Pulciano’s Deli & Cafe

Let me start this off by saying that Pulciano’s is a family owned deli spot. Their attention to detail on the sandwich is very visible through the quality and the taste. I am very picky about my sandwiches, and to me, the bread is they key. And man oh man, the bread at Pulciano’s is super soft on the inside, carrying a slight crunch on the outside. Their Hoagie is $$$$$.
I ordered a:
California Mafia Special ($ 6.95 — Regular)
Soft bread, high quality freshly sliced deli meat, refreshing avocado, your typical lettuce and tomato. Goodness! My mouth is now watering from just writing this review.
If you are in town and want a real sandwich, step away from the Subways (processed meat) and step into Pulciano’s for their quality meat and veggies. This place will not disappoint you.

I’ve never wanted to write a review after my first bite! I finished my sandwich though and now writing this, all I can say is I seriously am impressed! Definitely bringing my friends and family here! Had the California Mafia,

Small sandwich shop. not very busy.
Friendly owners. Old lady and old gentleman.
Big selection of sandwiches.
Very bad parking.
California Mafia sandwich large is $ 9.75… with no sides or drinks!!!
It’s pretty pricey.

The place might not look like much but the sandwich we had today was nothing less than outstanding. We got the Garlic Mafia large and split it. You gotta try the spicy. We were so impressed. The staff was incredibly helpful in explaining the different styles of Mafia sandwiches.

I love this place for lunch. I’ve been coming here for years, since I was in high school. They have deliciously fresh cut meats, toasty bread, potato salad, soups, chips, ice cream… pretty much anything you could need from a local sandwich shop. The quality and variety is top notch, and this family owned business is very warm and friendly. I love the man with a mustache who takes the orders, and his sweet mom is always in the back making the sandwiches. I will always continue to give this place business, and I wish they would stay open a little later. But I guess at the end of the day we all need to go home sometimes. Sometimes me and my boyfriend will take the sandwiches to go and have a little picnic in front of the San Gabriel Mission because it is right across the street. I highly recommend the BLT with provolone cheese and avocado. Craving one right now!

Craved a fresh and legit Italian sandwich for days and was surprised to find that there was a place to acquire it right in the SGV! It’s a small shop run by the Italian mother and son themselves and they were both friendly and hospitable. When I mentioned that it was my first time, the son took his time to answer any questions I had and did not make me feel rushed at all. The sandwiches were quite good and tasted fresh. A drawback is probably the early time that it closes, but I’m going to try to come back when I can make it in time!

Delicious local Italian deli in San Gabriel, located right near the mission. I always order the BLT with my girlfriend. The large is big enough for us to share. They have a nice chip, drink and ice cream selection. Usually a soup of the day too. Very tasty place, and it’s a friendly family owned business. The man with the mustache who’s always at the front counter is such a riot. Always fun when we come here. Only thing I would say is — I can see this place easily becoming something bigger and better with a few upgrades. The quality of their food is so good that if they would just invest in some comfy booths instead of chairs, some glass plates instead of paper, and maybe a server, they could be a nice little restaurant. Guess they wanna keep that casual, home town feel though. I’m not complaining. Glad they’ve been there for years, and hopefully many more to come :)

Good and friendly service. I tried California mofia sandwich was very tasty. I will highly recommend to everyone to try their sandwiches.

Tiny little place in the historic district next to San Gabriel Mission. It’s really more deli counter than restaurant, but the sandwiches are great, and the owner seems like a super nice guy. We wanted the sausage and pepper sammy, but they didn’t have enough sausage for a large, so he offered to do a meatball, sausage, and pepper mashup. He should make that a regular sandwich! It was fantastic! The sausage was flavorful, meatballs were tender, and marinara was a party in your mouth! Be careful with the giardiniere though… it was on fire! We also had the pastrami dip. The pastrami was piled on, and flavorful, but a bit salty. It’s that shaved deli pastrami, not the thick cut stuff you can get in some delis. Also had mustard and pickles, which were needed to cut the richness of the pastrami. Great find, will definitely be back.

I ate lunch at Pulciano’s Deli & Café in San Gabriel, CA on 9÷8÷2015. I’ve been here many times before. My favorite lunch place. Plus, I took photos.

I tried the California Mafia sandwich and didn’t like it at all. It’s a skimpy sandwich that’s on a narrow white roll with only an adequate amount of meat and cheese, avocado and garlic/​oil spread. The overall taste isn’t very impressive. I’ve had better. There are only a few side salads available, potato and macaroni. There are only 2 people working in here and the plain atmosphere doesn’t make it a nice place to eat. If you’re discriminating I don’t think you’ll like this place.

I used to think I liked meatball subs… until I tried the one at Pulciano’s. Eating their meatball sub on garlic bread was such a transcendent experience it retroactively destroyed every previous sub-​eating encounter in my life and set the bar for future subs so high I fear I will never reach its apex.
Service was great and friendly. Can’t wait to go back and try some of their other sandwiches.

I had the mafia sandwich. its a classic simple sandwich kind of like something you would make at home yourself with basic cold cuts. Not significantly memorable but also not horrible. Its a good basic sandwich. The vegetables on the sandwich are pretty fresh too.
Its a small family owned shop. Very casual place. I came around 130pm and the family and thier friends are just hanging out in the shop. There are very few sandwich shops in this area so this place will hit the spot if you have a sandwich craving. The owner is very nice.

One of my friends was raving about this place, and I couldn’t not try it somce it’s so close to where I live. Best sandwich in 626, hands down.
Mafia Special ($ 7.95 — Large)
Everyone on Unilocal was ordering this sandwich so I felt obligated to see what the hype was about. The man who took my order asked if I wanted to switch the regular bread out for garlic bread and I was like «hell yes, I would.» It’s only an extra $ 0.50. The sandwich was to die for. So glad I got the large!
Parking is fairly easy. Just keep in mind they aren’t open for dinner. On most days, they close at 4 pm.
Oh, and I love saying the name. Pulciano’s! (with Italian accent)

This is an Italian family owned sandwich shop. Their food and service are both excellent. My favorite one is the cappocola sandwich with provolone cheese.

Stopped in on a whim. And I am glad I did! It’s small and cozy. The owners were very pleasant. There seemed to be quite a few regulars there. The owners kept coming out from the kitchen and talking to everyone.
I ordered the mafia sandwich with garlic spread. It was so delicious. I devoured it! They did not skimp on the meats! 3 meats, lettuce onions and tomatoes on a French roll. Mmmmmmm so good!!! It was so good I ordered 2 to go for lunch the next day. I have one to my son and he didn’t even complain about the veggies. They have that sandwich perfected!
The prices were good too! You get a much better sandwich for slightly more than you would pay at Subway or ToGos.
There isn’t much street parking but there is a small parking lot in back and plenty of paying at the mission playhouse across the street.

BEST sandwiches in the San Gabriel Valley, huge selection to choose from, and always fresh.
Among the favs, is the California Mafia, The Adam, and my top pick, The Meatball…

If I had to review this place in one word it would be: YES!
They’ve got 100 Unilocal reviews and a 4.5 star rating for a reason people! I was in Alhambra on a Saturday and I really wanted a sandwich. An American sandwich, like an Italian Sub type thing… and I was lamenting that there wasn’t any good place like that around. Sure, lots of Vietnamese sandwich places, but nothing like what I wanted. So, I checked Unilocal!And to my surprise I see this place just east of Alhambra with it’s great Unilocal rating. So I went, and brothers and sisters am I happy I did!!!
It is a small mom and pop place (literally I think it is a «son and his mom» place). They have sandwiches on garlic bread, and some salads. They are definitely practicing the «do one thing, but do it very well» philosophy. Their prosciutto sandwich is made with very good proscuitto and is just delicious, and quite cheap considering the meat ($ 9.99 for the large). They also have a Mafia sandwich which is basically an Italian Sub. They have a «California» version that is absolutely fantastic, with avocado and their special sauce (7.99 for a large).
So to sum up in a list:
1) Quality meats
2) Great bread
3) Great dressing/​sauce for the sandwich
4) Great price considering the quality and flavor of what you get. The large is quite large, enough for two.
5) They have all 6 flavors of the flavored Pellegrinos! Including pomegranate and clementine, which are very hard to find!
Oh, and they’re a really fun bunch too. I won’t spoil it for the newbies, but check out their signs, and perhaps ask for the «Two Sandwich Special», or the «Honeymoon Salad»! Seriously, go here now. Go. Hurry up!

From the food to the service, this place is great! It wins all over. I’m so disappointed that I’ve lived in Alhambra for so many years and have gone to Factory Tea Bar so often and did not even realize it was next door until last week!
=FOOD=
1) California Mafia — Perfect sandwich. This is like the Mafia Special, but with Avocados and the Garlic Bread. Do yourself a favor and just go with the CALIFORNIA Mafia. Comes with delicious sauce lettuce, tomatoes, provolone, ham, and other cold cuts. This is supposed to be their winner, and boyfriend and I have to agree it was SO GOOD! Everything was done perfectly!
2) HOUSE Special — (not to be confused with HAL’S…which is another winner) The House Special is another perfect sandwich! Like the California Mafia (and I believe all of their sandwiches) the toasted Garlic bread completely pulls this sandwich together. This sandwich had more meat than the California Mafia, and it had Olive Oil as well. Oh my goodness!
=SERVICE=
The service is outstanding! The moment boyfriend and I walked in, we were greeted by the friendly owner. He had so much to say as he was describing some of their sandwiches to me. I was so overwhelmed, so I let him pick. The sandwiches came out SO quickly too! During our meal, the owner also checked up on us to make sure we enjoyed our sandwiches.
=FINAL VERDICT=
This is a place that my boyfriend and I would love to come back to again and again. Fresh, delicious sandwiches on toasted garlic bread… how come I never thought of that?! YUM!

Delicious, delicious sandwiches! And only 7 minutes away from me!
First off, the gentleman behind the counter is extremely friendly and outgoing. The sweet lady in the back is just as friendly; I think she’s Florinda?
My favorite meatball sanddwich used to be from Bay Cities in Santa Monica. Not anymore. Pulciano’s meatball sandwich has won me over. It’s pleasing to the eye, nose, and mouth. The aroma… the flavor… the melted cheese… the seasoning on the meatballs… so, so good. And you must get this, and all other sandwiches here, with the garlic bread. Perfection.
The Mafia Special is also a great sandwich. I’m usually not a fan of cold cuts, but this one was great. Got this on their French roll (which was fine), but I think I’ll get it with the garlic bread next time.
(Hot) Roast Beef was good, though a bit on the dry side. Nothing that the au jus can’t fix.
I will continue to return to try their other sandwiches… or I’ll just keep getting the meatball.