Bub and Grandma's Restaurant — Restaurant in Los Angeles

Having heard of Bub and Grandma's throughout LA and having sampled their bread at countless sandwich shops, bars, and restaurants, there was no doubt I had to go straight to the source and see what they were serving up at B&G's own establishment. The place itself is incredible. It's spacious, clean, and has an open kitchen with a bar close enough that you practically grab food right off the flat top. It's both modern and retro without leaning into the corny excesses of either style. Soon after we entered, a live jazz trio began drawling out tunes -- a fortunate amusement considering how long it took to get our meal. I ordered the roast beef au jus sandwich plus a druid beer (fungally inspired), and my friend ordered a prickly pear soda. The drinks came out, and that was the first letdown. The beer had only the slightest, imaginary hint of mushroom flavor, and was more or less indistinguishable from your average middle of the road brew. It wasn't bad, but I was expecting something unique for 9$. I guess not. The prickly pear soda was even worse. Both of us agreed it had almost no flavor. It was hardly more than a sparkling water with maybe a bit of cinnamon in it, and tasted nothing like prickly pear. The spices seemed to have settled at the bottom, but stirring them in did almost nothing to alleviate the blandness. After waiting 30 minutes, and seeing plates go out to people beside us that had come in much later, we were finally handed our first plate of food, straight from the kitchen. It was, I think, the carpaccio platter. We said we had not ordered it, so the kitchen staff rung it up, only for the waitress to bring it right back to us before realizing I had ordered the roast beef sandwich. Fortunately, it came out pretty quick after that. The sandwich itself was delicious. It gushed like a sponge when taking a bite out of it, with au jus pushing the limit of saltiness (in a good way). The bread had excellent structure and handled soaking the juice in style. The beef was layered thickly. There was no shortage of meat between those buns. The potato chips were great too. Thick, crispy, but not too hard or brittle. The pickle, again, was disappointing, though. It had almost no saltiness or acidity to it. I see that they have the same pickle platter as Belle's so I wonder if there's a malicious pickle supplier out there that's convinced everyone that soggy cucumbers...

GREAT bread, okay service, hit or miss dishes.

My wife has been wanting to check out Bub and Grandma's for a while so we swung by after church. The restaurant space is very cute and they've got a nice to-go window set up for take out. Service is neither friendly nor not, just practical. It wouldn't bother me except when the bill comes, they suggest a pretty high minimum tip given no one really goes out of their way to have a conversation with you or talk through the menu. It was not busy while we were there, no one was waiting for a table.

We ordered the side sampler, a special French ham sandwich, and a muffaleta.

Sampler - their sides are all solid. Our favorite was the unstuffed cabbage but depending on your preferences they all taste fresh and flavorful. The cabbage had a nice sauerkraut in it that wasn't too overwhelming. The potato salad was creamy with just the right hint of mustard. The olives and almonds were nice together. Our least favorite was the carrot and beet salad but that probably speaks to neither of us loving carrots. Focaccia was delicious. Crisp outside, fluffy inside, great crumb.

French Ham Sandwich - This was the highlight of the meal. The baguette had a great crunch and the combination of ingredients was balanced for a pretty perfect ham sandwich. Bitter green, creamy brie, grain mustard, and salty ham - just delightful.

Muffaleta - My wife doesn't like muffaletas and she liked it. Muffaleta is on. One of my favorite sandwiches, I had two bites and couldn't finish. Great bread but it just tasted sweet. No spice, no brine from the olives, just sweet ham and sweet red pepper flavor. Really disappointing but may work for someone who likes those flavor profiles. I love muffaletas and spend a lot of time making them at home and try to get to New Orleans consistently so while it looked like a muffaleta, it just left me unsatisfied.

The espresso-based drinks are excellent here. Cold brew is smooth and easy to drink black.

Overall, I'd come back for the bread and pastries. I might try another sandwich. But I'd skip eating in and definitely take everything...

Roast Beef Sandwich / roast beef, cheddar cheese, dijon, onions, au jus, kaiser roll - 5⭐! Old Fashioned Potato Salad - 5⭐!

I found out about Bub and Grandma's Restaurant when another place I go to advertised that their amazing bread came fresh from Bub and Grandma's. The bread was incredible so I made my way over to see if their menu matched my gluten obsession.

The menu serves breakfast and lunch with a mix of classics and new favorite. Everything looked great. The place was full and their take-out window was busy the entire time I was there. Always a good sign.

I was drawn to the roast beef sandwich. It was magical. I love food and I love all kinds of dishes. But when something sings along with my taste buds, it feels like a celebration. That is what this roast beef sandwich was. Everything about it was perfect. I was so enamored with it, I nearly ordered a second one.

I also had their potato salad. It was also excellent. It had great texture and flavors and was a perfect side to go with the roast beef. I was tempted by the bakery/dessert menu. I'd love to go back and try out the breakfast menu and their desserts.

The restaurant was roomy with lots of indoor seating. The staff was friendly and helpful. Everyone who worked there looked to be having a good time even though it was busy. They have a diner style decor. I was sitting next to a covered piano with funny signs warning me from practicing on it. It made me wonder when they have a piano player and how that would add to the fun ambience.

I found street parking around the side. I didn't see a parking lot. The tricky part to parking is that it is on a pretty busy road in a hilly area of LA. If you miss your chance for parking, you may need to backtrack or go around so you can try again. It is worth it! This place was excellent and a top five sandwich for the entire...