So we decided to try Billy's for a quick lunch on Monday Feb 2, 2009. Having been there many years ago when it was called something else and was more of a diner I was a little disappointed to see the decor hadn't changed. It has the overall feel of an old run down diner that caters to the early bird, blue plate special crowd. Not too bad, clean, open, just outdated and Denny'sish.
We sat in a booth with a window view of the parking lot, waitress was really nice and the new menu has a ton of options, almost every type of sandwich you could think of, breakfast, meatloaf, fried chicken, all that good stuff. Brian & I decided to each order a sandwich and split them, we got the Philly Cheesesteak and a Ruben, one with macaroni salad, one with fries. The waitress was nice enough to have them split onto two plates, even splitting the sides. We also got a little cup of their pickles which tasted homemade. Pretty good but they were sliced and not spears and a little sweeter than I like. Now for the good stuff...I was pretty impressed with both sandwiches. The corned beef had a lot of flavor, tender, lean and tasty. The rye bread and thousand island dressing were both delicious, only thing I would have changed was maybe a little more sauerkraut. Now on to the Philly, the roll was a little disappointing (but I'm a huge bread fan) but the rest of the sandwich was great. Not sure if Philly Cheesesteak diehards would call this a true Philly sandwich but I've never lived back east and had the real thing so to me it tasted just fine. Mushrooms, green bell peppers, cheese, thin slices of steak...mmmm Both sandwiches were nice and meaty, no skimping on anything here. We both left full and satisfied.
So would I go back to Billy's...sure. Prices are decent, actually slightly higher than I would guess by looking at the place but more than fair for the quality and amount of food. (I think they have daily specials which may be a better deal) Service friendly yet not overbearing and it did feel cozy, casual, and comfortable. Seems like the kind of place where you could become a regular real quick if you wanted. I wouldn't recommend it if you're trying to impress a date but for a laidback easy meal I'd say go for it.
Brian's thoughts by dish:
Billy's Ruben - I'll start by saying that the Ruben is the sandwich by which I form my opinion of any deli (the same way a carnitas burrito is the standard by which I get to know a Mexican food spot, pad Thai for a Thai place, etc), and Billy's passed my test. I got a double amount of good thin sliced corned beef, got the saurkraut right, good (homemade?) thousand island dressing, and toasted rye that didn't fall apart too bad. Nothing was out of place, but then again nothing stuck out (I agree with Ronda, a little more kraut or dressing or more flavorful cheese would have made it one of my favorites). I'm a pretty tough judge of Rubens, but I like this one, very solid.
Philly Cheesesteak - Great mushroom taste and savory flavor! The meat and cheese were well done (figuratively and literally) but the mushrooms stood out. One of the better philly's I've had in California (I was spoiled at an early age by Texadelphia sandwiches in Dallas and Austin).
Overall - I'd like to try them again in the morning, their breakfast menu looked good. See link below!
5160 W 190th St Torrance
http://www.billysdeli.com/ Oh and they have then menu on line - Huge bonus points.
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