Carla Cafe (West 3rd St.)

"Carla Cafe became famous during the pandemic for stuffing tuna chopped salad into ciabatta. The rest is sandwich-making history. Their shiny brick-and-mortar on Beverly Grove’s West 3rd Street is a cute green dollhouse of space—somewhere you’d meet coworkers for a weekday lunch or frothy latte. Most people, however, use Carla Cafe as a delivery pick-up counter. Whichever applies to you, make sure you’re seated when you eat the highlight of the menu, the messy and delicious tuna chopped salad sandwich splashed with vinegar. We’re also fans of their garlic aioli chicken sandwich, spread with a garlic and parmesan mayo pungent enough to ensure no one in the office will speak to you that afternoon. The rest of Carla Cafe’s daytime menu (they’re only open from 7am-3pm) includes coffee, matcha drinks, and breakfast burritos stuffed with short rib and cheesy eggs, making it a worthwhile pitstop on your morning commute. This stretch of West 3rd Street—one of the most restaurant-dense streets in the city—is oddly short on quick and casual options, so the fact that you can get a good sandwich or salad fast at Carla Cafe makes it all the more useful. Food Rundown photo credit: Sylvio Martins Tuna Chop Biting into this hefty sandwich makes you feel like a toddler eating spaghetti without utensils. Tuna and chopped salad spurt out the sides and coat your fingers and chin. It’s a bit stressful yet quite satisfying. The avocado makes the creamy tuna even creamier, and the chopped pepperoncini adds a nice vinegary heat. photo credit: Sylvio Martins Garlic Aioli Chicken Don’t be skeptical about the pale sliced chicken—it’s juicier than it looks. The ciabatta’s crispy crust shatters like a Kinder Egg, revealing its chewy insides. It’s slathered with a cheese-enriched garlic aioli that keeps things moist and makes every bite of this sandwich taste like the garlickiest garlic bread you’ve been served." - Sylvio Martins