Imagine that for $10, you can eat at the restaurant of a winner of Top Chef. At Michael Voltaggio’s Sack Sandwiches (formerly ink sack), that dream is  reality, with sandwiches ranging in price from $5 to $7.50.

There always seems to be a line out the door. If you’re smart, you’ll call ahead and place your order over the phone (I swear, I’ll do this next time).

According to their Yelp listing, the ambience of Sack Sandwiches is “hipster.” If hipster means guys in their 20’s wearing baseball caps and sporting tattoos, then this would be correct. Somehow, there were no bearded lumberjacks nor man buns in the bunch.

Sack Sandwiches is so cool that they offer Stumptown iced coffee on tap. Even the soft dispenser offers Boylan’s sodas, not Coke or Pepsi.

Your order comes packed in a little sack, with your name written on it, just like the sack lunch from your school days.

My husband got the Tortilla Espagnola – eggs, caramelized onions spread, peppers, manchego cheese and potato chips. It was a little unusual to have potato chips already in a sandwich, but it totally worked.

Somehow, I can never turn down a Cuban (pork, ham, swiss, pickles and mustard). The Cuban even managed to edge out the Cold Fried Chicken sandwich (which I love). There’s also a Little, just fried chicken and mayo, which is what I would have ordered my daughter if she hadn’t been at a party at Duff’s Cake Mix down the street.

The sandwiches are only about six inches in length and a little on the small side. If I had eaten the Tortilla Espanola, I would have been still hungry. Luckily my Cuban was so chock-full of meat, I felt my hunger had been abated for the time being.

Was the Cuban better than the Fried Chicken? Yes! I think I said, “MMMM!” a few times after eating it. Before we walked into the Robert Mapplethorpe exhibit at LACMA, I had to let out one more, “MMMMM!” just to get it out of my system (and to prevent strange looks from fellow art lovers).

If you go to Sack Sandwiches, order two sandwiches for yourself, or maybe a sandwich and a bag of their housemade potato chips, or even better yet, two sandwiches and a bag of chips. My perfect meal would be the Fried Chicken and a Cuban, and maybe a few chips on the side. These are the things that make me go MMMM!!!

As of March 2018, Sack Sandwiches has closed.

Location – 8360 Melrose, Los Angeles 90069
Website – http://www.sacksandwiches.com
Kid-Friendly – Yes
Kid’s Menu – No
Pesco-Vegetarian Friendly – Yes
Vegetarian/Vegan Friendly – Yes. They also offer tofu as a substitute for any meat.
Gluten-Free Options – Yes. Any sandwich can be made into a lettuce wrap.