The Grinder

This quaint sandwich shop was a nice break in our day. The service was quick and friendly. The food was delicious and portioned abundantly. The prices were competitive. We were able to feed the family without breaking the bank or our schedule!

First time trying it out and will definantly be back for more. Had one of the best sandwiches in town (The Deluxe), all with fresh ingredients, a very polite and professional staff, and a welcoming atmosphere. The menu has many great options and very easy to customize your own sub all at affordable prices. Looking forward to spreading the word around!

Just came here for the first time tonight and it was fantastic! I didn’t know what to get… I basically got a roast beef with provolone, mayo, with lettuce, salt/​pepper, and oil/​vin. SO GOOD! Service was quick and the girls at were working were super sweet and welcoming even tho I came in 20 minutes before closing. Also, the price is really solid — around $ 8 for chips, a 6 inch sammy, and a drink. Will be coming back!!!

This place is still of poor value after my first post 4 years ago. Its too bad people of El Cajon continue to patronize a place that does not make a good hoagie… A place like this wouldn’t last 6 months in Philadephia.

I love this place always clean and the lady’s working are always so nice I usually get the same thing every time me and my husband go and everytime the sandwiches are perfect we try and eat here once a week usually a weekend or even a weekday if we get the chance !!! Thank you for being a awesome sandwich shop…

The sandwich tasted good, way better then subway, it was light but yummy. Good customer service …

I’ve driven by the Grinder for years but never stopped. My husband suggested it for dinner today and boy am I happy I went! It was the best BLT I have ever had and they have the great old timey soda pops that were just as tasty! My 6″ sub was far more than six inches, and while I don’t usually finish a Subway 6″ sub, I couldn’t put my BLT down until it was gone.
So glad we decided to stop there and I will for sure be back.

What happened to the meat? Terribly overpriced. I ordered the classic grinder and I felt simply ripped off. Basically paying for bread. Even the mustard and mayo was sparse.

Amazing place. Been getting dinner here with/​for my family since I was a baby. I love their sandwiches with oil and vinegar. Would definitely recommend :)

I discovered this deli about 40 years ago. The grinder was so good I have been coming back. Since that time I first found The Grinder, franchises have been trying to squeeze out the old mom and pop delis. However, none of the franchises come close to this shop. The grinder has just the right mix of meat, cheese, vegetables and dressing to be almost perfect. Today, I drove 22 miles to get a grinder, passing a large number of Subways, Jersey Mikes et al to get the perfect sandwich.

The sandwiches are always good. The customer service is always horrible. Girls are always rude and not patient. Too busy talking and laughing in the back. One girl was on her phone while at the register. Super unprofessional. Completely ignored us for the first 3 minutes. Like really? Most reviews on here are about POOR customer service. Clearly the owners don’t care

Just had lunch here for the first time and I’ll be back! Really good sandwich (hot pastrami), the bread was outta sight fresh and service was great with just a touch of East coast sarcasm thrown in I loved it.
My one «complaint «would be I’d like to see a little more meat on the sandwich but all in all great experience next time I gotta try «the godfather «.

My favorite is the combo sub with mayo and red wine vinegar salt pepper lettuce tomatoes and peppercinies.
There is only one kind of sub bread… simple.

Overpriced.
Got the chicken soup = tasted like Campbell’s cream of mushroom with Campbell’s chicken soup.
Got ½ sandwich — roast beef
1 piece of roast beef.
&
A sandwich that was suppose to have everything in it including meatballs = total disgrace.
Meatballs were like the canned version of sloppy joes spread. It was not meatballs it was smeared meat spread. The sliced meat looked like cheap packaged squared lunch meat.
Will never go here again & the girls making the sandwich did not make it any better. Perhaps wear something more suitable and/​or don’t pull your shirt down and than continue making my sandwich because your tank is 3 sizes too small.

Terrible sandwich today made me sick to my stomach. I got a ham sandwich and the sandwich was slapped together with old store bought ham the cheap kind. 2 hours later I had a horrible «stomach ache» for the next 3hours I was still sick. This place is not what it use to be at all and the owner was a smartass. I will not recommend to anyone!

I love this place so much! Been going here for years and have never had any problems! Everyone here is so nice and the food is so yummy!

Hands down the best Italian sandwich you can buy!
My favorite is «The James Special». All the Italian meats and a fork smashed meatball!
«The Godfather“has everything the james has and slices of Italian sausage!
If you order a Tuna sandwich. The tuna is made fresh, as in… you order it… they open a can of tuna and make it fresh right on the spot!
I have been going there for forty years!
Love this place!

Have been going here all my life. The whole family loves it
I get the vegetarian sandwich. My grandfather loves the combo and the boyfriend gets the hot pastrami. Can’t go wrong, they are all good! You have to read the menu to see which items automatically come on it… It’s not what you might expect. But they are super accommodating to substitutions and pickiness.
The employees are friendly and the service is fast. You can always call ahead and it’s ready when you get there.

Exceptional Customer service and the yummiest sandwiches made from ALL fresh ingredients. This place will make you run back for more!

Okay, I really don’t have anything personal against the business, but I did feel a huge disappointment when every time I do not complete or finish my order. So, I decided to go crazy and order their GODFATHER sandwich which it totally explains in detail what it has and includes. But of course my fat a** avoids the reading part and just goes for the Title.
The sandwich was ready for pickup in matter of minutes I was extremely happy! Me & the Wife decided to take it home because it was too beautiful to get comfy and kill it… Plus the place is too small and the seating is too awkward to sit down or dine-​in. So ya i recommend you take it togo.
Got home and opened this beautiful Godfather sandwich, which came with huge disappointment. Because the sandwich was covered with Meatballs (Sauces) all over my deli meats. Making it
A) Too dougie due to the sauce
B) Complicated/​confusing (in a bad way)
I didn’t eat it all and ended up eating just ½ of the 12″ sandwich. I think it was a total human error on mysids. Maybe next I should read first b4 ordering.