I spend a lot of time in Crenshaw now that my good friend TJ lives out there. Before living in Crenshaw he lived in Culver City, which was street after street of restaurants. He then moved east to Crenshaw and my biggest concern was how the food scene would be. I never heard people say anything at all about the food in Crenshaw so I had no idea what to expect. Thankfully, after hanging out there long enough I’ve stumbled across a few good spots. One in particular is Brooklyn Deli and Mini Market.

I don’t know how I found out about them and I don’t care. The fact that I now have a favorite sandwich spot in a city I frequent is all I need! Brooklyn Deli (or Deli’s as TJ calls them) opened about 10 months ago by storeowners Remmi and Hakeem. The nice part about the deli is there is ample parking. Behind Brooklyn Deli is a parking lot serving the block that has tons of spaces where you can park for .25cents every 30 minutes, or $2.50 all day. Don’t want to let go of a quarter, then you can park in the streets of the residential area instead. Inside of the market, you’ll find dining tables, the sandwich station, and a stand selling a few things including grocery to hygiene products. It’s exactly how it would be if you were in Brooklyn, an efficient use of space to give you what might need before heading home.

The only drawback to the restaurant is they don’t have a website or a detailed print menu listing all of their sandwiches and ingredients. Without that, it’s a little difficult to know what the food will be like or even what to order, prior to visiting. That means if you’re not in the deli, you have to order blindly. My hope is that as the restaurant grows and develops, they will get some photography of their sandwiches, start a webpage, and create a fully listed menu. Until then, you guys have me (and other bloggers) to give you a peak into the restaurant. Enough of that, let’s talk about the food!

For our order, I got the Skateboard Special ($7.62) and picked up a Taniqua’s Favorite ($7.62) for TJ. Allow me to be like Vanessa Williams and save the best for last. That being said, we’ll start with TJ’s. The Taniqua’s Favorite takes golden classic chicken, Muenster cheese, horseradish, mayonnaise, avocado, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, black pepper, and olive oil and vinegar all on a sweet wheat bread. It has everything you want in a sandwich. When I stood in front of Hakeem to take a picture of it, I stared at it and could honestly say that I’ve never seen such a pretty sandwich. The contrast of the bright chicken against the colorful veggies was beautiful. Then there was the taste. Please know that even though I bought it and brought it to TJ, he only gave me one bite. Jerk, right? But then I bit into it and realized, why he didn’t want to share anymore. First of all, I had my own sandwich and it was so good it justified any type of selfishness. The sandwich is fresh, has smooth avocado, and crispy lettuce, and is completely  filling. The best part I got from that one bite is that since it isn’t packed with heavy ingredients, it feels healthy. Don’t quote me on that, I think orange Starburst’s are healthy.

But then my sandwich arrived like 5:30pm on a work day–just in time. The Skateboard Special had hefty cuts of pastrami and maple turkey on a sweet wheat bread. In between the slices were pepper jack cheese, honey mustard, mayonnaise, lettuce and tomatoes, pickles, black pepper, and olive oil and vinegar. Oh my gut, this sandwich is why we have tastebuds! I bit into it and I could immediately taste the mayonnaise, honey mustard, and olive oil and vinegar make a holy trinity of a sauce. But the sauce became heavenly when it pierced into the meats (remember, it’s plural), cheese, and vegetables. The slices may be cut thin, but they put so much of them on there that it felt like they’re thick slices. And the light sweetness of the bread really added to the flavor to make the entire sandwich one that will make you hold it up to the sun on a mountain top singing the theme song to the Lion King. Yes, this sandwich is the circle of life.

I really like the food and the family at Brooklyn Deli. They make thick sandwiches that are packed with fresh ingredients and great taste. Plus, the amount of heart in the place gives me hope that they will soon have the authentic Brooklyn style restaurant they’ve dreamed of with lines of salivating people out the door. But hopefully there won’t be any line when I show up.

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Address: 4308 Crenshaw Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90008
Phone: (347) 981-8408
Hours: Monday to Friday – 10:00am to 7:00pm, Friday and Saturday 10:00am to 9:00pm, and Sunday – Closed
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