Moe’s Deli, Lake Forest

There was a time in my life where I spent a lot of time in Lake Forest. In the morning I would train at one of the many MMA gyms in the area and eventually end up at a LAN center to play video games. At the time, there weren’t many neighborhood sandwich shops in the area (except for The Hat) so I settled for a lot of Subway. Luckily for us, this is slowly changing and there is a lot more to choose from. When I first walked into Moe’s Deli, I wasn’t sure what to think. The interior looked a lot like a Quizno’s (which I don’t care for) and I was worried that I was destined for more franchise mediocrity. Luckily, there is more to Moe’s Deli than that.

The menu itself has a lot of your classic deli favorites on it with some interesting standouts. You can find some of Moe’s family influence with the Persian dishes:

The Italian and HM Chicken

Bread

The bread at Moe’s Deli is on the softer side. It has the added benefit of being lightely toasted, so you get a little textural variety. They are one of the few places in Orange County that serves Dutch Crunch bread, so be sure to take advantage of that. Just keep in my that the toast is pretty light, so take full advantage of the heat and texture by eating in instead of taking-away.

Filling

Moe seems to enjoy putting a lot of different ingredients in most of his sandwiches. It makes for some interesting combinations but the produce does cool the toast quickly. I would’ve preferred another run through the toaster to ensure a little more heat and texture. At least I know for next time. If you want something with a little less color and a little more protein, check out the steak and peppercorn sandwich with caramelized onions.

Sauce

The vinaigrette in the Italian was nice because it was a little more subtle. The Italian meat spices melted into the toast bread nicely. I thought the HM chicken would be sweeter, but the savory Guacamole is more apparent. So order an extra side of honey mustard if you want sweetness.

Price

At $7.50, the Italian sandwich is a a decently priced sandwich that will get you through lunch pretty full. As a part of Moe’s Deli “Classics” menu, you can find a lot of old favorites for a very competitive price. For roughly 50 cents more, you can order some of the sandwiches from the “Signatures” category, which includes the HM chicken and steak peppercorn sandwich.

-Vy

Moe’s Deli

23052 Lake Forest Dr, Laguna Hills, CA 92653

[Click to enlarge sample menu]

Mon – Fri: 10AM -7PM
Sat: 11AM – 5PM
Closed on Sunday

Delivery: Doordash/Seamless/Chownow