The Newport Beach Location is still open though!
6310 W Pacific Coast Hwy
Newport Beach, CA 92663
Big Belly Deli in Costa Mesa was suggested to me by my friend Roman, he scolded me for not ever eating there and after trying it, I can understand why. It’s a quaint looking building that shares a small parking lot with a tire place and the sign is small and unassuming. The first thing I noticed when I walked in was a sandwich board nailed to the wall that “David Cross, may or may not work here.” I’m usually not a fan of signs that can’t make up their minds (it’s an indicator of an indecisive personality and I expect more from signs) but I was intrigued by it. The guy behind the counter I guess could’ve maybe resembled David Cross, but to be honest it was probably just because he was white with glasses. There were plenty of interesting sandwiches to choose from and I couldn’t decide which one I wanted, the “Rajun Cajun” looked really good (Cajun chicken and sausage with onions, bell peppers, jalapeno cheese, and tabasco ranch) and I was also intrigued by the “#15” (Salami, Canadian Bacon, ham, pepperoni, provolone,lettuce, tomato, onion with Italian dressing, mayo and mustard) amongst other things. I asked him what was the most popular sandwich was and he pointed me towards the 6310, a turkey sandwich with provolone, bacon, avocado with lettuce, tomato, onion, mayo and mustard on grilled focaccia bread. For those who aren’t familiar with focaccia bread, it’s preparation is actually quite similar to pizza crust, but it has more yeast that allows it to rise and create a more thick absorbent bread. Most Focaccia bread is soft and has things like olive oil and Italian herbs or cheese with it, it is rarely my first choice for sandwiches because it’s usually too soft and a bit rich. In this situation, the grilled focaccia is what made the sandwich really special for me, the outer crust had a nice crispiness to it and you could taste the olive oil and rosemary in the bread. The ingredients themselves in the sandwich were of excellent quality, the turkey was nicely sliced and had plenty of flavor on it’s own, the bacon was thick with a nice crispy texture, and all the produce was fresh. There is a nice selection of sides for you to choose from, and some variety for those who don’t want to eat a sandwich (like pizza, salad, and soup). The portion here is quite generous and the prices are very competitive, you could feasibly come in and split a sandwich with someone and leave satisfied.
The place itself has character, there is a nice bar that faces the kitchen where you can see everyone behind the counter working on your food (always a good sign that they won’t take shortcuts) and on the back wall a digital jukebox with picture of people around the world holding a “I wish I was at Big Belly Deli” sign. After I was done eating, I had to ask the guy why there is a sign that mentions David Cross and he explained to me that someone had posted a Yelp review about them where he referred to him as a “David Cross looking hipster dude.” Yelpers can be an interesting breed, I mean what kind of person has the audacity to think that just because you like food that you can post your opinions about it online? *cough* In all honesty, after my experience here the one word I could use to describe this place is genuine, the sandwich was great and the guy behind the counter was part of the reason why I liked being there. I think it closes at 4pm, so make sure you come in for lunch.
