Gordita Eateries: Uncle Henry’s Deli
Uncle Henry’s was established in 1959.
April 4, 2020
My deepest apologies for going on a bit of a hiatus on all of you gordos y rellenitas; life has been crazy.
I sincerely hope that every single one of you is taking care of themselves and their family members. As a community, Downey will overcome this.
In order to give all of you a delicious comeback, I have managed to find a family-owned popular sandwich spot which is very few and far between.
Uncle Henry’s is located at the corner of Old River School Road and Florence Avenue and serves a solitude to all fellow beer and sandwich lovers who wish to get away from the hustle and bustle bars that Downey is known for. It is more of a quiet place to a enjoy a cold brew, per say.
What looks like a simple sandwich shop on the outside will have customers totally surprised once entering this historical delicatessen.
A cold case filled with delicious ham, turkey, salami and an entire beer selection is the first thing that welcomes you as “angels” sing in the background hoping to fulfill your needs after a long day at work.
You get the option of either a plentiful selection of refrigerated draft beers or a medley of on-the-tap beers which will make your mouth drop.
If you don’t have an idea on what to get, I recommend having The Flight which is a sampler of four beers that the bartender suggests.
Not only does the beer serves some epic symphonies in your mouth, Uncle Henry’s deli is also known for their perfectly stacked sandwiches!
One of the highly-recommended items that I had heard from many Downey locals was the Italian Stallion.
It includes the following deliciousness: thinly-sliced ham and cotto salami; double cheeses for double the fun; mortadella and provolone cheese, peperincinis, black pepper, lettuce, tomato and a lightly-toasted French roll all tied in together in, for what I believe makes a perfect sandwich, Italian dressing.
This sandwich delight was waiting for me for all these years! That one sandwich that doesn’t spread to the sides, staining your fingers with a yellowish tone from the heavy amount of mustard that would have been unevenly spread across the bread on a typical sandwich.
Up next, a pastrami sandwich on Rye bread with melted bubbling Swiss cheese. This sandwich gave me a little taste of when I had a pastrami sandwich on the East coast! It was stacked, but not overwhelmed by the mustard or pickles; it was just right.
In all, a small business like this has definitely caught this gordita’s attention.
I thank Uncle Henry for being able to share his creation with the rest of the Downey locals whom would be very appreciative of such a historical monument in a little town 13 miles south-east of Los Angeles where all the “hipster” foodie spots are.
