Brady’s Hollywood Deli

OK, enough with all the extended discourse — great sandwiches, friendly service, tasty fresh bread. Went there with three other people for lunch — we all liked it and plan on coming back. What else does one need to know about a sandwich shop? It was yummy.

This is a reluctant 3-​star review. I’m sorry. Really, I’m sorry. I know how hard he’s trying here to survive, so I wanted to give a better review. As it is, I’m teetering on a 2-​star review.
First, you Portlanders amuse me. .. not always in a good way. Brady’s Hollywood Deli is locally owned and operated. The previous occupant of this spot, Quiznos, was locally owned and operated. If you hated this Quiznos but love the «new» deli, you’re probably just full of yourself. Having a national name doesn’t necessarily change the local people you are either hurting or helping by eating or not eating there.
So, I gave the «new» place a try today and it was unfortunately far worse than it was as a Quiznos. Today, he apparently decided to staff lunch on his own (he confirmed that it wasn’t because someone didn’t show up to work — it was his choice). I almost walked out before I got a chance to order. I am usually patient, but not when it comes to poor management. I really do realize that he’s trying to make a viable business, but this isn’t the way to do it.
The place reeks of an empty shell of a former Quiznos. There’s still plenty of Quiznos intellectual property lying around. This kind of thing doesn’t bother me too much, but if you want a chance at rebooting your business, you really need to spruce up the place and make it better, not worse.
Now, the food. This was the only thing that could have saved the experience (after all, that’s why you’re here, right?). It made the experience worse. Please know that I am not defending Quiznos — I haven’t had good experiences at any of them lately. The sandwich was so much more bland than I’ve had at any deli in a long time. The chicken was better quality than before, but it was overcooked and tasteless. The bread wasn’t bad, but that’s where the good starts and stops. There just wasn’t any flavor to a sandwich that had pepper jack cheese, chipotle mayonnaise, tomatoes and onions on it. All of these things should have given it a good chance to be flavorful, so I’m not sure what happened.
I’ll probably return at some point, maybe give him a chance to improve things, but at this point I’m not eager to go back.

Long gone is the crappy Quizno’s that always appeared empty strollin around in the Hollywood District. While volunteering at the Hollywood Theater, the projectionist and manager raved about this new deli spot I never heard of before. Right away I had to check to see what the fuss was about. I’m pretty picky when it comes to deli sandwiches. So after my shift was over I walked across the street. I was warmly greeted by the worker and he let me take my time to look over the menu. Prices range from $ 5.50 to $ 7 for a 6 inch sub.
I opted for the Italian sub with the cheese bread. After putting half the toppings, it was quickly toasted and the rest of the toppings was layered. I asked for extra jalapenos and he obliged. Spring greens were used instead of the bland as hell iceberg lettuce. $ 6 plus a tip later I feasted on my sammich. It was cut in half and I’m“m sure it was bigger than a 6 inch. Even after being toasted, the flavors remained in tact. I was able to taste the ham and pepperoni with the hot peppers giving it an extra kick. I ate in silence as I devoured my meal. It satisfied me just right.
I returned again a week later to try one of their specialty subs. I got the BBQ chicken with avocado. I think it was $ 6.50 or so for the price. Plenty of chicken and sauce layered with the cheese went to the rotating toaster. I asked again for more hot peppers and some veggies to complete the sandwich. I noticed more meat and toppings were added this time around and definitely for the better. The wheat bread was a pretty good choice for this particular sammich. As the BBQ sauce dripped in my hand I barely finished the round.
The bread is definitely baked fresh and was never stale with the 3 times I visited. Service has always been friendly and they are well accommodating to what you want. The official opening will be this weekend (06/​16/​2012) and hours run decent throughout the week. I’m very glad a new local spot is open in the district and hope it will stick around in the long run!