The Old-School LA Italian Deli Stacking Subs From A Hole-In-The-Wall Since 1926

Los Angeles may not be the oldest city in the country (St. Augustine, Florida, gets that impressive designation), but it has been around for quite some time. And during that time, it has made quite a name for itself with its food scene. Everything from fine dining to curbside food trucks holds a place in the hearts of LA foodies and visitors alike, including one of the oldest surviving deli-slash-markets in the city.

Lanza Brothers Market, which has been serving up handmade subs since 1926, is a local favorite in the city's Lincoln Heights neighborhood. The market, which sells sundries, alcohol, and various food items — including hard-to-find specialties — also offers fresh food, a service which has kept it in business for a whole century.

Grab a number and wait your turn to place your order. Sandwiches range from Italian-heavy options like the Mortadella or the Italian Special (a combination of ham, salami, mortadella, capocollo, and cheese) to basics like tuna, bologna, and ham and cheese. Soups, salads, and hard-boiled eggs are all up for grabs to give customers a full range of choices and options for different diets, tastes, and appetites. There are even unique items you don't often find on menus, like a head cheese sandwich (don't let the name fool you — head cheese doesn't actually contain any cheese), so you can also try something out of the ordinary when you visit.

Lanza Brothers may not be in the best area — it's not far from the city's storied Skid Row neighborhood — but it has a century-long reputation for good food, good service, and loyal customers. When the shop first opened, the Lincoln Heights neighborhood that the market calls home was known as Little Italy, and while the Italian neighborhood slowly disappeared over the years, Lanza Brothers has maintained the Italian heritage that is part of the city's diverse history. 

Whether or not it's one of the spots you'd put on your list of places to eat at if you have 24 hours in Los Angeles, Lanza Brothers Market is a fixture in a city that has changed a great deal over the years. As the neighborhood declined, Lanza Brothers remained to provide quality foods and goods to the local community. But sadly, the neighborhood's decline came with a price, and robberies drove the Lanza family to retire from the business. 

The store changed hands sometime around the early 2000s, but luckily the person who bought it was determined to keep this neighborhood landmark the same. John Kim, who owns the market today, has kept that promise. From the brick-and-mortar exterior to the original sandwich recipes that are still served up daily, Kim has made sure that Lanza Brothers provides consistency for a clientele that has gone from a predominantly Italian-immigrant community to the melting pot that Los Angeles is known for today. Located next to a tattoo parlor and a smoke shop, the slightly seedy-looking exterior is part of the original charm that, along with the sandwiches the market serves, has contributed to LA's impressive food scene, not to mention American sandwich culture.