Lee's Sandwiches — Restaurant in Artesia

I had a random craving for Lee's Coffee and a croissant, so I came to this Lee's Sandwiches. I had an overall really good experience at the Downey location, so I was hoping that it would be the same here at a more local location like this one in Artesia. I had a few problems here. The only good thing that this location has going for it is how nice and spacious the inside of the it is; it looked very professional and they have it set up so that you can do a tiny bit of food and drink shopping before you get something off of their menu.

1. The Downey location had a GREAT drink selection. I went there just for the coffee and there were so many things that I wanted to try the next time I went there. For such a nice-looking and big location, the drink selection at the Artesia location was so small that it seemed rather embarrassing. There were only a few tea options, few juice and smoothie options, and decent variations with the coffee. They need to step it up.

2. This was my biggest issue with this location and possibly the restaurant chain as a whole if this is the case at every location. When I went to the one in Downey, I noticed that they used A LOT of ice in their fantastic Iced Coffee. Upwards of 80% of the cup was filled with ice. Remembering this, I asked for a Large Iced Coffee with light ice. I was told by the cashier that if I did that, then I'd have to pay more for it. Are you confused as I am about this? Let me explain. From what I gathered from the cashier, they specifically have to go by the recipe. This recipe calls for only 8 ounces of coffee (I assumed that the rest is just ice and a large cup is about 16 ounces). Because of this, getting light ice would mean that I would have to pay more to add more coffee to it ($1 to $2 more). This is the ONLY restaurant or beverage store that I've ever been to that does this, and that's beyond ridiculous. On the inside, I was very annoyed by this, but I was curious as to what would happen if I was okay with this, so I happily agreed to it. What was even more frustrating is what they gave me; as you can see in the picture of the coffee, all they seemed to have done was add less coffee since it was the same amount of ice that they normally use. Lee's Sandwiches need to let this constraint in the recipe go so that people can enjoy the coffee more and customize it to their liking. Nobody should be paying upwards of almost $6 for an Iced Coffee that's really 50% coffee and 50% water. If they're doing this with their other drinks, then that needs to end as well.

3. The last issue I had at this location was the size of the croissant sandwiches. I bought 2, one was a sausage, egg and cheese, and the other was a ham, egg, and cheese. The second picture is for reference. The Downey location had a bigger croissant (maybe by 30%) and the price wasn't that much different. On top of that, there wasn't much meat inside of it to justify an almost $5 price point.

Overall, I can only give this location 2 stars. I'd give it 1 star, but the croissant sandwich was great despite its size and lack of the meats, the Lee's Iced Coffee usually doesn't disappoint outside of the issue that I presented, and the establishment looks very nice inside. Otherwise, this would be a...

I like Lee's-

Lee Majors Bruce Lee Avena Lee and Lee's Sandwiches!

Lee's Sandwiches, the reason why the banh mi sandwich is widely recognized throughout SoCal.

My local Lee's is conveniently located in the 99 Ranch plaza, adjacent to Ten Ten Seafood Restaurant, Lollicup, Pho 2000 and Daiso Japan. Seating is spacious, with complimentary lemon/lime water to quench patron's thirst.

Ordering is a breeze at the front, with clearly legible signage to help you decide what to order.

Today's choice - Sardine sammie for me. Mmmm, omega 3's for me! The crusty bread, as expected, provides a welcome crunch with each bite. The pickled veggies offers the sour note of vinegar, with the pepper slices giving just a small touch of heat. The sardines, granted not for everyone, were relished by me. I've also had their combo sandwich, which is great, too! To top it off, cheap prices as well. The portions are decent, but I don't consider a sandwich a full meal for me. Of course, the iced coffees are quite popular and definitely try the sugar cane juice, if you haven't already.

Parking can be hard to find, especially on the weekend, so you may have to find street parking on Pioneer Blvd.

Cheap, delicious grub close to home. Yeah, baby, I'll be back!

Highly...

Lee's Sandwiches is a complete rip-off. The workers are like robots, just churning out orders without any care or attention to detail. The fact that they have the audacity to ask for a tip when all they do is take your order and throw it together is ridiculous.

I specifically requested a large iced tea with no ice, yet I received a half-full cup with barely any tea in it. It's clear that they skimp on ingredients and try to cut corners wherever they can. I felt like I was being cheated out of my money with their measly portions.

I will never be returning to Lee's Sandwiches again. They are cheap, stingy, and overall just a terrible place to eat. Save your money and go somewhere that actually values...