich for $ 6. Lots of meat, friendly, fast service. Went in evening and there were no lines.

Stopped in on our way to the coast based off of the Unilocal reviews…
And wasn’t let down. So yummy. Such a neat little deli. Fresh and quick. Everything we were hoping for and more.

This review is a little bit mixed.
For food: The sandwich was spot on. At $ 6.50 for a 6″ ($ 12 for 12″), they’re mighty big sandwiches at a great value! The white bread was very flavorful and chewy, and the toppings were piled high. My Italian was literally dripping olives. I wouldn’t recommend the sandwich for traveling, since the olive oil managed to seep out of the sandwich and onto the top of the bread, but it remained delicious even if it was a bit wet. Ingredients were flavorful and mostly proportionate (except for the olives).
The system is neat: you get to scribble down your order on a laminated menu that gets passed directly to the sandwich makers in back. (No they don’t use gloves, but anyone who assumes that gloves have a sanitizing effect and are changed as often as they should be should work in the food service industry for a while). There is an abundance of vegetarian/​vegan options, as well as customizable hot dogs! But enough about the food.
The service was… Meh. The girls in back were friendly when they brought my sandwich out, but the guy at the counter seemed disinterested to say the least. A smile and a hello would’ve been much appreciated for a good first impression! That said, I’ll be back, but for another takeout or a picnic-​ready meal.
On the space — it’s pretty small, and seemed better for take-​out meals anyways. I noticed happy hour is distinctly late, being from 7 – 9, with specials like $ 1 off of already cheap pints. This makes sense though since I assume much of their business comes from nearby PSU. The paintings/​art available for purchase was also a nice touch and nod to supporting local artists.

The sandwiches here are really delicious. One of the specials, the spicy Italian, is my all time favorite. The specials rotate though, and they don’t seem to have this one too often, so I usually just order an Italian sub with spicy mayo. The 6″ is a good size meal, and it keeps me full for quite a long time for relatively cheap. The ingredients always seem fresh, and the rolls are fantastic.
But there are some serious cons to this establishment. The interior is pretty disgusting. This is not somewhere you want to sit down and eat. The floors are dirty, tables dirty, and even the counter with the napkins/​utensils was sticky last time I was in. I would recommend this place, but I would also recommend going in and leaving as soon as possible. Also, try not to watch them make the subs because they don’t use gloves or anything. Close your eyes and try not to think about it.