Armin Meat & Deli

🇮🇷 IRAN
📍 8521 Foothill Blvd., Sunland, Verdugos
🅿️ Small parking lot in front
🥤 No Alcohol

It has been just over a year since Sunland's new Persian meat market cut the red ribbon at their opening celebration in late January 2022. But a look up at the sign which says "Since 1973" gives a hint that this is not the beginning of the story. The owner also has had a catering operation for some time, and obviously more than one generation has went into the history and recipes.

You can come in and get fully prepared for grilling kebabs and other meats at home, but lovers of sandwiches will be especially pleased with the daily offerings, almost all of which can be stuffed between bread and loaded with parsley, onions, and sauce. If you walk in to order, preparations take about 30 minutes, so you will find most people familiar with the place phone in their lists and come to pick up when everything is ready.

Beef louleh kebabs are laid out in the refrigerated case ready to cook at home for $6 each, and the familiar Persian ground meat favorite is indeed hard to resist. All boneless meats can be purchased as easy to eat sandwiches as well, like this beef louleh sandwich ($13.99, above). The kebab is joined by freshly chopped parsley and onion, or you can choose a more US-style version with lettuce and tomato.

Some choices are better with tomato, like the beef tongue sandwich ($16.99, below), which also has a nice layer of pickles and a zippy sauce that transfers from the tongue into each side of the French roll. The Persian tongue sandwich is usually a good entry point for those that may be squeamish with alternative cuts of meat, and the delicious version here is no exception.

The orange marinades of prepared skewers laid out in the case were tempting enough for a chicken thigh sandwich ($13.99, above) to be ordered. Somehow the flavors of this were even more than their appearance hinted, the tender dark meat pieces bursting with juices and spice with each bite.

The market also sells cups of sosis banderi, chopped up beef sausages swimming in a spicy sauce that will remind you immediately of any time you may have spent in Iran, especially the southern regions close to the Persian Gulf. The word bandari refers to this southern region, although now sandwiches with this spicy treat can be found just about anywhere that street food can be purchased.

Armin Meat & Deli also make their own sausages stuffed with cheese, which can be purchased by the link or also on another roll. The cheese dog ($13.99, above), or sosis paniri is a fun choice, as melted cheese runs out of the fried sausages after biting them. This is served with tomatoes and the house sauce, and while maybe not quite at the level as the other sandwiches, was a lot of fun to try.

Since there were no plans to get back home to a grill, the lamb chops ($5 each, below) provided a good way to sample at least one of the non-sandwich offerings of Armin. Easy to pick up with your hands for those that are eating on their car hoods or at a dark dive bar nearby like all this food was, the chops are simple and beautiful.

Like the chicken thighs, the marinades they are using are are eye-opening. Or maybe eye-closing, as you savor that first bite and each afterwards, flavorful but still allowing the quality of the meat to shine through. With one of these in each of the four mouths that enjoyed this meal, a string of Mmmmms rang around the table at the bar.

You can also grab pork ribs or hot wings at the meat market, or get more sandwiches with beloved Persian mortadella made with pistachio or one of their four house-made bologna. Eating sandwiches might seem like an ingrained part of the culture of the United States, but Iran should always be taken just as seriously when it comes to stuffing meats into bread. A Persian sandwich spot in the United States is just simply next level.

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