This is a long overdue post about Picone’s, one of my favorite sandwich spots in town. For the past few years Vin Picone has been slinging some of the best deli-style sandwiches out of his cart in North Portland on Lombard. He makes his own bread in house (cart?), uses quality ingredients and runs daily specials that are well worth showing up for, as well as having a solid regular menu. There is a breakfast menu as well that I haven’t tried just because I don’t leave my house that early. But I’ve heard great things about the breakfast sandwiches. There is a reason Picone’s holds a 5 star rating on Google and Yelp. Well worth traveling to no matter where you are in Portland. Here are some highlights from the last few years.

Let’s start with the classic Italian. To me the most classic sandwich/grinder/hoagie/sub whatever nomenclature of sandwich you use. It’s always the first sandwich I order at a sandwich shop and what I judge them on. For all the great sandwich spots in town, hardly anyone makes a great Italian. Picone’s is hands down the best in town. Fresh baked bread is perfect, the ham and cured meats are top notch, the provolone is quality, the veggies and dressing are perfect. I go for olive oil and vinegar and no mayo on this particular sandwich. I like that he uses salami and that there is no mortadella. I know a lot of people love mortadella, but it is the one Italian cured meat I don’t love in terms of both flavor and texture. This is the gold star Italian sandwich in town for sure and the first one I’ve loved since Bacchi’s Deli closed ten years ago.

Steak and Cheese special from a year ago to this day! Are you drooling yet?! A full 1/2 pound of top quality ribeye steak, Cooper’s sharp cheddar cheese, onions and hot peppers. This was one of the best sandwiches I’ve ever eaten in my life. Picone’s uses higher quality ingredients than everyone else. It’s not just any cheese or any meat. He uses the best cheeses, often imported and the best meat purveyors, often local. He really pays attention to the cheese which I appreciate as a cheese lover and pairs each thoughtfully with the sandwich. This sharp cheddar was the perfect companion to the steak. They complemented each other so well. And the hot peppers were perfect as well and actually had some heat. I still dream of this sandwich.

Ham and Cheese. Classic but elevated in terms of the quality of ingredients. I wrote in my review on IG that the “ham & cheese” moniker is often shorthand for a basic bitch sandwich, but that when done well it can be transcendent, like this one is. Like the Italian, this one is always on the menu. Cooper’s sharp cheddar is really tasty, and the ham is incredible. I’m not sure where it’s from, but this is some of the most flavorful ham I’ve had in my life. I like to add hot peppers to mine. Also I think you can tell by the photos how well crafted and put together these sandwiches are, not to mention packaged. The photos represent how the sandwich looks 15 minutes after getting it as that is how long it takes me to drive home from his cart.

DiscoSteak special in collaboration with Sure Shot Burger from last year. Apparently Disco Fries are a NJ thing. Ribeye and strip steak, smoked mozzarella, hot peppers and gravy. Well worth the $20 price tag. This was also one of the best sandwiches I’ve eaten. Onsite pic as I needed to eat this one immediately. Vin is always killing it, but last April he was really on one with the steak! The smoked mozzarella was heavenly.

The special this week a Chicken Marsala type situation. Chicken cutlet, imported provolone with mushrooms and a marsala sauce/gravy. This was the lowkey special from Tuesday. Vin asked that I not post this on IG as to not blow up his spot/the internet too much so we kept this one a lowkey secret. It was real good though so I wonder if it might work it’s way into the specials rotation. It was the second time he had run this. It was the cheese that really did it for me. An imported provolone, it had a bit of tang/funk to it that the sandwich really needed. I think he could really lean into that and even think about a blue cheese addition to balance the richness of the chicken marsala.

I can’t recommend Picone’s highly enough. Whether you are a Portland who hasn’t tried it yet, or are someone who is traveling to town who needs a good sandwich, especially if you are from the east coast!