L&M Fine Foods & Sandwich Shop — Restaurant in Lake View Township

There's an extra special space in my heart for places where the tastiness and quality not only live up to but surpass the words of those who have cheered them on. L&M Fine Foods is now easily in the running to be one of those spots. The warm Porchetta sandwich I had today is one of the best all-around sandwiches I've had in a long time.

L&M has a kind of elevated deli/bodega feel with a nice variety of grocery items and a counter for ordering their prepared food items and sandwiches as well as standalone meats and cheeses. All of the employees seemed very friendly and knowledgeable and I appreciated the unstuffy vibe of the place.

There are a few tables and counters for eating and there was plenty of seating available around 2pm on the Tuesday afternoon I stopped in but I could see them being more busy during more standard lunch or breakfast hours.

I was initially a little saddened to see the thinner slices of meat on the sandwich but appreciated that there was still a decent overall serving. That sadness was quickly allayed when I took that first bite into their soft ciabatta though. Just wow; the wonderfully seasoned porchetta goes perfectly with the creamy and tangy roasted garlic aioli, fried capers, and arugula. It's a perfectly put together sandwich whose distinct parts hit all of the right notes when combined.

L&M is now very high on my list for go-to lunch spots. The breakfast sandwiches sound really good too so I'm looking forward to stopping...

I want to love it here but I’ve given it many (many) chances, and it’s just not worth it.

Visited today likely for the final time and spent $70 on three sandwiches, water, a bottle of Coca Cola, Gatorade, one bag of chips, pickles and a small pasta salad. This picnic meal for my family left me wishing I would have spent my money elsewhere.

At the deli counter I ordered a turkey ruben (which was great), a tuna sandwich (literally just tuna salad slapped on on stale sourdough bread that was not toasted) and a peanut butter + jelly.

The person working behind the deli counter was outright rude. There was one customer ahead of me waiting for their order. It was not busy because I’d give them the benefit of the doubt if it was. I stood at the counter for minutes before they acknowledged my presence. They then appeared annoyed I was ordering which is confusing because there are multiple signs throughout the store encouraging customers to eat at the new patio space. Once the sandwiches were done they essentially threw them on the counter and didn’t address me (and at this point I was the only customer).

It takes a lot for me to write a review but I felt one was warranted after this experience.

I will not return, but I will give two stars because the person working the cashier was engaging...

First time in today. Late lunch around 130pm. Small deli style counter service/market with minimal seating. Looked like nice higher quality (and higher price point) curated grocery items. Beer, wine, spirits.

Ordered an Italian sandwich and was informed they were out. I asked if the reason for not offering the sandwich was due to a shortage of a component, but they did not know. They told me that the “basement told me we are out”. He offered another sandwich but not what I wanted so I tried another. Appreciate the recommendation though. Ordered the roast beef sandwich “to go” with hot giardinera. It was a pretty long wait for what seemed to be a steady crowd, but not overwhelmingly busy. There was no line when I ordered but there were a few people waiting around for their orders. Overall it was a good experience. Not great. Not bad. Staff was nice enough but missed an opportunity to please a customer and talk through options (if that’s even a possibility). Food was good, fresh, and made with care, but again, not what I went in for and a tad too long of a wait for something I didn’t really want, so I was a bit...