Gee, I don't know why it took me so long to try this legendary North Beach deli. After all, it's been around since 1896 and survived the 1906 Earthquake. Well, that mishap prompted them to move from Broadway to Columbus where they've been for 118 years. They make and brand their own salami which they sell nationwide, and of course there are the sandwiches. And who doesn't hanker for a traditional Italian-American sandwich when they're starvin'? Well, that be me on a weekday morning when I was taking a stroll to Washington Square. There were only a couple of regulars in the store, so I decided to give it a try. I went for the $15.25 Lucca Special on Dutch Crunch. It had mortadella, provolone, sweet bell peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, and lettuce (photo: https://yelp.to/m6mvVleYRj). There was an open table on the sidewalk, so I grabbed it even if it was next to the world's loudest married couple. I'm sure you could hear them in Colma. So what did I think of my sandwich? A bit underwhelmed I have to admit. I thought there was either too much bread or not enough mortadella, but the ingredients certainly tasted fresh. I'm probably more the Japanese sando type because I couldn't finish it due to the carb overload. I also ordered a small container of Marinated Mushrooms, and they were just a bit sour for my taste (photo: https://yelp.to/WlO2mSAQRn). Oh well, we can't all be paisans. They survived the Great Earthquake. They'll certainly survive this review. FOOD - 3 stars... a clean sandwich but kinda bready and a bit pricey AMBIANCE - 5 stars...definitely step inside as it feels authentic SERVICE - 3.5 stars...a bit on automatic TOTAL - 3 stars...more mortadella, please RELATED - Exploring North Beach? Here's my collection of places I've patronized and reviewed: https://bit.ly/2X34Mji read more