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Everyday Eats: Sandwiches from Ida's B Street Deli

Downtown's best-kept secret for lunch is out of the bag.

by Erin Jackson

Posted Monday, February 13, 2012, 08:41AM

Ida's B Street Deli
Most Sandwiches are $5.95
701 B Street,
Downtown
619-487-9800

Let's face it, often the three most important parts of the day are breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And that's why here at SanDiegoMagazine.com, we're beefing up our food and restaurant coverage by shining the spotlight on tasty meals under $10. Foie gras and Kobe beef still have a place at our table, but these meals are so reasonably priced, you can eat them every day.

Part of me wants to keep this particular Everyday Eat under wraps, but duty trumps my desire to keep the lines at this sandwich spot relatively short, and news of a great lunch find downtown deserves to be shared.

Many times, Ida's B Street Deli has been my lifeline on days I (conveniently) forgot my lunch, or needed a little something extra to power through the rest of a workday. Its location, tucked away in the lobby of the Merril Lynch building, has allowed it to remain invisible to passerby, but once discovered, their made-to-order sandwiches are quickly addictive. The extensive menu has everything from a classic reuben to chicken teriyaki (plus salads and burgers), but I always gravitate directly to the TAB, a turkey, avocado, and bacon sandwich on sourdough. Like the majority of the sandwiches on the menu, it's only $5.95.

Another similar option is the California club wrap ($5.95), with turkey, provolone, bacon, and a zippy herb mayo, rolled up in a spinach tortilla and lightly toasted, like a burrito.

Besides being affordable enough to warrant multiple trips in a week (my record is 3 days out of 5), the other benefits of supporting this local, indie shop over a chain is the comfortable seating area, free WiFi, and servers who are great at remembering your "usual". It's almost like coming home for lunch.