Perry's Joint
Restaurant · Pasadena ·
Gargantuan sandwiches, live jazz, and friendly service await
Gargantuan sandwiches, live jazz, and friendly service await
"Run by Perry and Melanie Bennett, this sandwich shop with locations including Sierra Madre and Pasadena sits at the base of the mountains and is woven into a community that was hit hard by the Eaton Fire. On the night of the fire’s outbreak, the Sierra Madre shop saw a parade of fire trucks roll past, a sight that at first did not convey how catastrophic things would become as flames swept off the mountain into urban neighborhoods. From his surviving house in Altadena, Perry watched homes burn and heard explosions while the area transformed into what felt like a war zone, an experience that left him and his neighbors deeply scarred and dealing with real PTSD. In the aftermath, he has become vocal about the need for historic levels of relief for what he views as a historic urban disaster and about the importance of Black residents in Altadena making a conscious effort to maintain and grow their presence by keeping their homes, buying commercial property, opening businesses, and supporting others who want to stay. The ethos around Perry’s Joint is tied to this vision of resilience and collective responsibility, framing the shop not just as a place to get sandwiches but as part of a broader push to sustain and build opportunity for the community and its children going forward." - Rebecca Roland
"A husband-and-wife team, Perry and Melanie Bennett, prep catering orders and run a deli-style shop on Lincoln Avenue just south of Altadena that has beckoned diners since 2004. They make irreverent deli-style sandwiches, like the Pastrami No Chaser featuring pastrami with classic fixings, or the Hey Joe, which doesn’t hold back on stacking its hot pastrami, roast beef, toasted hot link, cheese, and more, served in an eclectic jazz-inspired interior. Bennett voices the deep uncertainty facing small businesses after the fire: "How am I going to adjust when the workers leave? I don’t know," and adds, "As a dreamer, I live in the possibilities of the future, but this situation has completely shut that down." - Sharon Brenner
"Since 2004, Perry’s Joint is where one goes for gargantuan, delicious, well-layered sandwiches. Plus, live jazz music on Tuesdays. Owner Perry Bennett hosts an annual fundraiser where proceeds benefit nearby John Muir High School’s college-bound graduates. — Mona Holmes, reporter" - Cathy Chaplin, Mona Holmes
"Few things are more cathartic than sitting with a good sandwich and listening to jazz music, which is why we rarely skip Perry’s anytime we’re in Pasadena. The two-decades-old sandwich shop isn’t jazz-themed per se, but as you walk in and spot portraits of famous musicians adorning the walls and hear Duke Ellington on from the speakers, it’s clear that music is a priority. That and delicious sandwiches, of course. The menu is wide-ranging, with everything from turkey clubs to tuna melts to hot pastrami with pepperoncini, but if it’s your first time, the Hey Joe! is a must. Filled with roast beef, pastrami, a hot link, cheese, onion, diced peppers, mayo, and mustard, this isn’t a light sandwich, but it’s somehow well-balanced—spicy, savory, and salty, with a nice snap courtesy of that hotlink." - brant cox, sylvio martins, nikko duren
"When picnic plans call, I head to Perry’s for sky-high sandwiches that travel well: from the decadent Hey Joe (roast beef, pastrami, hot link) to the modest Hip Bird (turkey, mustard, avocado), the sandwich shop in northwest Pasadena constructs sturdy, transportable sandwiches best ordered by phone to avoid waits." - Eater Staff