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Washington, it's time to round up your interns and send them on a lunch run for the office. Give them a metro map (or if they're good interns, cab fare), show them the Potomac Avenue stop, and point them to D.C.'s greatest sandwich shop: Mangialardo & Sons. Forget the overwhelming yeasty aroma of Subway or the turkey sandwich with two paper-thin slices of meat at your local food-by-the-pound, Mangialardos will scratch your itch for a meal's worth of sandwich. What would you expect from a place that, for this straniero, translates to "fat eater?"
You can tell Mangialardos is the real deal when you line up behind three cops and a construction worker ordering for his whole crew. While it's not much more than an ordering counter in front of a simple kitchen, Mangialardos turns out some of the best subs in D.C. Think the hour-long wait for an Italian Store sandwich is worth it? Well unless you're looking for something along the lines of pate and brie, it's not, especially when you have a small shop turning out better sandwiches in a tenth of the time.
In the 1950's and 60's, Mangialardos was a full-fledged grocery store catering to the area's Italian families, but like many old-timey stores in Washington, time has changed things. While you can still get some staples like canned Italian foods and freshly baked bread, sandwiches are the backbone of this working-man's deli. Not your standard ham and cheese, a Mangialardos sub is a small exercise in engineering; even the run-of-the-mill turkey sub contains what must be half a bird's worth of meat. But if you're looking for the experience of a many-meated Italian sub, Mangialardos has the solution.
The "G-man" the "Super-sub" and the "Big-G" are the Mangialardos line of Italian heroes. Stacked on either a hard or soft roll (hard for something a little more substantial, soft if you want to get your mouth around it) are ham, bologna, pepperoni, salami, mortadella, turkey, provolone, mozzarella, oil, vinegar, herbs, tomato, onion, lettuce, and hot peppers. Together, these ingredients give more flavor and substance to the sub than any other I've had in Washington. The difference between the three options is mostly size: the "G-man" is a good sized lunch, the "super-sub" is big enough to split and still be satisfied, and the "Big-G" (which comes in at about 5 inches thick) is practically twice the size of its smaller brother—easily enough for two meals. I recommend getting the "Big-G" on the hard roll and stashing it in the fridge for a few hours. The meat, cheese, and dressings have time to blend flavors, and the roll softens some to create a sandwich that comes as close as food can get to arousing.
Cold cuts aren't your only option, though. Mangialardos also has meatball and pizza subs, melts of roast beef, corned beef, and pastrami, and chicken salad, cheese, and tuna salad sandwiches. They also have spaghetti and meatballs if you're feeling like getting your carbs from a non-bread source. I tried the meatball sub, and can recommend it heartily. Homemade meatballs, provolone, and tomato sauce fill a toasted sub roll—which is pretty standard for a meatball sub—but the meatballs and sauce have a distinctive garlicky, savory flavor that outshines everyday iterations of the sandwich classic. The aroma alone was so enticing that I tore into mine about 30 seconds after leaving the store. Keep this in mind if your intern comes back with tomato sauce on his face and one sandwich short.
Mangialardos opens at 7:30 a.m. for breakfasts of egg sandwiches and omelets, which they prepare until 10:30 a.m. You can get sandwiches anytime after that until closing at 3:00 p.m. The deli is carry-out only, so you'll have to look elsewhere for seating. If there is a drawback to this place, it's that they're open from Monday to Friday only, so early afternoon sandwiches on the weekends are out. I hope this changes when the developments along Jenkins Row fill in.
I hope one thing stays the same, and that's the prices. The giant "Big-G" is only $7.00, and the meatball and "G-man" both ring in at $5.50. Couple that with a big bag of chips for $1.09 and a soda, and you're skating out of there for less than $10.00 with a very satisfying meal. Make sure you bring your cash with you though, as the deli doesn't take credit (or checks, for those two people out there who still carry a checkbook). Also, wait until you get your sandwich to pay at the register, which is the proprietor's preference; just a tip to save you any small embarrassments. Who loves ya, babe? That's right, DCist does.
Mangialardo & Sons, Inc.
1317 Pennsylvania Ave., SE
202-543-6212
Metro: Potomac Avenue
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I'll have to check this out the next time I'm home during the day, during the week.
ME - Is this place any good? I've never heard of it before today.
Ah, Mangialardo's! I worked in the Navy Yard for several years...the only time you could get a majority of our office staff together was to promise a "Magialardo's run" prior to scheduling any afternoon meeting. Still remember the G-Man...yum.
i have NEVER seen this place open during the hundreds of times i have passed by it, but then again, i have a job... i thought it might not even be currently conducting business...
i may have to take a sick day to try it out. it's good to know the east hill has something to offer other than NY Pizza and Chinese/Chicken/Seafood/Bulletproof Glass
I actually have a flex schedule and have heard great things about this place for years; its only open during the week until 3 p.m. So yes, during the day, during the week. But its SOOO worth it. Authentic, no fuss, no muss, and reasonable prices. I've lived on the Hill for 8 years and have longed to be able to go and finally, I remembered, had a Friday afternoon free, and was not disapointed.
Thanks for blabbing about my favorite neighborhood secret. Now it will probably become a Potbelly within 3 months.
I kid . . Mangialardos has been around forever, an increasing rarity for mom and pop food outlets in DC. They've been talking about expanding to Sat. hours for years, but don't seem in any hurry to change anything. Why would they?
Also a short walk from Eastern Market and close the venerable Frager's Hardware
Its all about A. Litteri's. Come on!
Litteri's, while an exceptional place to buy wine and Italian groceries, is crap when it comes to sandwiches. Maeby if you want yellow mustard on a white roll, shredded iceberg, and slimy turkey, you can go head to Litteri's. But if you think that's what it's all about, you've made a huge mistake.
While Mangialardos is indeed the best Italian sub in DC (I get one at least once a week), the best sandwich award still goes to Deli City in Northeast, with Hodges Sandwich Shop a close second. The former has THE BEST slow-roasted corned beef reuben, and their roast beef is so fall-apart tender, folks with no teefers in they haid can eat them. They regularly get takeout lunch orders from as far as Georgetown.
Hot tip: get to Mangialardo's before 11:30 if you don't want to wait behind a dozen G Men, cops, and firemen.
Yes indeed - the G-Man is solid...but I do prefer myself some 9" hard roll at Litteri's. NE is where it's at. Adam - why the hell are you ordering a turkey sub at an Italian market?! That's the huge mistake. Get your capicola on.
I've had the italian subs from Litteri's as well, they just don't compare to Mangialardos. Give them both a try and see.
We posted about Hodges before (www.dcist.com/archives/2006/04/26/famous_roast_be.php), but I'm not really a hot sandwich person myself, so I'll stick to the super-sub with hot peppers. Good tip on Deli City, though. I'll have to check them out.
I'm partial to the lunch counter at Langston though, both for the prices and for the atmosphere.
I had the opportunity to check out Mangialardo's today and it lives up to the hype; definitely as good as any Italian sub I've had in Jersey or Philly.
Adam - I can't speak for the turkey at Litteri's 'cause I've never eaten it, but their prosciutto, fresh mozzarella, and roasted red pepper sub is damn fine.
Litteri's is where it's at. Saying their sandwiches are crap pretty much means I can ignore what you say.
How did all these people find out about Litteri's. It's not exactly in the best location and I've enver seen an advertisment for it
Okay, are you guys talking about the shrinkwrapped sandwiches at Litteri's or the made-to-order ones at the deli counter in back? Because I've had both and they're both rock-hard sh**cakes compared to Mangialardo's. Litteri's IS better than Subway or Quiznos, but that's like saying bone cancer is better than lymphatic cancer.
You go to Litteri's for the wine, oil, and tomatoes. You don't go there for the frozen pastas, some of which date from the McKinley administration, and you only get the sandwiches if Mangialardo's is closed.
it's all about the Big G. i work at the Shakespeare Theatre offices on Barracks row and we go to Mangialardo's at least once a week. best part is the take-out menu, which lists "Super Sub" "Big G" and "G-Man" without saying what they are. if you don't know, you never will. always flooded with cops and firemen. you can buy a pickle in a ziploc bag, what's not to love?
The Pizza Sub is the best thing on the menu! It's so filling that you might not need to eat dinner. It also tends to induce sleep :)
I only wish they stayed open past 3pm. Sometimes I am rushing over there to make it in time.
Dont forget to pick up some pecan brownies at the register on your way out!