The Grinder

The Grinder, located in El Cajon is a family owned and operated Italian sandwich shop founded in 1963! I ordered the Hot Pastrami with all the fixings. It came loaded with meat. I love this place because it is family owned, and because they are proudly Christian. Inside, you will see a cross on the wall, as well as scripture; and, they are closed on Sundays. The inside of the shop is small, and they are super busy, so you may have to wait a while ... BUT IT'S DEFINITELY WORTH IT! All in all, I give it 4.5 stars out of 5!

Now, I've been to the Lemon Grove location, but not for some time (but it was a 5-star, all day long). I say this because I was in El Cajon to have my vehicle serviced and was recommended by the shop folks to go to, surprise, The Grinder down the street. I guess a lot has happened to The Grinder since my last visit. I was told the owners sold the business, the food went way South, and then got re-sold. I didn't know this until after I got back to the shop with my 12" roast beef with EVERYTHING. Well, I am thrilled to report that this is the Real Deal with first rate ingredients. It takes a craftsman to properly construct a sandwich with everything. It's easy to mess up the ratios, but not here. Dynamite. I can eat this sandwich for a month without getting tired of it. I'm ready now to drive to Lemon Grove now to compare stores. I can't get the 12" Godfather out of my head.

What a great place. I always heard about this locat but never went. Boy is it worth it. The food: Had a basic combo sandwich. Really good for such a simple sandwich. Portion size was decent, the price is a bit more than other sandwich shops but it is made fresh and ready in minutes. Service: this is why it is so highly prized. I was really impressed with how fast I received my food and it wasn't sloppy. Every one was super nice and friendly. Atmosphere: The parking situation is kinda bad and weird to get to, especially being a few blocks off a main road. The inside very simple but with some great history. I highly recommend this place for those avoiding major corporate donations, and want to support a classic shape vibe with good food.

Amazingly consistent…Every bite feels like the result of years of perfecting balance and flavor. You can taste the care and craft that goes into every sandwich — from the fresh ingredients to the thoughtful layering. Whatever you order, it’s always just right. Truly a masterpiece in sandwich form.

Just a plain old good sub. We stopped in for a quick bite and went with the basic combo as suggested by the cashier. The meat and cheese was delicious, the veggies fresh and the bread was so good. We split one but I wish I got my own. We also got a cannoli, the shell was from the same bakery as the bread.

I love this place..soft bread, nice staff. Not sure if its shrinkflation or what, but was not satisfied with the amount of pastrami today. Hope this isn't a new thing.

My dads been going here over 20 years in a row. Must stop when in San Diego. Classic meatball is the bomb.

Not gonna lie, a little let down that my orthodontist up the street didn’t tell me about this spot lol THE GRINDER IS IN FACT, A MEAL IN ITSELF. If you solve an homemade, old school, local sandwich shop, this is the spot! I got the James and was not disappointed one bit! The bread was soft, the ingredients fresh, the meat choices, chefs kiss! The perfect balance of mess and precision, is what will keep me coming back here. Last but not least, the employees smile! Friendly, prompt and dialed in. Shout out to big man in the back running up the sandwiches during the lunch rush too! Locked in and kept the wait time down!

Got lucky with a parking up front right before the lunch rush! Customer service was good, nice gentleman took our order quickly and subs came out quick too. They have fountain drinks and some nice signature root beer. We got the GodFather and the Deluxe subs. Really good portioned off the bat- bread is super soft and fresh Ingredients are perfectly arranged and portioned in its place almost strategically so that nothing falls out as you squeeze the sub between your hands and fingers. Veggies are also fresh and delicately chopped The oil and vinegar salt and pepper compliment every bite, I would have liked more mustard and pickles and olives - but that's just cuz I love a messy sub! This definitely reminded me of a heartwarming meal straight from your Nonnas kitchen ! Will definitely be back!

This is the authentic experience of stepping into an Italian deli in Brooklyn. The bread is fresh baked, all of the ingredients are fresh, and every taste is balanced in the sandwich so one does not overpower the other. If you are looking to get away from the sub shop chain companies, and try something truly unique, come to The Grinder for an atmosphere and an experience that you will not forget.

The hot pastrami sub was out of this world! The staff was incredibly friendly and kind, and the establishment was squeaky clean! I can't wait to go back!

I was a regular but this is now the second time I come and they're super skimpy on the dressings, this time I asked for extra mayo and mustard this is what I got. I see a pattern and don't think I'll come back anymore.

The mini has only one very thin slice of meat. The footlong has just two thin slices of meat. Got a drink. Bill came to over $30. Overpriced.

Only the freshest ingredients and the most genuine smiles! Handmade and delicious. They always get my order correct and never skimp on the portions.

Amazing sandwiches and friendly staff. I've been eating here for over 20 years! Always get the Combo!

Really nice home setting deli the sandwiches are fresh bread, moist soft and fresh as well. Quite impressed with the customer service. Very clean dining room

Always the best subs .... My husbands favorite spot ! He gets the pastrami and my fav is the Turkey ! High recommend

This grinder sandwiches are AMAZING! We had the hot pastrami and a turkey foot long and it was delicious. I highly recommend trying them out. The staff is very nice always service with smile. There's a reason the shops been around for 60years.

So basic not even good quality meat not worth the price, good customer service. The kids working are nice but the quality of food is not.

It was such a disappointed ! The meatball sandwich was a soggy mess, the bread was too soft, and the meatballs were smashed like chopped ground beef. The Turkey and ham sandwich did not have enough meat, it was just one thin slice of each. The Godfather sandwich was horrible; the meatball and sausage was chopped up together like ground beef placed on top of the cold veggies. The roast beef and pastrami were one skinny strip like a very thin slice of bacon, with no taste at all.

We loved the sandwiches we got!! They were huge and really well made. We definitely recommend this spot!! Subway got nothing on them!!!

First time trying this place from a post in the Next Door app. Hubby and I were trying to decide what to eat for lunch while I was scrolling through ND and Boom! The Grinder was mentioned. I always wonder3d how the food was at this establishment as I have driven by it for years. Since I was onikited timez I called the order in. Hubby got the Ham & Turkey and unfortunately, he scarfed it down before I could take a pic but he said it was delicious! And he said that I won't have to cook dinner tonight because hes eating the other half later. Win for me lol I ordered the Roast Beef, and it was delicious! The standard condiments are provolone cheese, lettuce, tomato, S&P and oil. I added pepperocinis and black olives. I think we just found our new sub shop!

Speed demon of hoagies,even at lunch time when you "Think,"it will be too busy,it won't be you'll be in and out even if you don't have a legitimate lunch "Hour." This is my third iteration of owners and it has neither devolved nor improved all that much over the years.There is something to be said for consistency.Small dining area.Very limited parking,but when you gotta have one you gotta have one the taste is perplexingly specific,You will come back.Antonelli'could take a page out of this sub shops book for speed and precision.And if grinder were smart they'd be a lot more generous with the meat and cheese.Still ,if doing the minimum doesn't hurt your bottom line why change? Anything to keep you all out of Subway,give it a try!

Is it just me or what? I'm used to my sandwiches having the ingredients INSIDE the bread, not hanging all outside the bread by an inch all around. Fold the freakin' meat for crying out loud. Are you truly that fucking lazy? Stop by Jersey Mike's or Subway if you need further lessons.

Decently made sandwiches without any frills, they aren't the best nor are they the worst but when craving some carbs with meat can't go wrong. No complaints except they don't allow inside dining. Can't believe they have been around for 40+ years. Might be back.

When I was a little 8- year old boy I would ride my bike to hang out at this place. That was 58 years ago, and I still remember the ol' guy who would have us poor kids sweep the parking spaces in exchange for a God Father grinder. He always had a smile and a good heart, and every time I come back it's still the same. The meatball sauce and oil and vinegar makes this grinder the only one you should ever order due to it's unique taste and soft yummy bread. Don't try to change it by ordering it differently!

I have not been here in a couple years and was craving a pastrami sandwich. In the past they were pretty good but yesterday it was absolutely aweful. Use to be the pastrami was nice slices with a little fat and yummy. I got little tiny pieces all shriveled up and hard. Kind of like cat food. I'm thinking do to end of the day they just let it over cook all day and i got the bottom of the barrel. Such a bummer, my craving is so gone now thanks grinder.

Like many of the reviewers I've been coming here since I was a kid. I avg at least one sandwich a month prior to their roof fire shutdown, so when they reopened a few months ago I was ecstatic! I've gone back twice since and have been under satisfied each time. The first time I ordered my usual Turkey sandwich with all the fixins' to-go, brought it home and took a bite of bread. I was confused as to where the stuff in the middle had gone. After further investigation it was clear that they had merely sprinkled a few veggies on my sandwich. This week I had the craving again, but this time I was going to outsmart them. My sandwich was ordered with Extra lettuce. Once again, I get home and Grrrrrr(pic attached). Was there a veggie shortage in the time span of your closure that nobody else heard about? Common Grinders, please do better!

Great sandwich but they use cottonseed oil as their oil of choice instead of olive oil. As an Italian this would take the grinder to the next step of being more authentic and olive oil is much lower in omega 6 fatty acids which is a lot better for your health.

The Godfather is the absolute best sandwich I have ever had. Been eating it for 30 years

Great sandwiches! I like to order on their app. Very easy to get your favorite torpedos or eggplant parm quick! If you are interested in the app just look up Grindr and make an account.

Meatball sandwich 4/10- not toasted & Meatballs were so mushy.. I ended up throwing it away. I thought the quality would be the same as lemon grove, not quite... I mean I did get my sandwich in the same time it took me to order, soooo efficient or poor quality? 4:41pm Thursday 9/25/22

First time trying this place today and it was very good. My husband and I split a combo sandwich. It was delicious! The service was excellent, too. I asked to have the order to go as our pups were in the car. They gave us an extra treat for them... two baggies of some turkey slices. The four of us will be back!

The service were good people are nice, but the sandwich quality has went way downhill. I don't know if it's new ownership or what but we used to get tons of lettuce bread was fresher feel like I'm eating a meat sandwich because there's no fresh veggies on it. I remember when you could even hardly fold the thing Because all the lettuce and veggies I've been going there for 30 years and I'm not coming back

I've been eating at the grinder for 25+ years. Definitely my go to sandwich shop in East County! Best hot pastrami sandwiches! Lots of meat! All the sandwiches have plenty of meat! I love how they leave it hanging off the edges!!l Fresh bread Fresh Meat Fresh Veggies!! Great staff!! Always clean and neat!!

This place never fails! The hot pastrami is beyond delicious! Keep up the good work guys!

The sandwich are pretty good and good size. I always get either the ham or turkey footlong and the you end up with a sandwich that's straight forward

Never ate here before. Now I know why. I will never do it again. What a bummer. I would have gotten a much better sandwich from Subway and I don't even eat there anymore! Despicable amount of beef for a $10 half sandwich super disappointing! I will tell everyone it's disgusting I took two bites and can't even finish it it's basically a bread and lettuce sandwich.

I've loved this place for years. Their sandwiches are delicious. Just a simple no bs, simply yummy! I used to live down the street 8 years ago and now I'm downtown, I still go all the way there to get me one! Their place is sooo cute to eat at with their old school collectibles, like a mini museum.

This had to be THE WORST meatball sandwich I've ever tried! Have you ever been feeding your dog or cat and wondered what it actually tastes like? These meatballs had my imagined texture, smell and taste. It was so gross I threw it away. It pains me to waste both money and food. I won't go back and give them another try.

Such an amazing place. Been going many years. All sandwiches made to order and delicious always a full belly after eating.

Great sandwiches, have been around since I've lived here and that is over 43+years.... way better than any SubwY...

the food was amazing but service was terrible on the phone with a girl named autumn and very rude and disrespectful and hung up on me will got back for sure but making sure she doesn't help me

Great food and customer service! Very nice people working. I ordered three trays of sandwiches. Best thing I ever did.

My son threw his sandwich away before I got a chance to take a picture, but his The Combo (no cheese no onions) had a ton of pepper literally dumped on one of the tomatoes and sprinkled nowhere else, and a huge glop of mayo on one end of the bread not spread out. We normally love this place, but whomever is making the sandwiches this afternoon just doesn't care. We won't be back again, just so disappointing.

Amazing sandwiches,good service everytime I go. Inside dining has been closed since Covid but I never ate in there anyways. My family has been eating here since the 70s, because it's so damn good.

The Godfather... large... everything on it and add bacon! I will be back for more! Nomm!

Went there today for my combo worst sandwich I have ever had. A thin slice of ham (some sort of mystery meat), turkey, cheese filled with lettuce. I did not finish it as it looked like a child made it. In reference I had been going here for over 40 yrs,never again.

This place is very clean and very good food. The sandwiches are very delicious. The workers there are super friendly. Best place to go to buy sandwiches.

It was Saturday around lunch time, we finished shopping at the mall and decided to try ordering online. After placing our order we were given a time to pickup 20 in minutes. We arrived, 20 more minutes were added to our pick up time without explanation. We waited another 10 minutes and eventually were able to pick up our order. The line was not long, people who walked up to the window received their food fairly quickly. The sandwiches were not worth the long wait

This is the real deal hoagie place. If you're looking for authentic look no further. You better wear a bib because those delicious toppings go everywhere.

" It Was Just OK " We went to the Grinder in El Cajon and it was just OK. The Sandwiches were very big but the taste was just OK. Plus I'm a saucy guy and specifically told the employee to give me extra sauce on my sandwich, which he did not. It was very dry. My wife had the meatball sandwich and she said the meat did not taste that good. Everything was not bad but just OK ! And the sandwiches were fairly expensive.

This is far from home, but is always worth the drive. The Grinder is about the James Special to me. Ham, salami, metball, cold pastrami, provolone on a soft french roll - lettuce tomatoes, salt, pepper & oil. I also get onions, pepperoncinis, mayo, and mustard. It's massive, so be hungry - or just love food! Bread is always fresh tasting, ingredients always manage to be optimum temperature and texture. Service has always been good, even if it's busy I never feel like I have waited too long. They have a nice selection of bottled/canned beverages - as well as chips. There are a few parking spots out front and have always to find at least one. It's really one of those places that once you try - you just know that it won't be your last visit. I have yet to pull myself away from my standard order - but if you have something you become passionate about, let me know!

This was my first time visiting The Grinder. I have driven by it so many times just saying "I need to try there sometime." I can't believe I waited this long! I got their vegetarian sandwich and it hit the spot! Their staff was very nice as well. They even included a little cold cut snack for my dog!!! They tried to tell me at the window but I couldn't hear them (lots of traffic). I wish I could've said thank you at the time, but if they see this... Thank you! Please go grab a sandwich or two from The Grinder! You won't regret it!

Ok, this has been a long time coming ! I don't know what In Gods name y'all are doing in this place ! I've been coming here since I was a kid, roughly 40 years I've given you you're accolades when you do well and now it's time to pay the piper. First of all. Have enough respect for those of us who have remained faithful through thick and thin by simply investing in an answering machine that says "we ran out of bread so we are closing for the night. " it took you guys 3 months

I bought the pastrami and the Turkey with Bacon. Bother were great and I'll be back before I have to fly back to ATL. I'm originally from San Diego and I think this shop maybe related to the one I grew up on in Lemon Grove. Not sure, but reminds me of it. I recommend requesting extra peppercinis and mayo (of you like mayo) for you Sammies. But you'll be full on a half and if you go full size, you WILL be in a food coma afterwards (happily). They have a website as well, so you can look at what you want to order before going. I believe you can call in orders as well, and of you can I highly recommend it. Enjoy this Sammie shop that still shreds their lettuce and makes a deli sandwich old skool

Seriously?? One slice of ham for a 12 inch sandwich? That costs essentially $10? First time there, won't ever go back!