Tre Mani
Italian restaurant · Pico ·
Roman-style flatbread sandwiches with quality meats & spreads
Roman-style flatbread sandwiches with quality meats & spreads
"Tre Mani is a sandwich shop in Ocean Park that serves two of our favorite things: Jyan Isaac’s fluffy schiacciata bread and Ghisallo’s deli meats. The result is a perfect union of crunch and cured meat that holds its own in the neighborhood. These massive Roman-style sandwiches are more expensive than what you’ll find elsewhere (they range from $17-$26), but you could easily share one. Drop by the shop inside Ghisallo from 12-4pm to try the mortadella version on your lunch break. There are plenty of seats on the patio around back." - brant cox, sylvio martins, arden shore, cathy park
"Tre Mani is a sandwich shop in Ocean Park that serves two of our favorite things: Jyan Isaac’s fluffy schiacciata bread and Ghisallo’s deli meats. The result is a perfect union of crunch and cured meat that holds its own in the neighborhood. These massive Roman-style sandwiches are more expensive than what you’ll find elsewhere (they range from $18-$23), but you could easily share one. Drop by the shop inside Ghisallo from 12-4pm to try the mortadella version on your lunch break. There are plenty of seats on the patio around back." - sylvio martins, jess basser sanders
"Tre Mani is a lunchtime-only sandwich pop-up inside Ghisallo in Santa Monica that makes schiacciata sandwiches. That’s the word for Roman-style flatbread, or as we like to call it, another big-ass Italian sandwich in LA. The incredible bread is baked by Jyan Isaac next door (one of LA’s best bakeries) and is spongy and fluffy on the inside, and crackly on the outside. Ghisallo brings the filling to the party, and the results are glorious: mortadella with horseradish and fennel, salty salami punched up with sweet blueberry jam, and roasted eggplant with a hit of Calabrian chili heat." - brant cox, sylvio martins, cathy park
"A collaboration between Jyan Isaac and Ghisallo in Santa Monica, Tre Mani serves Roman-style flatbread sandwiches that will become your personality for the week. You order at the front counter at Ghisallo and then can either hang out on the sunny patio and people-watch or head back to your car and do the slowly-cry-while-eating thing in your front seat (a pastime). We love the mortadella sandwich that comes with sweet balsamic onions and a little heat from the horseradish." - nikko duren, brant cox
"Like a USC applicant with celebrity parents, some restaurants have an innate advantage. That's what we initially thought about Tre Mani, the lunchtime sandwich collaboration between Jyan Isaac (one of LA's best bakeries) and Ghisallo (one of our favorite pizzerias on the Westside). It would be confusing—shocking even—if these sandwiches didn't live up to the image we fabricated in our heads, one that involves perfect slabs of crusty bread, oozing burrata, and flowing ribbons of mortadella. Fortunately, we were not disappointed. With its incredible Roman-style flatbread and balanced, delicious fillings, Tre Mani serves some of our favorite sandwiches in the city and one of the best meals you'll have in Santa Monica. photo credit: Jessie Clapp photo credit: Jessie Clapp photo credit: Jessie Clapp photo credit: Jessie Clapp Pause Unmute The lone downside to Tre Mani is its limited hours. Operating out of Ghisallo, the lunch concept is open from 12-4pm, Tuesday to Sunday. So, apologies to anyone east of the 405 who can't easily make it here on a lunch break. Just know that the traffic is worth it once you get a hold of Jyan Issac's schiacciata. These slabs of freshly baked bread have large air pockets that give it a bouncy, spongy texture, not unlike a fancy mattress you'd see on a late-night infomercial. Its browned crust loudly crackles when you bite in and comes sprinkled with big salt crystals that melt on your tongue. It's some of yeast's finest work and the main reason why every Tre Mani sandwich is so delicious, regardless of the fillings you choose. Still, some sandwiches are more interesting than others. The mortadella—our undisputed favorite—ticks all the boxes of a great sandwich. Fatty pork is cut with horseradish, sweet fennel, and a tangy aioli that sneaks into the bread's nooks and crannies. The salami sandwich has a sweet-savory thing going on, with a slathering of blueberry jam that makes the salty ingredients pop. And, sure, you won't be disappointed by the spicy eggplant option with torn mint or the porchetta sandwich stuffed with fresh pear, but they don't deliver the same flavor punch as the rest. We recommend eating your big Roman sandwich on Ghisallo's breezy stringlit patio, preferably with a glass of wine and your phone on mute. (These sandwiches are so big you'll need both hands anyway.) As obvious as it seems, Tre Mani is proof that if you put together quality bread with quality fillings, you'll end up with a high-quality sandwich worth planning your lunch around. Not that we expected anything less. Food Rundown Mortadella Indecisive? Get this one. The thin slices of mortadella (aka fancy bologna) are so fatty and luscious it could easily hog the limelight, but that's not the case. The horseradish sends a sharp twang up your sinuses but doesn't linger too long. The sweet fennel is there but isn't too obnoxious. And then there's the lemon aioli that brightens everything up like a well-received joke at a funeral. photo credit: Jessie Clapp Salami Sweet-savory people, this one's for you. There's nothing subtle about this sandwich, and we're into it. The sweet blueberry jam brings out the saltiness in the cold cuts and funky pecorino cream. photo credit: Jessie Clapp Eggplant If you want a sandwich on the lighter side, this veggie option is your best bet. We wish it delivered a little more heat and flavor—the eggplant coated in Calabrian chiles is more smoky than spicy—but the creamy textures of soft-roasted eggplant and cool burrata give it a decadent feel. The fresh mint is a nice touch, though. photo credit: Jessie Clapp" - Sylvio Martins
