Geraldi's Italian Sandwiches — Restaurant in Oregon

I live 176 miles from Geraldi's. That's nearly a three-hour drive (without traffic). And yet, after our family first dined on Geraldi's takeout during a cold, December night, the imprint was strong enough for us to make a point of returning during our recent Spring Break visit to Beaverton. Our December takeout included three Hero sandwiches and an order of lasagna and meatballs with garlic bread. We shared the 9" sandwiches -- a hot NY Meatball Hero with homemade Italian meatballs, Marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese; a hot Chicago Beef Hero with Italian beef, cooked bell peppers, onions, au jus and mozzarella; and a cold Spicy Geraldi with ham, pepperoni and salami, mayonnaise, mustard, provolone cheese, tomato, onion, lettuce, Italian dressing, herbs and Parmesan.

The owner's son asked us where we were from as he kindly filled our order with extra napkins and utensils. We ate in our hotel room, the Shilo next to Geraldi's on SW Canyon Road. The room's heater and fan distributed the rich aroma of Marinara. We nibbled and shared each other's meal choices. The NY Meatball Hero and the lasagna were the clear favorites, followed by the Spicy Geraldi and the Chicago Beef Hero. I attribute the votes to the cold weather. Marinara and hot food had the edge.

We slept like hibernating bears.

Our March return was a dine-in dinner. We placed two orders of lasagna and meatballs with garlic bread and a large 18" Meat Lovers pizza with homemade pepperoni, ham, Italian sausage and salami. (I posted pictures of these dishes.) We were told the pizza would take about 20 minutes (it did), so we requested everything be served together. We watched as a big man employed the toss-and-stretch method of New York style pizza in the kitchen.

The Meat Lovers pizza arrived with a browned bottom and a rich, dense, carnivor-licious layer of toppings that complimented the airy and crisp, yet chewy crust.

My wife, who previously ordered the Chicago Beef Hero, elected to join my oldest son for a plate of lasagna with meatballs. They ate in contented silence.

Geraldi's offers a half dozen tables of varying sizes and a long counter that can seat another 4-5 customers, many of whom use it to watch a TV perched near the front door as their takeout order is prepared.

Geraldi's is first and foremost an Italian sandwich shop but we wouldn't hesitate to order lasagna or pizza again. Both of our experiences...

Ok, first off - I am a born and raised New Yorker. 40 years in the Hudson Valley and my Mother is full Italian and Sicilian. Geraldi’s is mostly awesome in regards to North East Coast Italian food.

Meatballs and lasagna:

Meatballs has the homemade perfection; bread crumbs, eggs, dry herbs (oregano), a little garlic and most importantly - fresh Italian parsley. It’s legit. Real deal.

The lasagna is true - at least 7 THIN layers of flat pasta with mozzarella and ricotta……why thin layers? This is massively important because your mouth does not have to produce as much saliva in order to break down the food, this equals a much better taste profile - just like their cold subs! Make sure you guys heat the lasagna up in the oven. You know what I mean.

Pizza:

It’s good, but not firmly New York - not their fault - the restaurant (ovens and staff) is not equipped for this. Still good though.

Hot subs:

Meatball, “Chicago beef” (I’m sure true Chicagoans may disagree, they’re first cousins of New Yorkers), sausage……awesome. Bread is spot on. Of course it will be “soggy” if you wait 30 minutes to eat! May I suggest a hot (real Italian hot) sausage and peppers sub. The chicken parm needs to be house made cutlets that are thinly beaten. You guys know that too.

I can go on and on, but I totally understand the owner’s compromise of being from Long Island and fulfilling PDX expectations………that’s gotta be tough.

Overall:

The BEST in PDX!! In…….PDX……..Quality and a well received taste of my home roots. I HIGHLY recommend Geraldi’s to everyone - my friends and coworkers alike! Keep it up guys, and make a few...

I’ve been coming here for years, not enough to be a regular, but have always liked the place. I love the Italian sausage and the meatball sandwiches the best. Big, zesty, old school. The chicken parm sandwich is a classic and also huge. The Chicago beef sandwich (which I know as Italian beef in Chicago) was the only thing I didn’t love here, mainly because the bun was too soggy and the meat cold. I believe that was an anomaly. The service has always been exceptional; people are friendly here. Until one day it was different. Maybe it’s the masks. No one can see you smiling.

My experience recently going here at a time when it was empty was pretty strange. After I’d placed my order, the front counter gal was more interested in talking in the back kitchen area and talking with subsequent customers. No one minds a restaurant cashing out a phone-in order before yours, but when a second and third order get taken from walk-ins along with a lot of socializing and yours hadn’t even been started .... Well, once it became clear the employee wasn’t going to even work on my order any time soon, I just wanted my money back so I could leave. No raised voices, no drama, it’s just sandwiches. Didn’t need all the hostility from the woman owner who stepped in, not to help, but to escalate. She was clearly having a bad day.

Bottom line: customer goes into an empty sandwich counter with no customers and no current orders on the sandwich board. Yet twenty minutes later his order hasn’t even been started. That’s a problem. I’ll get over it, but I’ll miss that Italian...