Whenever I'm in Monrovia or Acadia, or even just passing through, I make it a point to stop at Gene's. I'm never disappointed. The bread is fantastic, the fries are excellent, and the meats are absolutely delicious - you can tell the food is fresh. The staff I've encountered has been friendly and helpful. I've never had a bad experience. I don't mind a bit of a wait for my sandwich--it's to be expected when a place is as popular as this. Plus, it's worth it! I believe this is an original locaton, with its limited indoor seating and a few tables outside, offers a charming, casual vibe. I usually grab my food to go, but when my family joins me, we love enjoying our meal outdoors. What makes it even more special is that Gene's has been a family favorite for generations. My kids get excited knowing that their great-grandparents and grandparents ate here too. There's something powerful about a place that has lasted through four generations. Gene's isn't just a sandwich shop; it's a local tradition with staying power. read more

Great sandwich. Fresh bread. No frills. Quick wait time. When you're in Monrovia, check them out

This is one of the best sandwiches I've had. I ordered on line and the order was ready rather quickly. it was my first time coming her and the staff was very friendly and attentive. This place had been around for a while and it has some memorabilia from the years but I would definitely recommend this place and be going back soon. read more

Ordered online and pickup was fast and easy. The portion was big. One large sandwich was enough for 2 meals. Tried the pastrami sandwich. The pastrami was a bit bland for me, not much flavor but it was tender. Meatball sandwich was delicious. Combo came with chips and drink. I chose the jalapeño one, but I noticed the guaranteed fresh date was a month ago. read more

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The pastrami sandwich and the meatball sub were DEEELISH!!! --an extra side of marinara sauce for the meatball sub put it *over the top*! read more

Gene's Grinders - Gene's Grinders in Monrovia - Delis Near Me - Duarte, California

I found this place due to their Facebook advertising in the region. I live 11 miles away in Pasadena, but the videos are cute, food looks great, and it's family owned. "So shut your lazy mouth and get in the car and drive there, son!" And so I did today.... I got there at the crack of 11 AM, I was the only customer. Very friendly employees, I ordered the pastrami grinder with everything. I got the large, because did I mention I had to drive 11 miles to get there so might as well go big?? And big it was (insert Michael Scott line here if you wish). Honestly, this sandwich was a monster, and it really was delicious. I ate half, and my housekeeper dove in and destroyed the other half. Both of us gave multiple thumbs up reviews. Fresh bread of course, fresh ingredients, extremely generous portions of delicious pastrami. Probably on the slightly higher end of prices for a sandwich, but completely worth it, I think you get a real bang for your buck. I am absolutely returning, I'll explore the rest of the menu, but son of a gun, the pastrami grinder... Wow. I think I'll rifle through the trashcan to see if my housekeeper really did eat all of the other half. Well played, Gene's Grinders peeps. read more

This was my first time trying their sliced pork sandwich and it was delicious. The pork is thinly sliced and flavorful. I would come back again to try their other sandwiches. read more

Gene's Grinders - Delis Near Me - Duarte, California

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I have lived here now for over 20 years in Monrovia and this Sandwich place has been here since I moved here, both my kids love it and when my daughter comes to town we always get a pastrami sandwich and the sausage sandwich is to die for, never had any complaints about my sandwiches here half a sandwich feeds 2 people , service is also amazing so thank you for the great food and service!!! read more

I checked out this place for the first time. The prices are reasonable and the staff are very nice. The portions are good size. I had the pastrami sandwich. It's not as tasty as The Hat, but the portion size and price is better. read more

This was the first time I have been here. I actually went when they opened on Saturday morning before they were to shut their doors. I found out about their closing from facebook, so my wife and I decided we should give it a try before they close. Actually, the weekend before, I was going to go around lunchtime, and when I went on their website to order, they said that they had to close early because they ran out of their fresh baked bread. So knowing that, we ordered online and selected a pick up time at opening. When we got there, there was a couple of people ahead of us. We went to the pick up window and said we were picking up our online order. They acknowledged, our orders and proceeded to make our sandwiches. The sandwiches were a good size. Close to a foot long. The bread was fresh, pastrami was soft and tender. We decided against the dip and settled for the grinder, and glad because it was very flavorful. We also ordered a cold sandwich, the deli meats were delicious, but my wife didn't like that cheddar cheese. But overall, we enjoyed our sandwiches with fries. Of course we had leftover which we shared with our son. read more

We got the roast beef! I don't know where they get it but it was awful!! Doesn't anyone actually cook and slice their roast beef! The deli stuff is so awful read more

Excellent sandwiches for a great price. Got the Gene's special, ham, and turkey sandwiches so far and they are huge and delicious. This place is great. read more

What's not to love? Do you like soft, fresh baked bread and a variety of veggies, meats & cheeses stuffed into the delicious bread? Do you like supporting small business? Do you like being satisfyingly full after eating your sandwich? What about outdoor seating or taking your food to go, do you like these options? Quick service, do you like that? Come here! The only thing I don't like are the limited hours because if I'm craving a sandwich, Gene's is my first thought and franchised sub spots just won't do. read more

First time trying this place. Placed a 6" roast beef order online with chips. Order was ready so quickly. It was really good! The bread was soft and perfect! Although it was just a pick up order I'm a sucker for good customer service and definitely felt welcomed and thanked for my order. I'll definitely order again , can't beat the fast service! It was a nice day to be able to sit outside though I didn't I wish I would of! read more

Gene's Grinders - 6" roast beef, chips and peppers. Yummy! - Delis Near Me - Duarte, California

Well I saw this interview video of this place where they were doing a BOGO special. It was even posted in the city group. I told the owner if I missed the special I'll still go check it out.. I went today n ordered the Gene's special sandwish n the roast beef dip. I went home n took a bite I was like mmmmmm delicious .. asked my son if he liked it. He smiled n said yes.. we honestly recommend this place. Sandwiches are bomb !!!! Definitely will go again .. read more

Gene's Grinders - Delicious hot roast beef dip sandwich - Delis Near Me - Duarte, California

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House made bread. Been coming here for 40+ years. My dad loved bringing us here before heading to the race track. House made lemonade. We keep the genes special, meatball and pastrami in rotation. The small can easily be shared! read more

Gene's Grinders - Meatball - Delis Near Me - Duarte, California

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I will share my experience even though today they closed the Monrovia location. I tried it for the first time so I could show a final support. Got there at 11:10 am, expected extra patience because there was going to be a lot of people. The guy before me was asked if the on site ordering queue could be paused to catch up, which I understood. About 20 minutes passed before they started to take the walk in orders. Made and paid for my order between 11:40 to 11:50. Before walking off I made sure to confirm with the guy that I had given my name for the order and he said my name, so I was good. I saw all the people behind me get their order and waited until 12:20 to speak up. Also, one of the ladies announced that online orders were on queue and would have to wait about 15 minutes, and I was way past that after ordering on site. I asked the young guy how long my order would still take. He "went around to check" then said it was in the queue and they were backed up. I gave them the benefit of the doubt. At 12:35 I got up again. I had a meeting at 1 pm, so I said if it wasn't coming out in the next 5 mins I wanted a refund. The young guy immediately told the cashier I wanted a refund. The cashier could not find my order on his tablet and had to put it in again in order to get me my refund. I saw other people having issues with their order and they speed tracked their order but for me they refunded immediately. I get it was crazy and I went with a lot of patience in mind, but I checked up twice and still got nothing for it. It was not a good experience. read more

Love their sandwiches!!!! Love their service!!!! And they have a Chill Ambiance! Definitely gonna keep going back for more read more

Sometimes you need a solid sandwich to satisfy your hunger. Gene's Grinders fill that need. Their home-baked bread is perfect and their meats are piled on. Be sure to ask them to cut your sandwich. If you're like me, you'll be taking half home to enjoy the next day. read more

Bread was good. Service was good. Meats were ok. But just tasted bland. No condiments at all. You would think at least some Italian dressing . I hate to say it. But Jersey Mikes Italian is much better. read more

Great sandwiches! Probably the best sandwich shop in Monrovia. Definitely will come back again! read more

Gene's Grinders - The combo - Delis Near Me - Duarte, California

place. Gene's Grinders is hands down the best sandwich shop in Monrovia. The bread is always fresh, the ingredients are high quality, and the sandwiches are packed with flavor. I tried the pastrami and the meatball sub and both were incredible. The staff is friendly and quick, and you can tell they care about making a great sandwich. This is my new go-to spot for lunch. Highly recommend to anyone who loves a good grinder. read more

Sandwiches! Great awesome! Super good, definitely can taste the quality! So why the 2 stars? Because for a review you must do the entire experience, as we all know the entire world is in a global pandemic. Washing your hands frequently is a must! I ask the cashier if I could use the bathroom to WASH my hands, she stated NO because of everything going on. Um..... that's EXACTLY why you should let your customers wash their hands!! Sanitizer is NOT going to cut it. ANY establishment serving food should allow customers use the bathroom! I can't be the only one that prefers washing my hands over using hand sanitizer before I eat a meal. It saddens me because I want to be supportive but and this place deserves 5 stars but I'm sorry not allowing CUSTOMERS to use your bathroom to wash their hands is completely Unacceptable I'm more than happy to give 5 stars once they allow this. Just sad because I truly want to and agree to support small businesses but for the health of everyone PLEASE let YOUR customers use the restroom now more than EVER!!!! read more

Gene's Grinders - Delis Near Me - Duarte, California

First timer! I've always passed by this place. I finally went to order pickup as they had an online social media special of BOGOF. So easy to order online! Got the large turkey sandwich and large tuna. AND it is laaaaarge! You can so easily customize it. I can only review the tuna as I gave the turkey to a friend. This place is all about the bread!!!!!!!! There is so much tuna in the sandwich too! I added onions and chili flakes to my tuna. Holy mackerel.... The chili flakes brings that touch! Tuna mix is exactly how I like it! Unlike other sand shops. They have indoor and outdoor seating. Counter service. I went later in the afternoon. 3:30pm. They close at 4. The staff was still hard at work when I came in and though the transaction was quick, one of the guys from the back even said hi and nodded with a smile as if I wouldn't regret these sandwiches Wish this place was closer to my work! My coworkers are all tuna fans! Also Wish they closed later cuz I usually get out of work later, but I would ditch work again to try their other sandwiches. read more

Excellent sandwiches and right now there's a BOGO deal if you order thru their instagram page. I've had a meatball sandwich here and a kielbasa sandwich and both were so tasty. Service is very fast. Bread and sauces are fresh. Come here for a great sandwich. read more

Gene's Grinders - The Meatball Special. Delicious! - Delis Near Me - Duarte, California

If you ever get a chance this is It must eat sandwich shop, I drive from Covina over to Gene's I'd say it's worth every mile and time to invest in a good meal If you ever get a chance please stop by and enjoy small place super crisp clean clean establishment where the employees are so welcoming and pleasant. Thank you Gene's. read more

The best sandwiches in town for sure! Always fresh with quality ingredients. Talk about a stuffed sandwich! They are not greedy with their helpings. read more

Gene's Grinders - Delis Near Me - Duarte, California

Good sandwiches and chicken sandwiches are super good Great place for lunch very fast service. Very consistent read more

This is based on service. I mean the sandwich was good... I've had better pastrami but had I gotten better service I would have gone back. Even at $18 for a sandwich I would have gone back. When I walked up to the outside order window the man who I assume, and yes I know what assuming can lead to... was speaking loudly about how this is America... not sure what the context was but he was aggressive. We stood out at that window for a good 3-4 minutes and continued to be ignored. I figured even though it says order here we need to go inside. Went inside and instead of a greeting or a welcome... we got a head nod ( like a gangster what's up) and a "what do you want" ... well 3rd time is a charm right? Ordered.... And the woman that handed the sandwich was beyond nice and saved the experience. Unfortunately not enough to get the awful customer service from the first encounters. I'll stick to the place we know a few miles west or even good old Tops. It's too bad we love to support local. read more

Very impressed with their sandwich dips! I called in an order for pickup (working from home due to Coronavirus, but still needed lunch) and made the short drive over to Old Town Monrovia. I paid at the order window and waited a few minutes while my order was finalized and then I was on my way home. I got the large size for both the roast beef dip ($12) and pastrami dip ($13.50). Both come with just the meat, sandwich bread, mustard and pickles. It tasted great in the beginning, but halfway through, the mustard and pickles got to me (too tart and tangy) and I wished I had coleslaw instead which would've had a lighter taste. BF and I both agreed that the pastrami was saltier than the roast beef and that it was a great idea to split both sandwiches so that we didn't get overwhelmed with one type of meat. The large sandwich alone was enough for lunch and dinner for me. Plenty of slices of meat in both sandwiches. They only gave us one container of dip, which wasn't enough in the end. I didn't check before I left Gene's Grinders, but when I got home and saw one cup, I assumed they put the amount of dip for both sandwiches into one container. Make sure to ask for enough dip. I wonder if they can double dip the sandwiches... So we only got two large sandwiches and for writing this review, I'm doing the math on how much I paid. They didn't tell me the price when I placed the order over the phone and there was no menu with current prices posted online. Total for 2 sandwiches with 9.5% tax (Monrovia sales tax jumps to 10.25% starting April 1, 2020) should be $27.92, but my electronic receipt shows $28.41. I'm all for supporting small businesses, but discrepancies like this bug me. I didn't order anything extra and there is no detail breakdown on the receipt, just $28.41 put in as custom amount. Not sure if they charged a fee for using credit card, but I didn't see any signs posted. Four star food, with a star docked for overcharging. read more

Gene's Grinders - Menu as of March 2020 - Delis Near Me - Duarte, California

My girlfriend and I love coming to this sandwich spot. George is the best! He knows our usual order and welcomes us with nothing but hospitality. Everyone at this restaurant is super welcoming and makes the experience that much better. Being that this shop is family owned, you can feel that they genuinely care for their community. Please try the genes special with everything, and thank me later. read more

Gene's Grinders is a 5 star, thumbs up sandwich place.. Great food, courteous service, and generous portions. Our family favs are pastrami hands down, the Gene's Special, and Tuna! The only thing I wish was that they had a BLT. But, hey, my belly's plenty happy! read more

Service was great but food was just average. Tried the Gene's special and the special of the day which was milanesa and while they weren't bad, they tasted like something you can just make at home. Bread wasn't especially special and seemed like they were store bought. Cold cuts for the special we're also very much grocery store quality. The milanesa though was made fresh, but didn't have the usual "torta" ingredients that make that type of sandwich special, like a beans or salsa. There were also onions, a ton of them so my GF couldn't eat any of it. I love onions but still had to take out most of them to eat the sandwich. Fries were decent. It may ask for extra crispy next time. I might have to try some of the hot sandwiches or dips next time to see if they can actually cook vs slapping together cold cuts on bread. As I said, service on this particular day was great so I will be back to try and support small businesses. read more

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very good sandwiches very nice treated this oleman with respect will defintly be baqck

If you're a local Monrovian, you are already well aware of Gene's Grinders. If you're not local or have never been here, do yourself a favor a try it. The food is always fresh. The bread is made daily and delicious. Be sure to get your loyalty card because you'll want to come back. Daily specials and the best pastrami in San Gabriel. Service is quick. Order ahead, call or online or order at the walk up window. Seating inside and out. It's always clean. The ambiance inside is very Santa Anita Race Track inspired. For a large sandwich around $13 you'll get enough sandwich for two people . It's huge!!!! The fries are excellent and so is the lemonade. Order it with "everything " that'll include hot chili flakes, vinegar, onion, mustard and Mayo" ask for pickles...Pepperchini and hot peppers are a freebie but you have to ask for them. We usually get our food to go as it tends to be crowded at lunch. read more

As a Monrovia Native, Gene's Grinder is the go to spot for the best grinder in the San Gabriel Valley! Definitely a staple within the community. The service and ambiance are remarkable. Now whenever I'm in town I have to stop by and grab a Grinder, French Fries, and Fresh Cold Lemonade. I love Gene's Grinder! read more

Gene's Grinders - Pastrami Dip Hot Grinders, French Fries, and fresh lemonade - Delis Near Me - Duarte, California

My guy brought me here for the first time ever a month ago and we've been coming once a week ! He doesn't miss the chicken special every Tuesday ! Love the pastrami and the fries are amazing ! PS I lived in Monrovia my whole life and never been til now read more

Gene's Grinders - Tuesday and Wednesday Daily Specials Chicken sandwich - Delis Near Me - Duarte, California

Andy was kind enough to offer a BOGO deal...fantastic. I hadn't been to The Grinder in a couple years as I don't live close by, but it sure was worth the drive. Fully loaded sandwiches and very tasty. The staff is always friendly and welcoming. :-) read more

Great sandwiches and great service, saw their Facebook special BOGO but still wasn't interested until I saw that they make their own bread. I'm a sandwich guy and go all over SGV for them. Claros, the Hat, and Banh Mi My Tho have been my go to for years but I thought I would try Genes. They don't skimp on the meats and everything is made fresh no doubt, huge sandwiches also. These are straight up American style sandwiches, nothing fancy or spicy but good. The bread is super soft and plain white unlike baguettes or brioche. If your looking for a meaty old school sandwich, Genes your man. I recommend the pastrami, pickles and mustard only. I took off a star because the menu doesn't offer anything extra ordinary or spicy. read more

Gene's Grinders - Genes combo, fresh bread and fresh ingredients . - Delis Near Me - Duarte, California

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I took advantage of the buy one get one free, great advertising however the sandwiches are absolutely huge and very reasonably priced, and I will definitely feel like it's a great deal even without the BOGO . I have a very good appetite and I was full after eating only half of my half of the sandwich. We choose the sausage as well as the meatball . The bread is soft and the meat is spilling out. There was too much cheese for me but just enough for the person I shared it with,it was melted cheesy deliciousness . I asked for a side of extra sauce and was given a very substantial and tasty side of it. I ordered online and the employee that helped was friendly and welcoming when I picked up my order. The sausage was really good they must make it in house. It sounds weird but next time I get the sausage sandwich I'm going to ask for it with no marinara sauce & no cheese, add onions and bell peppers. (Yummy). I haven't even tried the meatball. I'm still full and it's 530. My plan was half the sausage sandwich for lunch and half meatball for dinner. I don't know if I'm gonna be able to do it. Also, the order of french fries is really big enough to share between two people and came out cooked perfectly. The ordering online was extremely easy and I'm gonna put this into my weekly routine. 100% if you order a foot-long plan on making it two meals or prepare for a food coma . Next Friday I'm going to order a six inch pastrami nom nom nom. See you at Genes :) read more