Cardone's Italian Deli - CLOSED
- Price Range: $
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: No
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: No
- Delivers: Yes
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: No
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: Yes
- Good for: Lunch
- Alcohol: None
62 reviews
Neighborhood: Mid-City West
"Yet again, outstanding service. After getting the run around from 2 different italian places in LA for my birthday party group, imagine my…" read more »
25 Reviews for Cardone's Italian Deli
Rick (The Man!) made some of the best Italian sandwiches I have ever tasted...
We gorged daily... addicted to the simple, delicious, crack subs ... and then he CLOSED!
Cardone's will be dearly missed ... to be replaced by a Vegan Cafe... I believe.
DID THIS PLACE CLOSE OR ARE THEY MOVING???
=========================================
Sunny nice day so I wanted to eat out side yet be away from the scenesters. I have had their sandys before at a party at Case de Gage but it was nice to finally check it out in person.
Simple and fast. Great flavor. I just sat at one of the few tables out front thinking how wonderful the city is when not raining, yummy food to be found and the worries of the week are still a day away (cause it's Sunday).
In short: Fresh, fast, very tasty and the service was kind and warm.
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I love my Larchmont sammies, but wanted to broaden my lunchtime horizons a bit. Alas, we had to make the trek to Silverlake because though they do deliver if you have at least a $15 order, we were out of the delivery radius.
I had the mild Five Families, which was pretty good. I bet the "wartime" one is better, but I'm not that brave when it comes to spiciness. My bud got the mozzarella and prosciutto sandwich and the mozz was very flavorful.
I wanted to get some of the burrata to go, but they were out, so I had to make like Sarah Vowell and "take the cannoli" instead ....little but tasty.
5/23/08 e.t.a. Closed? Sad. Cardone's, I hardly knew you. :(
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CLOSED??? Cardone's! No! Say it ain't so! Where my gonna get my Wartime Five Families now?
NOTE: as of 4/12/08 - CLOSED / PH. # disconnected.
PS - Let's Go Mets!
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The best deli sandwich I have had since...possibly 15 years? Maybe longer? They get everything right--perfect baguette texture and shape (round with all the meat and stuff wrapped tightly inside), perfectly shredded lettuce, perfect seasoning with the oil and vinegar.
Ya gotta make the sandwich delicious but not too fancy. Balance is key. The ingredients are key. They got it all.
Good prices, AND they deliver.
Can't wait to try their pasta sauces.
Given my choice of eating here, or the much fancier Dusty's next door, I would eat here every time.
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YUM! YUM! YUM! I love me a good sandwich, and am damn picky about them as well. This is the only good sandwich place I have found in LA....besides Bay Cities por supuesto.
It was very welcoming and New Yorky. While the owner was ringing me up he suddenly stopped and started yelling, I was confused, but then realized he was watching a sport of some sort on TV, he waited till the play was over to continue our transaction. It was awesome, I love that shit... I'm serious.
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This rating and review is based solely on the best mushroom portobello panini that I have ever had. The cheese, the bread, the generous serving of portobello mushroom...pure perfection! Words cannot describe how good it was, which is why I took a lot of pictures of it instead.
Mario's Mario's Mario's, all you hear about it is Mario's, You guys can have Mario's because the finest Italian sub shop is right here yup in silverlake, "Cardone's".
Fresh ingrediants, huge Panini's (try the portobello mushroom), homemade canolli, more bread choices than Mario's, cool retro italian posters, and all around cool people that take care of you. Hey they also deliver.
I've lost faith that there is any truely authentic fine italian restaurants in LA, but for a quick bite try Cardone's. Super italian and again kicks the shit out of Mario's
Incredible sandwiches. The "Wartime Five Families" is my favorite, a spicy version of your standard Italian combo. Tastes like home and I don't have to drive to Santa Monica to stand in the huge line that is Bay Cities. Sometimes I order three sandwiches and have one for lunch, one for dinner and one for the next day.
I'm just so happy to have a place to get a good Italian deli sandwich in the Silverlake/Los Feliz area that I'll overlook the really poor parking situation. If I could walk there I'd give it ten stars.
Support Cardone's!!
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Paul and I both LOVED our sandwiches from Cardone's! WOW, they were SO fantastic. It is this tiny little deli that is quite easy to miss on Sunset in Silver Lake...you would never imagine that a place that looks so unimpressive would have such awesome sandwiches!
I got the create your own sandwich which consisted of lettuce, onions, roasted red peppers, pickles, black olives, tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, and provolone cheese with a bit of extra virgin olive oil on sesame seed Italian bread. WOW, it was seriously the best sandwich I have had in a long time. The bread was so fresh and they somehow managed to put just the right amount of ingredients on it so that it was flavorful but the fixin's weren't all falling out of it. It was huge, no way you can eat the whole thing in one serving.
Paul got the five families wartime sandwich. Yes, you read the name right! I laughed so hard when I heard that is what it was called. It is basically a whole bunch of different spicy Italian meats on Italian bread. He really loved it.
They also sell a few salads in there along with a few other items like sauce, biscotti's, and fresh cheese/meats. They have a myspace page, which is kind of hilarious:
http://www.myspace.com...
So, we will be going back there quite soon. All the ingredients were top notch and the bread was really great. Very cool place! It reminded me of the subs that you can find back in Boston!
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I just saw this place for the first time on Saturday, even though it is a few blocks from where I live. Oh well, better late than never. I had half a meatball and half the mild five families. The meatball was great but the bread got soggy and it was really hard for me to eat because it was so messy. But to reiterate, it still tasted really good! The five families was also really tasty, and easier to eat. When we left I had my first ever Cannoli, which was super yummy and the guy puts the creamy stuff in right in front of you so they aren't sitting around all day! Cardone's will be a new staple in my neighborhood restaurant list!
OH! They also deliver for free. $15 minimum.
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I LOVE this place. They have the most delicious sandwiches in Silverlake, if not LA in my opinion. And they are one of the few tasty places that actually delivers in this neighborhood!
My favorites are the Wartime Five Families, the Prosciutto, the Caprese, the Pepper Turkey, and Tuna. The cannoli's and coffee are yummy too. But I've never had anything I didn't like there. The owner is super nice, and everything they do is high quality--worth the price for a gourmet, Italian sandwich.
It's like a little piece of New York heaven in LA! OK, I'll stop gushing now.
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Cardone's made me a offer I couldn't refuse - delicious food at a reasonable price. I love the Italian-ness of this deli. Spicy broccoli rabe pannis, meatball subs with mozzarella, and cannolis for dessert make me nostalgic for the "old country". If she had a chance to eat at Cardone's, I'm sure Nonna would give the owner, Rick, a double cheek pinch and kiss.
Great sandwiches, reasonable prices, and friendly staff, what more can you ask for?
I think the best thing with this deli is that you can get half sandwiches, and the price is half of what you'd pay for the full sandwich, unlike our local subway stores.
With the ability to get half sandwiches, I went for the wartime five ($4.12) and the sausage and peppers ($3.50). For a measly $7.62, I was able to fill up my happy belly, after I popped open a bottle of pinot grigio to go with it of course =)
Their menu selection is adequate for the size of their store, I almost missed it as I drove by, so pay attention to the addresses and don't miss out on this friendly neighborhood deli for tasty sandwiches.
Finally!
It is so hard to find good Italian delis in LA, impossible to find good cannoli!
One bite of a Cardone's sandwich and I feel like I am home in Jersey...the mozzarella is so soft and delicious it is like my mother made it. I just wish they had semolina bread :(
This is more of a carry-out place then a sit-down place...I recommend picking up a sandwich and heading to the park to enjoy it :)
This place is delicious.
I went in today and ordered a prosciutto and mozzerella sandwich.
When I order sandwiches I always have to specify no mayo... and so naturally i did. The lovely man who made my sandwhich met my request with understanding as he said:
"The sandwich comes with olive oil and pepper"
"Say no more!", I thought to myself. This place and I are on the same delicious and authentic page.
Also- they do half sandwiches for those of us who prefer the smaller portions!
AND they deliver.
The only thing I can think of, is that they need a good espresso machine... but that is just my fantasy!
I will definitely return.
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Wartime Five Families.
To me, this is the perfect sandwich. Prosciutto, capicolla, sopressata, mortadella, genoa salami, and provolone. Bread that tastes like it was shipped in from Arthur Avenue. Spicy, but not too spicy. So big, you'll have half for lunch, and half for in between lunch and dinner.
Caveat lector... the owner is a Mets fan.
Update: Cardone's is now closed. It was nice knowing you.
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You'd think that after everything Italy has going for them (World Cup, pretty girls, meatballs) these supposed Italians (they have a Sinatra album on their wall, so I figure they must be Italian) sure come off as pricks.
Don't get me wrong, the food is good. But if you are going to charge 10 bucks for a grilled cheese then try not to act like I'm interrupting (insert some sort of Italian leisure activity here) when I order one.
You have no parking, your prices are high and your "establishment" lacks any sort of charm, despite the tacky Italian "decorations" half-assedly tacked to the wall. Perhaps friendliness would be an area to work on.
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Hey it was good. They don't have too many choices, but I sure liked what I got. It's pretty expensive for what it is though. So I doubt I'll go back. I paid $18 for two sandwiches to go. Now that I type that out... I realize I should have just made some sandwiches at home. Maybe if they fixed the place up a bit, or gave you some salad on the side, or something.
i'm writing as a silverlaker and as such, i have to say, this place rocks for delivering!! i know, i'm really big on delivery but it's hard to get decent food delivered when you live here so this rocks. and they don't charge anything extra.
as for food, i always get their wartime five families, which I think tastes pretty good. i'm a huge fan of bay city delis sandwiches on the west side, but who goes past la brea nowadays! so if that is the ultimate, then this is a good copy cat to occupy my taste buds until i actually make it out there. Some other reviewer said that Lee's sandwiches had better sandwiches and yeah, that's cheaper and could be tasty, but that's freakin far too. If you like in silverlake, and like deli italian style sandwiches, the wartime five families is pretty darn good.
if i could, i'd give this place a 3 and 1/2 stars but i can't do that. not quite a four star because i tried their other sandwiches and i didn't like them as much, the italian sausage sandwich was kind of disappointing. just sausages with some grilled peppers and onions, but bland.
the salads are pretty cheap but not that great. i also had their burrata, which was nice and soft, but lacked the rich creaminess of the best burratas in town. It is a steal at $4 per lump. the cannolis are pretty decent if you eat them right there and then. yum.
but overall, i'm very happy to have found this place in silverlake.
I am a bit hesitant to start up on this place, because it has been line free for me going on two months. But I really want to see this business succeed. Silverlake finally has a real Italian Deli (there may be another that I don't know about) . While it doesn't offer much in terms of product for sale it does rock the villa with sandwiches. Think of it as a way to avoid the long and arduous drive to Santa Monica for a particularly amazing Italian sandwich. This place has finally allowed me to save the travel time and gas for my sandwich fix. All I can say is the 'Five Families' is an amazing sandwich. Nuff' said about their classic and as for my secret favorite...ask for this...Foot long sesame bread, spicy copa, burrata cheese and olive oil. Pure heaven and a sandwich worthy of a mobster or the pope. They have decent Italian sodas to go along with it too. I know they are only open for lunch at this time and oh yea I forgot the meat ball sandwich is a glorious thing. I could go on forever about this place and I know they have a panini press, which reminds me. I am hungry and need to check out what they can do with the press.
edit* they are actually open till later in the night
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solid italian sandwiches on sunset? welcome to the new silver lake.
i'd spotted this place a few times in the last few weeks, so today i finally got to give it a shot on my way home.
it's a clean little spot, a little empty at present, but i'm sure they'll fill it up soon enough.
i ordered the spicy version of the 'five families' sandwich, which is a layering of italian cold cuts. the roll i got it on was nice and chewy and there was something kind of new york italian about how the cold cuts were layered with lettuce, tomato, spicy peppers and other condiments. definitely sitting nice in my tummy-piece.
the potato salad was pretty darn good too...very homemade tasting. they have a small but ample selection of soft drinks and besides the italian cold cuts, they do standard deli sandwiches as well.
is this place giving italian deli giants bay cities or mario's competition? not at present, but i have a strong feeling that cardone's will be expanding their offerings pretty soon. at present, it's definitely a tasty, reasonable italian sandwich close to home, and i'll be headed back pretty soon. and there's something to be said for ez-in, ez-out spots that give you a cup of potato salad to nibble on when you ask about it. freebies will get you everywhere with me.
things to try next time: cannoli and homemade mozzarella.
update: their meatball sandwich is pretty much homemade and probably the best i've ever tried. lots of garlic, sometimes in big chunks, herbs and spices make this an incredibly satisfying meal. and they deliver. yum.
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Awesome Italian Deli in Silverlake
Whenever I go there, it always seems empty inside. The two people that work there are really nice. Meats are excellent, mozarrella cheese tastes very fresh. Paninis are tasty too. Parking can be very difficult around dinnertime - park right on sunset or up the side street around the corner - since it's right next to Dusty's. Seems a little expensive to me for the portions (8 to 9 dollar deli sandwich?!), hence one less star.
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UPDATE (as of 4/23/08): Alas, the rumors are true. Cardone's has been closed for some time now. I had been going there at least once a week and their closing makes me very sad. I was looking forward to picking up some of their delicious sandwiches to take to Dodgers games this season.
Went for lunch here today for the first time, and I have to say that it was delicious. I ordered the "Wartime Five Families" and while I thought it was very good, my only recommendation would be to add some fresh pesto as I love pesto. It was almost as good as the gold standard of Italian delis which I believe to be Molinari's in San Francisco's North Beach.
I seriously considered ordering the potato salad, it looked so delicious, but then I couldn't have gotten the iced coffee. Let's face it, if it comes down to potato salad or iced coffee, I'm always going to go for the coffee, no matter how good the potato salad looks. But I digress.
I was impressed with how squeaky-clean the place appeared, and the man who helped me was very friendly. Oh, and the music they were playing fit my mood perfectly. Some days I am just in a "classic rock" kinda mood, know what I mean?
really good italian deli- only thing like it on the east side. the meatballs are awesome and the coffee and cannolis are great. and super nice people too. we go there all the time.
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